2 March 2021 - CoTD James Hill

Food review by James Tinslay

Progressing to CoTY cook-off 4 we had James Hill in the kitchen today ably assisted by Bill Alexiou-Hucker.

The starter came in two parts, on one plate. First off was a consommé made from oxtail and brisket. Luscious meaty flavour sprang into the mouth and left me wanting more. In this case, more was the second starter which was described as Peppers Piedmontese. There were several components to this dish. The red peppers had been roasted and in the centre was a roast tomato, accompanied by anchovy and garlic with a few olives scattered over the top. The anchovies provided a flavour boost for the dish (as they always do, delightfully). The garlic was certainly not unnoticeable and a few at my table would have preferred the garlic to have been lightly fried before going into the dish. A simple but tasty dish.

The main was quail involtini with pork and pistachios stuffing covered. This dish speaks to you about the work involved to prepare it. There were a lot of moving parts. What is firstly evident is the vine leaf that covers the torso of the quail edge providing the curious look of two little leg bones protruding. The satisfyingly moist quail was accompanied by broccoli, kipfler potatoes, onions, grapes, feta cheese and cooked fennel. The quail was cooked with verjuice and butter, which provided the jus for the meal.

Leaving the best last, that would be stuffing. The ingredients were pork and fennel sausage mince with onions, pistachios with fennel and cumin. Once the stuffing was removed from the cavity of the beast, it held its shape and enabled us to enjoy it as a side dish. A very appealing main.

The cheese presented by James Healey today provided a number of us to learn a new term, a truckle. Ignoring “to push (a piece of furniture) along on truckles” it is an English term for a small barrel-shaped cheese which is exactly what James served us today. A lovely cheese, it was a Pyengana cloth bound truckle weighing in at 1.1 kg. Pyengana is a relatively common serving at the Society, but this particular product was new and was marked by a particularly yellowish appearance. It is a seasonal cheese described by its maker as follows:

This small truckle is made only seasonally, just in time for Christmas each year, making it the perfect gift for cheese lovers. The curds are formed using a technique known as ‘stirred curd’ and after hooping, the rounds are clothbound and pressed on an antique Victorian bed press. Pyengana Dairy matures the truckles for 6 months encouraging the symbiotic relationship of the surface moulds and cultures. The result is a fine-textured, crumbly body, with subtle flavours of pasture and a lingering nuttiness.

The cheese was served with terrific figs.

The coffee was the Society’s house blend, for the time being, Calibrate Coffee White Blend. This is a mix of Brazil Fazenda Imperio, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Java Jampit 1X.

Another appropriate meal for a cookoff.

For wine, Chilly Hargrave served us:

2007 Lindeman’s Reserve HR 0755 Semillon

2007 Tyrrell’s Belford Semillon

2015 Georges Lignier Gevrey Chambertin

2014 Pooley Butcher’s Hill Pinot Noir

2009 Tyrrell’s Lunatiq Heathcote Shiraz

2009 Bress Heathcote Shiraz

23 February 2021 - CoTD Steve Sparkes

Food review by James Tinslay and wine review by Richard Gibson

Steve Sparkes was in the kitchen today assisted by Nick Reynolds. In a somewhat unusual circumstance, this was a double-up of a wine lunch and Chef of the Year cookoff (number 3) brought about by a change of cooking schedule. Some of us when we cook prefer to cook for wine lunches as it takes the focus off the food and onto the wine. Today the focus was on both with an accomplished chef and wine lunch quality wines.

Steve started us off with some home-made quail ravioli. Each succulent piece of ravioli was chockablock with succulent quail. The ravioli was served in a consomme based on his chicken stock with herbs and some sliced mushroom to finish off the dish. The result was excellent with a velvety texture. As an aside with the vino, the Italian Verdicchio from BISCI and the Australian Gruner Veltliner from Sinapius (new to me) were marvellous accompaniments.

The main was pure Northern Italian being Osso Buco. The piece I have was quite substantial and had well browned ‘batter’ topped with the traditional gremolata. The latter was not overpowering and added a zesty flavour to the meat. The highlight of the main was the risotto cake made with parmesan, chicken bits and clarified chicken stock. They were scrumptious. Crispy, came apart easily, whilst having an enjoyable crunch. The risotto was prepared the previous Saturday and pan-fried just before lunch. There were some crushed hazelnuts spread around the plate to add further texture to the main.

On the side were some beans and sugar snaps wrapped in a spring onion parcel. The sugar snaps were a little overdone but serving 48 with such a delicate vegetable is tricky.

James Healey was back on deck today and provided us with a Taleggio from maker Mauri based in Lombardy. This washed-rind cow’s milk cheese has an ivory chalky texture which begins to change slowly as it ripens, becoming buttery and soft. This example appeared to be on the younger side and had not developed the beautifully smelly characteristics that normally require it to be stored in your refrigerator with three or four levels of protection. I recall that Taleggio is one of the members favourite cheeses.

The cheese was served with a salad and a fruit roll made by Steve from walnuts and figs. Scrumptious.

The coffee was the Society’s house blend, for the time being, Calibrate Coffee White Blend. This is a mix of Brazil Fazenda Imperio, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Java Jampit 1X.

In summing up his meal, Steve explained it was essentially the same as the one he cooked in October last year. He was disappointed that the butcher told him at the last minute that he could not obtain veal for this occasion and hence he was forced into using beef.

A notable and very enjoyable lunch with 47 in attendance.

Wine

2018 Bisci Verdicchio di Metalica  and  2018 Sinapius Pipers Brook Gruner Veltliner

The ravioli was served with two whites featuring Italian varietals.

The Bisci is made from 100% Verdicchio grapes grown in the cool climate hills of the Marche region in Italy, fermented in steel and aged on lees in cement vats for 8 months.

It displayed fragrant aromas of apple and pear plus floral characters on the nose followed by ripe apple and stone fruits (with hints of honey) on the palate with a flinty minerality – it should age well (given its alcoholic richness (13.5%) and acidity).

The Pipers Brook wine is from the Tamar Valley in Tasmania and made from Gruner Veltliner grapes (the principal white grape from the Wachau region of Austria) - the variety has adapted well to cool climate regions in Australia (notably Tasmania, Adelaide Hills and Canberra).  It saw some skin contact prior to pressing and was aged for 12 months in large oak barrels.

It displayed ripe pear and citrus characters on the nose with spice and herbal notes. On the palate, we saw a broad spectrum of fruit ripeness (incl. lemon & pineapple) and good length and acidity.

The textural balance, ripeness, line and length of both wines were a perfect match for Steve’s entrée.

Tyrrells Vat 9 Shiraz vertical

The main course was served with a vertical of Tyrrell’s flagship Shiraz, Vat 9;  the vintages were 2013, 2011, 2010, 2007, 2003 (under cork) and 2000 (under cork).

The wine is made form old vines (average age of 50 years); a mix of whole bunch and destemmed fruit fermented in open vats; aged in large (2700L) French oak 1-2 years.

Considerable bottle variation was experienced with many of the wines (notably the two youngest and two oldest). The wines have are best reviewed in pairs.

The 2013 and 2011 were dry, savoury traditional style Hunter Shiraz, both displaying a cherry/plummy nose with vanilla, tobacco and pepper notes.  The palate of the 2013 showed rich blackberry/jammy characters with plenty of spice – some bottles were perhaps over-extracted.  Tannins were reasonably well integrated with good  acidity .

The 2011 was also jammy (with some capsicum on the nose) and medium-bodied with fine tannins and good acid levels – the better bottles displayed some elegance and balance with a good mouthfeel (one or 2 bottles however lacked this balance).

The 2010 and 2007 were generally regarded by members as the best wines of the flight.

The 2010 displayed oak and leather on the nose with some ‘barnyard’/bret characters. On the palate it was mid-weight, finely textured and balanced showing restrained red fruits and sour cherry. It was a precise, pleasant drinking Hunter.

The 2007 (served blind) was, for most tables, the best wine of the flight.

It showed brooding, sweet black fruits on the nose with spice and earthy leathery characters. The palate displayed a wave of savoury dark fruits and showed some attractive development; fine well-integrated tannins and good acidity levels – a lovely finish with good length. Drinking well now, it will benefit from more aging.

The 2003 and 2000 (both under cork) were highly variable around the room.

The 2003 came out of a dry, very warm year with small early harvest crop sizes producing concentrated fruit.   The nose was barnyard funky and earthy with a fair dose of bret. On the palate, it was medium bodied with plumminess and bitter licorice notes – the fruit appears to be fading and the wine is probably past its peak.

The 2000 (served blind) was the better of the two older wines – the nose showing savoury fruits, spice and dried herbs.

The palate was medium weight and still retains some fruit sweetness (although again offset by a little bret) as well as leather and licorice characters.  The tannins were soft and fine and acidity was ok (but the finish was a little short).

The 2000 was an elegant, clean, medium-bodied Hunter shiraz drinking well now. For some, this was the best wine of the flight (but there was considerable bottle variation).

Overall the flight of Vat 9’s was an interesting vertical which, despite the vintage and bottle variations, nevertheless displayed the consistency of Tyrrell's flagship wine. They were a good match with Steve’s tasty osso buco and the taleggio.

16 February 2021 - Bernard Leung

Food review by Nick Reynolds and wine review by Richard Gibson

The fight for Chef of the Year 2020 is really hotting up.

Today we had Society's first time chef in September and Chef of the Year contender Bernard Leung recreate the dish that wowed us last time.

Bernard was ably assisted in the kitchen by Steve Liebeskind.

The starter was once again the Heston Blumenthal-inspired Pea and Ham Soup. Masterful handling of the peas during cooking meant that it was fluorescent green rather than the uninspired brown that most of us were served as children. A flavourful ham stock combined with the green peas and nature’s wonder ingredient bacon led to a dish that was silky smooth, vivid in colour and textured with shredded ham from the ham stock and fresh peas with a dash of mint oil.

Well received by all judging from the clean plates returning to the kitchen, it was a wonderful lead-in to the main course.

The main was 48 hour slow-cooked lamb shanks, cooked sous vide at 62C and then browned before service, the lamb shanks were still slightly pink with all the collagen rendered but still coherent such that the meat came easily off the bone as muscle groups and had great texture with bite but not chewy. Bernard served the shanks on delicious buttery mash with blanched crisp broccoli and deep-fried parsnip chips for crunch and texture and chervil as a garnish and liquorice element. It was all surrounded by an intense reduced red wine beef-stock jus of sufficient quantity that members for once did not complain that not enough was served.

Both the entrée and the main were well presented, visually attractive, and very tasty.

We look forward to more meals from Bernard in the future, although he has set himself a very high bar with this one.

The cheese, which was chosen and presented by James Healey, was a Will Studd-selected La Couronne Comte AOP which came to the table at a perfect stage of ripeness. Bernard accompanied the cheese with a green salad, which was well regarded, apart from some comments about the inclusion of Kale which was possibly one green too far.

The coffee today was our house blend, which is a mix of Brazil Fazenda Imperio, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Java Jampit 1X.

Wines

The starter was served with two Yalumba Pewsey Vale Rieslings from the 2013 and 2012 vintages.

Both wines displayed very similar characters.  The nose of both showed intense zesty citrus (lime/lemon) notes and flinty/ stoney minerality.  The palate of each displayed a depth of citrus fruit (lime) and floral/herbal characters and was clean and dry with fresh acidity/minerality.  The 2012 showed some spice and perhaps was a little less fruit expressive than the younger wine – the 2012 also had more developed toasty/brioche characters with a bone dry finish. Both were well matched to the richness and textures of  Bernie’s delicious soup.

The main was served with two Rosemount McLaren Vale ‘Balmoral’ Shiraz.

The 2007 (alc 14.5%) was a cleanskin and perhaps reflected the (rather ordinary) 2007 vintage in McLaren Vale (at least for Rosemount).  The wine was aged in American oak (50%) and French oak (50%).

It had a developed blackberry, plummy nose and on the palate was big, ripe and spicy with supple tannins, plenty of vanilla oak and coffee/chocolate characters.  The fruit was a little short on the mid-palate and finish and the wine is perhaps fading.

The 2004 (alc 14.5%) showed developed blackberry/plum on the nose with cigar box/ coffee characters.

The wine was medium/full-bodied showing layers of savoury, spicy black fruits, and reasonably well-integrated tannins. However the fruit was fading on the mid-palate, it was over-oaked and lacked balance with a short, hot finish.  It was nonetheless a better wine than the 2007 and well matched the textures of the excellent osso buco.

 The cheese was served with two SA Shiraz wines from the very good 2002 vintage:

Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2002 and

Torbreck – The Struie 2002

The Bin 28 (alc 14.5%) is sourced from multiple vintages/multiple vineyards from the SA region and made very much to a Penfolds ‘style’ – rich, robust and generous.  The 2002 was aged for circa 12 months in aged American oak.

The nose displayed developed, rich plummy /blackberry fruit, spice and licorice with vanilla and coffee/ choc notes.   On the palate we saw rich, ripe (but not over-extracted) fruit, a medium body with well integrated oak and soft tannins as well as some mid-palate complexity and denseness. The finish was long and dry – it was a balanced and elegant wine, drinking very well now but retains enough fruit to age further.  It was generally regarded as the best drinking red of the day and well matched to the osso buco and cheese.

The Torbreck is made from fruit grown in the Eden (40 yr old vines) and Barossa (60 yr old vines) valleys.  It was aged for 18 months in seasoned French oak (80%) and new French oak (20%). 

The wine’s nose displayed big, rich raspberry and plum fruit with coffee and pepper tones.  On the palate, it was full bodied, rich, ripe and opulent yet showed a nice savouriness and elegance. The tannins were soft and well integrated  (with no ‘heat’) - secondary herb/earthy characters were also present.

In summary, the Torbreck was a balanced wine, showing intensity and complexity and drank well on the day and was an excellent match with the Comte.

9 February 2021 - CoTD Nick Reynolds

The

Food review by James Tinslay and wine review by Chilly Hargrave

The President Nick Reynolds was in the kitchen today for the first of the Chef of The Year cook-offs. There will be six in all and members will be able to see who and when in the program details contained in the weekly lunch notice.

As befits a CoTY cook-off and Nick’s track history, the starters were beautifully presented. There were three of them being chopped egg and smoked trout tapas, prawn and romesco sauce pintxo and finally, a gazpacho bite.

Last item first, the gazpacho bite was a fascinating looking beast with cucumber hollowed out and replaced by a circular mould on the top which gave it somewhat of an eclectic look. The image above does a far better job of describing the plated outcome. The smoked trout was served on top of an egg-based sauce on toasted sourdough. The romesco sauce had a veritable legion of ingredients including almonds, hazelnut, peppers and cherry tomatoes. A small amount of chilli flakes along with the hot smoked paprika gave it a zippy and full of roasted tomato and pepper flavour.

The main was blue eye, served on a potato rosti with Canadian scallop, asparagus and soubise sauce with dill oil. The potato rosti was delightfully crispy as was the skin on the blue eye. The effect of the smattering of dill oil on the source was very effective. Even a poor fish eater like myself found the fish beautifully cooked, flaky and tender. The asparagus looked a little grey and may have been a little overcooked.

James Healey, in absentia, had selected a goat’s cheese from Holy Goat, La Luna, but in one of the new pyramid shapes. La Luna is always popular and at a retail price of well over $100 per kilo, it should taste excellent.

The coffee was Calibrate Coffee White Blend. This is a mix of Brazil Fazenda Imperio, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Java Jampit 1X. The coffee was well received and is being adopted as our house blend for the time being.

An excellent start by Nick to the cook-off series and with larger numbers allowed from 23 February more members will get to enjoy these lunches.

Wine

A pair of 2014 Hunter Semillons were served with the entrée. The Brokenwood was a bigger style with more colour in the glass. It was developed with mature Hunter lemon curd notes. The Tyrrell’s Belford was a much tighter wine. It was fine and mineral although not showing the flavour intensity of the Brokenwood.

Two Chardonnays were matched to the main course. The first, a 2018 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis was quite a fruity wine that lacked the minerality we expect from Chablis. Similarly, the palate was full with low acidity - undoubtedly due to malolactic. The 2012 Seppelt Jaluka Chardonnay was for many the best wine of the day. Coming from a rather unique vineyard in the Henty region it was still a young wine. Citrus fruit was balanced by attractive barrel ferment characters. The palate was tight and long with fresh acidity. With this wine, there is no malolactic.

A couple of rather interesting wines finished the day. A 2012 Tyrrell’s Belford Chardonnay (covered in wine show award bling) was a big wine. Showing a lot of artefact of new oak, barrel ferment and natural yeasts, it was a real mouthful. A high acid level pulled the wine up on the finish.

The COTD had requested a Loire Sav Blanc to go with the cheese and it surprised many - the cellar master included. The 2012 Château de Ladoucette Pouilly Fumé was still fresh with bright gooseberry fruit aromas. These were complemented by a subtle apricot botrytis note. The palate was quite rich with obvious sweetness and proved a good match for the Holy Goat.

2 February 2021 - CoTD James Hill

James Hill is a prolific and persistent contributor to the Society in all areas, but particularly in cooking. As had been his custom, he kicked off this year’s lunches as our first Chef of the Day.

And what a lunch it was!

A Government-mandated restriction reduced the number of members attending. The lucky ones started with a trio of appetisers with ingredients chosen for their seasonality. First, there was a perfectly ripe peach wrapped simply in bresaola. When the fruit is this perfect, there is no need to embellish. Sweetcorn was also in season so James treated us to a sweetcorn and basil soup created using a recipe from the former top Sydney restaurant, Banc. The third appetiser was a delicious chicken and pistachio terrine served in the conventional manner with cornichons.

While the appetisers were delicious, it was the main course that proved to be the pièce de la résistance. James served us a modern Greek deconstructed version of moussaka from a recipe by Peter Conistis. Seared sea scallops and fried red capsicum were stacked within fried slices of eggplant on a bed of creamy taramasalata. The latter was made by James’ assistant for the day, our Foodmaster Bill Alexiou-Hucker. The moussaka was ringed by two different types of fish roe, resulting in a treat for the eyes as well as the palate.

James Healey sourced a Red Jensen Cheese, which had a very strong umami note. James Hill presented this with a simple salad and some seasonal baby pears that he spied at his fruiterer.

The food was enthusiastically received and praised.

The coffee was Calibrate Coffee White Blend. This is a mix of Brazil Fazenda Imperio, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Java Jampit 1X. The coffee was well received and is being adopted as our house blend for the time being.

Our latest octogenarian, Mike Staniland, augmented the wine selection with a delicious Rutherglen Muscat, one of Australia’s great wine treasures. Happy birthday Mike.

In our first meal of the year, James has set a very high standard to which our Chefs of the Day can aspire. It was an ideal way to kick off the year.

8 December 2020 - CoTD Bill Alexiou-Hucker

Food review by James Tinslay

This being the final Society lunch for 2020 (and what a year it was), the Foodmaster, Bill Alexiou-Hucker, was in the kitchen as is customary. This was the first lunch of the year since early 2020 where numbers exceeded twenty-five. We ended up with having forty-eight on the day and it was good to get back to somewhere approaching normal.

Of the six wines served today, each table had four in common, and the others were odd single bottles from the wine fridge that were randomly dropped on each table.

Appetisers:

The lunch being a lunch run by Bill, of course, we had two plates of starters! The first plate had three morsels on it. The first two being served on toast one with olive tapenade and the other with fish roe. The third was a cucumber slice with yoghurt and pistachios.

Next up was an amazing serving arrangement for octopus, octopus carpaccio. Normally the word carpaccio is related to raw food but in this Greek variation, the octopus is braised and then pushed into a plastic soft drink bottle (after the top part has been cut off) and frozen. Freezing helps to further breakdown the texture of the octopus. The plastic bottle is then cut off and then the octopus is then thinly sliced. The flavouring is dependent on the spices or herbs added during the braising process and it is an amazing looking dish. It also tasted wonderful.

In this case, there was 6 kg of octopus cooked in red wine, olive oil, gelatine and rocket.

Main:

Bill stuck to Greek cuisine today by serving Greek pastitsio (or pastichio) which is the Greek version of the lasagna. He described it as Greek peasant food. It is made with bucatini pasta, a thick pasta like spaghetti with a hole running through the centre. To get a better idea of the look of this unusual lasagne refer to the photograph. With the pasta was an egg béchamel mix and the meat sauce was made up of pork and beef. The dish was served with a simple Greek salad.

An interesting variation on Italian lasagne with a lot of flavour.

Bill thanked the new REX chef, Rob Doll, for his assistance today and the wonderful start he has had assisting members when they are in his kitchen.

Cheese:

The cheese selected by James Healey today was new to just about everybody, it was Fiore Sardo. This Italian cheese hails from Sardinia and is a hard cheese made from raw sheep’s milk and lamb rennet. The cheese was very granular and whilst part of the pecorino family had a far more punch and flavour and aroma. Most notable was the smoky flavour as the cheese is briefly smoked. A most unusual cheese but some found the texture too dry.

The cheese was served with figs that Bill had poached in ouzo which made them a stunning accompaniment.

Coffee:

The coffee today was an old Society favourite, Yirgacheffe from Ethiopia, an Arabica bean. These beans were sourced from Forsyth in Naremburn and produced a medium-bodied coffee that attracted no comment.

Awards:

There being no opportunity for a Chef of the Year awards dinner, today was used as an opportunity to present those awards.

Firstly, there was a special award presented to Paul Thorne by our Society member, Steve Liebeskind as President of the Federation of Wine and Food Societies of Australia. The award of the Federation of Wine and Food Societies of Australia Award and Medal was presented to Paul for his significant contribution to the lunch booking platform and arrangements during the pandemic restriction on numbers. Much manual work was involved in ensuring numbers remained at twenty-five, especially with the temporary provision of two wine lunches per month.

For the Chef of the Year 2019, there was two seafood entrants and four non-seafood entrants. The results were as follows:

Chef of the Year – Nick Reynolds with Paul Irwin as runner-up and others with outstanding meals being Denis Redfern and Steve Liebeskind.

Seafood Chef of the Year – Matthew Holmes with Grant Montgomery runner-up.

Congratulations to all winners.

President Nick Reynolds closed the lunch noting the annus horribilis that was 2020 but pointing out that we are unique with our member cooking protocol. He thanked all members for their understanding of lunch number restrictions and other implications of COVID.

Wine:

1 December 2020 - CoTD Peter Fitzpatrick

Food review by James Tinslay and wine review by Chilly Hargrave

Chef of the day for this second last lunch of the year was Peter Fitzpatrick assisted by David Madson and James Tinslay. And, at least for the time being, this was the last COVID lunch limited to 25 members with the number rising to 50 for the final lunch of the year. We are hoping that this will a post-COVID normal in 2021.

Appetisers:

On the starter plate today, there were three different appetisers. The first two were both quiches, one satay and the other salmon served hot and cold, respectively. The pastry had been cooked ‘just right” and both were tasty. The other dish was Greek-style meatballs made with 80% lamb and 20% pork. The serving sauce was a middle Eastern spiced yoghurt, giving a dish, some cultural sharing.

Main:

Peter is a keen meat smoking man and he had smoked 6.3 kg of pork loin for about five hours in his home smoker. For plating, the pork had been sliced in substantial sized steak portions where you can see the ingress of the smoking rub into the meat to about 1 cm depth with the tasty crunch on the perimeter of the pork slice. The pork slice was accompanied with jus and some homemade apple sauce on the side.

For the green, a rather exotic salad (some likened it to a Caesar salad) with the ingredients of gem lettuce, baby rocket leaves, slivered toasted almonds, pecorino, mangoes and croutons. The dressing was lime juice, sesame oil and Tabasco. The result was a very satisfying salad that could have been served as the main course. But of course, not at our Society!

Cheese:

James Healey had selected Maffra cloth-aged cheddar from the heart of Gippsland for our lunch today. Maffra has always been enjoyed when it has been served previously and today was no different. The cheddar is matured to an optimal age of between 15 to 24 months and had a soft, crumbly texture with a long smooth palate.

The cheese was served with almonds and dried apricots.

Coffee:

The coffee was Kenyan washed process Maganjo AB Single Origin from Nyeri Kenya, roasted by Gabriel Coffee, Chatswood. Gabriel Coffee gave the coffee tasting note descriptions of blackberry, black tea and citrus peel.

Wine

Two aged Tyrrell’s Semillons were served as starter wines. Both (in the traditional low alcohol, high acid style) were still in good condition - a testament to screw cap and the judicious use of SO2. The 2006 (10.7%) showed extremely well with its freshness, length and acid tension. The 2004 (10.2%) was starting to show a lot of secondary buttered toast aromas and flavours. It was starting to dry out and the acid dominated.

Four Chardonnays were presented with the two main courses of fish and pork. The 2015 Domaine Leflaive Mâcon Verzé showed many of the characters we generally see in Mâconnais whites - rich fruit, full flavour and obvious oak. It was well made with struck match notes and little phenolic grip. Unfortunately, it was sealed with cork which hadn’t assisted its development.

A pair of Shaw and Smith Chardonnays followed. The room was informed that they were from the 2014 vintage and that one was Tolpuddle (Coal River) and the other was M3 (Adelaide Hills) - no more. It was a rather difficult exercise as they came out of the same cellar with the same winemaker. The first (the Tolpuddle) showed obvious oak with flinty aromas and citrus fruit. The acid was high (suggesting no or little malolactic) with a fine, long palate. The second (the M3) was a fuller, richer fruit style, although the pale was a little fat and lacked the tension of the Tolpuddle. Both bore the winemaker’s fingerprint.

The final Chardonnay was a 2012 Vincent Girardin Meursault ‘Les Narvaux’ was the favourite of many in the room(s). This is an interesting vineyard that sits above the village and hence many of the Premier Cru of Meursault. It is not one itself but is a highly regarded lieux dit (named place). Although showing some honeyed development (under cork again), it had excellent use of oak supporting the fruit on both the nose and the palate. It was long and linear with some ripe fruit and a great acidity.

For the cheese, we had two Bordeaux reds from the renowned 2000 vintage. One from the east (right bank of the Dordogne) and the other to the west (left bank of the Garonne). The Chateau L’Enclos from Pomerol was a disappointment to many at the first wine lunch. We opened 4 bottles and 3 were corked (2 very badly). The TCA became More obvious after pouring. The second lunch did well as neither bottle was corked, although that did allow some more of the Brett to show through. Château L’Enclos is an interesting property as it is one of the few in the area that actually has a chateau. Generally, it’s just a modest house. Typically, these wines are very Merlot dominant with this being no exception at over 80% (with a little Cabernet Franc and Malbec). It was very much in the old ‘claret’ style with plum fruit and dry, grainy tannins. Probably not a great future ahead of it.

The 2000 Clos du Marquis is the second wine of Château Léoville-Las Cases - a well-known and highly regarded Second Growth. Many say that their second one is one of the best to be found in Bordeaux. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and a touch of Cabernet Franc, it showed the expected cassis aromas with attractive oak. The aroma was nonetheless showing some development as was the palate. The tannins were very soft suggesting at its peak. Some mentioned that they considered this to not be a good example and queried the history of its cellaring by the Society.

24 November - CoTD Nick Reynolds

Food review by Matthew Holmes and wine review by Chilly Hargrave

Appetisers

Nick Reynolds was in the kitchen today, skilfully assisted by Steve Sparkes who prepared pickled cucumber with smoked salmon, mascarpone cheese, black sesame seeds and dill. The delicate serves made for a taste treat to start the day’s proceedings.

On the same plate Nick provided an appetiser of Scotch Eggs via Peking, with boiled quail’s eggs wrapped in duck breast mince, five-spice powder, ginger and spring onion served with Peking Sauce. Roger Straiton reminded us that Scotch eggs were not from Scotland, rather they originated in the Whitby area of Yorkshire in the late 19th century. Their name in those days was 'Scotties', allegedly because they were made at an eatery by the name of William J Scott & Sons.

Main

Nick presented a perfectly cooked crispy skin Blue Eye with scallop, served on a deep-fried potato galette, asparagus and a lemon soubise sauce with dill oil. The dish was beautifully plated. Both appetisers and main course were very well received as evidenced by the smiles on members faces and the empty plates being carried away.

Cheese

James Healey provided Beaufort Cheese, which was served with iceberg lettuce and Japanese toasted sesame dressing. The cheese came to the table in good condition and was ably complemented by the dressing.

Coffee

The coffee was Kenyan washed process Maganjo AB Single Origin from Nyeri Kenya, roasted by Gabriel Coffee, Chatswood.

It was Wal Edwards’ birthday today and bringing 104 years of experience to bear, he reminded us that one should “love mates and female mates and that we should give first to get back”.

Wine

Two aged Tyrrell’s Semillons were served as starter wines. Both (in the traditional low alcohol, high acid style) were still in good condition - a testament to screw cap and the judicious use of SO2. The 2006 (10.7%) showed extremely well with its freshness, length and acid tension. The 2004 (10.2%) was starting to show a lot of secondary buttered toast aromas and flavours. It was starting to dry out and the acid dominated.

Four Chardonnays were presented with the two main courses of fish and pork. The 2015 Domaine Leflaive Mâcon Verzé showed many of the characters we generally see in Mâconnais whites - rich fruit, full flavour and obvious oak. It was well made with struck match notes and little phenolic grip. Unfortunately, it was sealed with cork which hadn’t assisted its development.

A pair of Shaw and Smith Chardonnays followed. The room was informed that they were from the 2014 vintage and that one was Tolpuddle (Coal River) and the other was M3 (Adelaide Hills) - no more. It was a rather difficult exercise as they came out of the same cellar with the same winemaker. The first (the Tolpuddle) showed obvious oak with flinty aromas and citrus fruit. The acid was high (suggesting no or little malolactic) with a fine, long palate. The second (the M3) was a fuller, richer fruit style, although the pale was a little fat and lacked the tension of the Tolpuddle. Both bore the winemaker’s fingerprint.

The final Chardonnay was a 2012 Vincent Girardin Meursault ‘Les Narvaux’ was the favourite of many in the room(s). This is an interesting vineyard that sits above the village and hence many of the Premier Cru of Meursault. It is not one itself but is a highly regarded lieux dit (named place). Although showing some honeyed development (under cork again), it had excellent use of oak supporting the fruit on both the nose and the palate. It was long and linear with some ripe fruit and a great acidity.

For the cheese, we had two Bordeaux reds from the renowned 2000 vintage. One from the east (right bank of the Dordogne) and the other to the west (left bank of the Garonne). The Chateau L’Enclos from Pomerol was a disappointment to many at the first wine lunch. We opened 4 bottles and 3 were corked (2 very badly). The TCA became More obvious after pouring. The second lunch did well as neither bottle was corked, although that did allow some more of the Brett to show through. Château L’Enclos is an interesting property as it is one of the few in the area that actually has a chateau. Generally, it’s just a modest house. Typically, these wines are very Merlot dominant with this being no exception at over 80% (with a little Cabernet Franc and Malbec). It was very much in the old ‘claret’ style with plum fruit and dry, grainy tannins. Probably not a great future ahead of it.

The 2000 Clos du Marquis is the second wine of Château Léoville-Las Cases - a well-known and highly regarded Second Growth. Many say that their second one is one of the best to be found in Bordeaux. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and a touch of Cabernet Franc, it showed the expected cassis aromas with attractive oak. The aroma was nonetheless showing some development as was the palate. The tannins were very soft suggesting at its peak. Some mentioned that they considered this to not be a good example and queried the history of its cellaring by the Society.

17 November 2020 - CoTD Matthew Holmes

Food review by James Tinslay and wine review by Chilly Hargrave

Matthew Holmes was back in the kitchen today with some assistance from Nick Reynolds.

Entrée.

In our seated Covid position (which we all hope will be amended soon) we were served to starters on a single plate.

• Broccoli and pea soup with sour cream and bacon garnish, parsley and a pinch of chilli
• Burrata bruschetta using a semi sourdough topped with snow and fresh peas, broad beans, parsley and mint, radish and chilli, drizzled with chardonnay vinegar dressing.

As always the photographs say more than the words, and both of these were very interesting and presentable. The soup had an intensity of infused flavours that were very pleasing. The bruschetta had been served on what looked like an ancient Egyptian sailing vessel which was attractive to the eye. It had an abundance of interesting flavours and was very satisfying.

Main course.

Matthew called the main course, a Greek-inspired pie but I did see it as spanakopita.  It had feta, goat and pecorino cheeses combined with young leaf spinach, roasted pine nuts, onions and dill, all wrapped in filo pastry. Accompanying was a tzatziki dip homemade without the usual garlic.

Ignoring the protein from the cheese, this was a vegetarian main course, a challenging decision by Matthew to present to the carnivores of the Society. He got away with it the main with a couple of comments that they would have liked more food. Matthew would not have been surprised at those comments!

I thought the ‘pie’ was an intriguing version of spanakopita and better than I have tasted in some Greek restaurants. The presentation was terrific with a medley of cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion, fresh oregano, sparsely dressed with lemon and garlic olive oil.

Cheese.

James Healey presented the cheese, and we were back to Australia again with a Berry’s Creek Gourmet Cheese Tarwin Blue, a product we have enjoyed in the past. The cheese hails from South Gippsland and the maker, Barry Charlton, who specialises in blue cheese is often referred to of the master of blue cheese. This cow’s milk cheese is inoculated with a combination of three strains of starter cultures and one blue mould spore. It matures for a minimum of two months and we end up consuming a rich and buttery cheese interspersed with dark blue veins with a developed distinctly creamy blue finish.

The cheese was accompanied by sesame lavosh crackers and red grapes.

Coffee.

Our coffee was sourced by Nick from the Ona stable, Nicaragua El Suyatal, Natural. The notes from ONA described it as having “incredible spice and red wine aromatics. Your palate will burst with this coffee’s plum and raspberry qualities, with a unique botanical like floral tone on the finish”.

A tightly presented lunch with all the hallmarks of Matthew Holmes being in control of the kitchen and the food.

Wine

A couple of Rieslings to start. Frankland Estate in the Great Southern region is highly regarded for its Riesling (and Shiraz). The 2017 Isolation Ridge had a rich fruit note, probably more bath salts than the traditional citrus. It was showing some development and la key the vigour one might expect.

The Holm Oak (in deference to the CoTD) Tamar Valley Riesling was a completely different style. It showed plenty of earthy funk from a natural ferment and obvious apricot, botrytis aromas. The palate was oily, almost waxy, in the Alsatian style. It finished extremely dry with the expected cool climate high acidity. It needed some residual sweetness to bring it into balance.

Two Chardonnays were served with the main course. The 2016 Seppelt Drumborg Chardonnay from the Henty region in south-west Victoria was a class wine. It showed fine, citrus fruit and flinty struck match aromas. The palate was restrained with excellent balance of flavour, oak and acidity giving real tension on the finish.

The 2015 Tyrrell’s Belford Chardonnay was a much different proposition. With big oak aromas and wild ferment funk, it was a little overdone. The palate was similarly dominated by oak with a firm tannin finish. Hard to find the fruit. A blockbuster that had appeal for some, but generally considered over the top.

A pair of Shiraz were poured to accompany the cheese. A 2011 Tyrrell’s Vat 9 had rich plum fruit with balanced oak. The palate again had the fruit power with fine tannins and an acid finish. The 2007 Rosemount (sold to us cleanskin as Balmoral) was somewhat disappointing. A nose dominated by oak (almost to rancio) with a little spicey fruit showing through. These characters followed onto the palate with a dry tannic finish. Alcohol heat followed.

10 November 2020 - Nigel Burton

Food review by Nick Reynolds and wine review by Chilly Hargrave

Chef of the Day at this week’s lunch was Nigel Burton. He was ably assisted by Hilton Chapman.

His original concept planned since earlier in the year was put to one side due to the challenge of matching food with the Piemontese Nebbiolos that our Winemaster had scheduled for an appearance. More on that after the coverage of Hilton’s appetisers.

Hilton’s appetisers are improving with each appearance he makes in the kitchen. Today he served us three different appetisers, with two of these each having two variants. The first was based Kibbeh Nayee, a dish that traditionally is made with lamb. In this Greg Malouf inspired dish, we were presented with a mix of raw salmon, French eschalot, bulghur wheat, and chilli. This was served on a slice of cucumber with everyone getting two pieces, one with a mint leaf, and one without. The second appetiser was Babaganoush, the Middle Eastern “eggplant caviar.” Served on Chinese soup spoons, Hilton once again gave us two variants, one plain and one garnished with pickled eggplant. The final appetiser was a Pea and Mint soup made with vegetable stock, leek, garlic, zucchini.  This was served cold and textural. Members praised Hilton for the appetisers, and we hope that one day we can entice him into the kitchen as a Chef of the Day.

In meeting the Nebbiolo challenge, Nigel decided to take us to Milan, which is north-west of Piedmont. His Osso Bucco was served with saffron-infused Milanese risotto that Nigel augmented with lavish amounts of Pecorino. This risotto is traditionally served in Milan all’onda (like a wave), which means that it should flow gently when the plate is tipped. Some members commented that the flow seemed to have been stopped by the cheese, which made the risotto quite substantial. The meat in the Osso Bucco was tender but not to the stage of falling off the bone. It was served with ample sauce from the liquid in which the meal was cooked, carrots, snow peas, and the traditional Gremolata garnish/sauce (lemon, parsley, and garlic). The meal was well received and very filling, an effect which is a crowd favourite. True to Nigel’s intentions, the Northern Italian dish matched the wines very well

Perhaps for the first time in Society history, Nigel presented the cheese as a component in a Pasta Salad that also included onions, olives, pickled cucumber, and tomato. The dressing was tasty, which was fortunate because the cheese that accompanied the salad could best be described as something of a blank canvas upon which flavours could be built. The cheese in question was Buffalo Mozzarella from Shaw River in the Western Districts of Victoria. Matt Holmes, who was presenting the cheese on behalf of the Cheesemaster, informed us that the cheese was handmade from milk from buffalo that were specially imported from Italy.

Today’s coffee was a washed Honduras Caballero Lot 20 from Ona coffee. The tasting notes indicated a fresh crisp lime zest and green apple notes accompanying sweet florals and delicate stone fruit. In line with the recent trend, the coffee dosage was increased. Unfortunately, this led to a muddying of these flavour notes. Next time we’ll pare back the dosage a bit.

Wine

A pair of 2007 Hunter Semillons with the entrées were testimony to the quality and endurance of this wine style. The Tyrrell’s Belford was still pale in colour suggesting a high free SO2 at bottling. The aromas were a mix of primary and secondary characters. It was still bright and fresh on the palate with high acid. It had the citrus flavours of the best wines in the best vintages. On the other hand, the Lindemans Bin HR 0755 was more developed with more colour and some honeyed notes. 

Today’s wine lunch theme was Barolo (and Barbaresco). A red Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wine produced in the northern Italian region of Piedmont. It is made from the Nebbiolo grape and is considered one of Italy’s great wines (if not greatest). Five townships (Barolo, La Morra, Castiglione Faletto, Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba) account for roughly 90% of Barolo production. Although production codes have always stipulated that vineyards must be located on hillsides, most recent revisions of the codes categorically exclude valley floors, humid and flat areas and those without sufficient sunlight. 

By law, Barolo must be aged for at least 38 months before release and 18 months of that must be in wood. In the past Barolo tended to be very high in tannin, often requiring a decade to soften. In the late 70s and early 80s a new generation of winemakers developed a ‘modern’ style of Barolo based on improved viticulture and grape quality, less extractive winemaking and the use of more new oak for maturation - the ‘Barolo wars’? The views and processes of the ‘modernists’ and ‘traditionalist’ have merged over time until the Barolo of today is a softer wine but of increased quality and consistency. 

After one hundred years of debate, a new (and unique) classification in Barolo was introduced to recognise the sub-zones within various townships. Unable to use the term Cru (registered already by the French) in 2010 the Barolo Consorzio named them MEGA (or MGA) from the descriptor Menzionne Geographiche Aggiuntive (additional geographic mentions). There are 170 of these MGAs within 11 village designations. The Barbaresco Consorzio were first with this classification having introduced the system in 2007 with a further 66 sub-zones based around the 3 major towns (Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso). It is, however, only 35% of the area of Barolo.

In all great wine regions vintage has a significant impact on style and quality. Barolo and Barbaresco are no different. 

Vintage 2012: climatic conditions combined to make a successful growing season, an extremely cold winter (with plenty of snow) gave way to a cool spring followed by medium-hot weather over summer with a hot spell in August. September was a bit cooler which allowed aromatic concentration. In general, the wines of 2012 are fragrant, of a lighter style with high acidity and lower alcohols.

Vintage 2010: a memorable and highly regarded vintage depends on ideal conditions and this was certainly the case in 2010. With a cool September, it was one of the longest growing seasons on record. This allowed a full phenolic maturation of the grapes and the evolution of fruit characters. Small berries after poor set in spring contributed further to a classic style of Barolo - less about the aroma and more about the structure and the tannins.

Vintage 2008: a difficult growing season throughout caused many vineyard issues. A wet July in particular brought problems of rot and disease. A fine, warm August pushed the fruit to phenolic ripeness. After all this, those vineyards that maintained vigilance produced wines that were surprisingly good. They were rich, concentrated and intense, but with a more sophisticated structure with balanced acidity and tannins. 

First up were 2 vintage 2012 Baroli from Massolino. Founded in 1896, the Massolino winery and vineyard located in and around the village of Serralunga d’Alba. They have a wonderful resource of over 20 hectares including some of some the most renowned sites. All of their wines are aged in large casks so in this sense they are ‘traditional’, but the fruit aroma and purity bring a modern feel to the wine.

The standard Barolo is drawn from 7 sites in Serralunga and spends 24 to 30 months in the large Slovenian oak casks. A complex wine with rich plum, cherry fruit and big velvety tannins. The Barolo ‘Parussi’ is curiously an MGA in the adjoining village of Castiglione Falletto known, with Monforte, for some of the highest tannins in Barolo. The vineyard almost adjoins Serralunga and today’s wine was a much more complex style. Rich fruit of tar and rose petal was supported by new oak. It showed more power, depth and tannin that its younger sibling.

The next bracket of two wines were not revealed prior to tasting. Both MGA wines, one was a Barolo, the other a Barbaresco. The difference between these 2 regions is generally identified as Barolo having a higher level of tannin. Barolo may have bolder, fruity notes, while Barbaresco may present with more florals and a wider range of flavours. One interesting quote I read suggested that “Barolo tends to be more expensive, whereas Barbaresco is more acidic”. Go figure!!

The exercise of identifying the two wines by region proved rather difficult for the room. Perhaps I should have supplied the prices or acid levels. The first was a Barolo from the village of La Morra. The Marcarini family have been making wine in here since 1850. The single vineyard ‘Brunate’ is typically muscular with dark fruits and spice and great longevity. Production is a 45-day fermentation and maceration in cement and stainless steel before 24 months in large oak. The 2010 wine tasted showed a lot of oak rancio in the more ‘traditional’ style. These aromas carried onto the palate with ripe fruit and grainy, firm tannins.

The Barbaresco was again an MGA from the vineyard of Pora. This is arguably one of the key historic vineyards of Barbaresco as it was part of the property of Domizio Cavazza (recognised as ‘The Father of Barbaresco’). Prior to his involvement, Barbaresco was considered very much the poorer brother of Barolo. The 2010 Gigi Bianco is matured in small oak barrels, much of it new. This showed on the nose with high quality oak supporting cherry fruit notes. The palate was fine and elegant with good structure and length. Softer tannins than in the previous wines.

Prunotto was originally started in the 19th century in the village of Serralunga. It was finally purchased by the Antinori family of Chianti fame in 1994 and is housed in a large facility constructed near the city of Alba. Today’s wine was the 2008 and as with all Barolo before the introduction of MGAs in 2010 it was their top wine. Sourced from Bussia and other Langhe vineyards it opened with a little Brett, but that seemed to diminish on pouring. The wine was restrained with an attractive minerality. Tannins were a little green, but grainy and soft with a good line to the finish. Very much in the older style it was the preferred wine for many. 

The 2008 Ceretto Barolo ‘Zonchera’ was originally the top wine from the winery often sourced from La Morra. Since the introduction of single vineyard wines in 2010 this label is no longer produced. It showed the influence of maturation in large, old Slovenian oak with some rather stale notes on the nose. Like the Prunotto this was slightly green although the tannins had similarly softened. Comment must be made that both last two wines showed significant bottle variation with aldehyde characters obvious in some. They certainly have little future in front of them and fortunately there are only a few left in the cellar.

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