Penfolds 1987 Magill Estate Shiraz and NV Great Grandfather Rare Tawny at the Wine Watch Collectors Wine Dinner

Attendees were in high spirits as we concluded the Penfolds Vertical phase of the Collectors tasting and transitioned to dinner. Penfolds 1987 Magill Estate Shiraz and NV Penfolds Great Grandfather Rare Tawny were two of the intriguing wines accompanying the dinner. I cover these wines in this post.

1987 Penfolds Magill Estate
Magill Estate is a 5.24 ha monopole located in the foothills of the Mounty Lofty Ranges, a 15-minute drive from the Adelaide City Business District. This is the original Penfolds vineyard, in continuous operation since 1844.

The vineyard is dedicated to Shiraz vines, providing fruit to its namesake Shiraz label and, in selected vintages, to Penfolds Grange.

The Magill Estate Shiraz was first produced in 1983. The fruit is hand-harvested, basket-pressed, and then vinified in open, wax-lined, concrete tanks. The wine is aged between 12 and 15 months in a combination of new French and seasoned French and American oak

According to Decanter, 1987 was a challenging vintage in Australia for red wines produced in regions not named Hunter Valley or Margaret River. Most South Australia regions experienced difficulty in achieving full ripeness in the reds and "most of the top Penfolds reds were leaner and meaner than their usual standard."

The 1987 Magill Estate Shiraz that we tasted did not set off any fireworks. Granny's attic, dried plums, leather, and baking spices on the nose. Plum, tobacco, tea, spice, and forest floor on the palate. Lacking intensity. Uninspiring finish. Its best years have come and gone.

NV Penfolds Great Grandfather Rare Tawny
Port is buried deep with the Penfolds DNA. Doctor Christopher Ransom Penfold, a firm believer in the medicinal value of wine, planted some French vines around his home in Magill in 1844 and used the harvested fruit to produce port and sherry for dispensation to his patients.

The NV Penfolds Great Grandfather Port was introduced in 1994 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Penfolds. The port is a multi-vineyard blend of 13 varieties, with Mataro, Shiraz, Cabernet, and Grenache forming the core. The wine is fortified with a low-strength spirit which "accentuates primary fruit character" as well as facilitating "additional complexity and seamless integration."

The production process for this port is illustrated in the figure below.

On the nose this wine showed honey, toffee, fruitcake, burnt orange, menthol, and spice. Full-bodied on the palate with raisins, caramel, stewed apricots, and fruitcake. Good acid levels. Thick mouthfeel with a long finish. This wine paired extremely well with the Dark Chocolate Cremè Brulée.

 

Dark Chocolate Crème Brulée

 Meal
Andrew Lampasone's wife prepares the dishes for these tastings and I have generally found the meals acceptable. She hit it out of the park for this event. One of the issues that I have had with her dishes is the serving sizes, falling more into the comfort range. For this tasting the dishes were reasonably sized, pleasing to the eye, and flavor-packed.

Baby Carpaccio with Grilled Shallot and
Elderflower Aioli

Venison Shu Mai with Porcini Veal
demi reduction

Australian Lamb Chops with Jalapeno Mint Jam
and Crème Fraiche Mash

I attended a number of Penfolds tastings during Dlynn Proctor's tenure as Penfolds Wine Ambassador and admired his detailed discussion of each of the wines; before, during, and after we tasted it. Dlynn had done this particular Wine Watch event for eight successive years prior to moving on to his new position and he left big shoes for the guys down south to fill.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme