De Bortoli Wines

Old Boy's 21 Year Old Aged Tawny NV

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Winner Gold Fortified Wines
Grape Varieties
Blend (100%) Australia
Country of Origin
Australia
Alcohol Content
19.0% Alcohol by Volume
Wine Type and Oak Treatment
Port, Tawny, Vintage, Ruby, To Fortified with Oak Treatment
Recommended Retail Price
RRP AU $45.00
Buy This Wine

“A delicate, almost floral, lifted nose - red-fruited. The palate is sweet, piercing and warming with noticeable spirit.Good acidity, but a touch brutal. With the dish, the spirit subsided and the entire wine become more elegant and sweet-tasting”

“Medium intensity tawny brown hue. Opens with aromas of grilled walnuts and toffee. Medium weight, sweet and nutty with some luscious caramel notes balanced by beautiful freshness. Lovely balance and weight, with excellent persistence. The chocolate brownie enhanced the nuttiness of the wine but detracted from the wine?s overall complexity.”

“Fresh with some wood poking through. Alcohol heat also evident. The match exposes the lack of balance with the alcohol becoming the lingering flavour”

“Aromatic lifted complex red fruits savoury orange peel and nuts. Good acid line length and richness. Chewy textured wine. Alcohol obvious. Mouth-filling style ? moreish. The apricot puree is highlighted with the wine lifting the dessert fruit aromas and texture of the puree. The browny and the nuts appear disjointed form the wine. The wine is better without the food. ”

“A touch of oak coming through on the nose, lighter style, smooth acid profile, not too cloying. Pleasant savoury/sweet finish”

“Mid tawny brown and bright. Medium intensity aromas of dried fruits and nuts, fresh vanilla and brown sugar notes. Aromas follow on the palate with slight mushroom notes. Fresh finish that lingers. This dish makes the wine a little acidic.”

“Lighter colour and a burnt toffee apple nose. Palate has good spirit but comes across a little hot and raw. Needs more sweetness/freshness to balance it out. Shorter clipped finish. With food ? feels thin and a little hot spirity.”

The Fortified Wines were judged with

Chocolate Brownie with apricot and toasted hazelnut

Presented by chef Marcell Kustos

Ingredients

Brownie

  • 185g unsalted butter
  • 185g dark chocolate
  • 85g plain flour
  • 40g cocoa powder
  • 50g milk chocolate
  • 3 large eggs
  • 200g caster sugar
Hazelnuts
  • 100g toasted, halved
Apricot sauce
  • 100g dried apricot
  • 150g sugar
  • 500ml water
Crème fraiche to serve

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
  2. Cut unsalted butter into small cubes and tip into a medium bowl.
  3. Break dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl.
  4. Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them.
  5. Remove the bowl from the pan.
  6. Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base.
  7. Tip plain flour and cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl.
  8. Tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and you get rid of any lumps.
  9. Chop milk chocolate into chunks on a board.
  10. Break eggs into a large bowl and tip in golden caster sugar and whisk until double in volume.
  11. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula.
  12. Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly.
  13. Gently fold in this powder. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. You don’t want to overdo this mixing.
  14. Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they’re dotted throughout.
  15. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it.
  16. Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 minutes.
  17. In a medium pot, cook apricots, in water and sugar for 10 minutes. Then place it in a blender and blend until smooth.
  18. Serve brownies with apricot puree and toasted hazelnuts.