20 June 2023 Rob Doll

Food review by James Hill and wine review by James Tinslay

Food

Resident Chef Rob Doll was on the hobs for us today delivering some exceptional fare.

Canapés

First up venison and juniper tartare topped with toasted sourdough on betel leaf.

Then followed warm cauliflower purée with foie gras served on spoons.

Main

Perfectly cooked pork belly with crackling accompanied by cabbage sautéed in butter and a silky parsnip purée topped with a stem of deep-fried cavolo nero. A light chicken pork sauce finished the dish.

Rob said the secret to cooking crackling is to put it in the fridge on Friday which reduces the water content of the skin. It’s salted on Tuesday morning the skin having become glass-like, perfect for ‘crackling’.

In both canapés and main we can see the skill of our chef, the presentation, flavour, texture and innovation.

It was a great lunch with a ‘wow’ factor.

Cheese

Selected by Rob an Australian white mould, cow's milk cheese from Castlemaine Victoria.

An artisan soft bloomy cheese in the style of a French soft cheese like those from Brie, but with its own Australian identity, named after Australia’s iconic soft-petalled wildflower. Creamy dense paste becomes softer and oozier as it ripens from the outside in, with mild nutty tones developing into more oniony/cauliflower flavours as it ages and softens.

Made in 1kg wheels in the style of a traditional French artisan Brie, with a soft dense paste and a thin rind, it ripens from the outside in, its mild chalky interior becoming softer, creamier and more pungent as it ages.

Aspect: white/cream colour, the bloomy rind is slightly wavy, becoming flecked with brown as it ripens.

Texture: dense and semi-soft with a slightly chalky core when young, becoming creamy and melty, slightly oozy but not liquid, as it ripens.

Flavour: mild, creamy/lactic and slightly nutty when young, becoming more full-flavoured, cabbagy and yeasty as it ripens.

 A Radicchio salad was served with the cheese.

Two types of bread with main and cheese today both served warm.

Wine

Arriving at the luncheon today and seeing the six wines that we were to enjoy, I got the clear impression that we were in for a range of grape and taste profiles.

Canapé wine 1. Gundog Estate 2019 The Chase Semillon. The visuals were medium hue with a clean profile on the palate, but more developed than, say, a Tyrrells from the Hunter Valley. It appeared to have a year good slug of sulphur and whilst not a poor wine was middling. From comments around the room, it was not overly popular.

Canapé wine 2. Pikes Riesling 2010. With wines at thirteen years old, there always tends to be a dichotomy between those who like their young fruity Rieslings and those who like the age characteristics. The fruit was drying but in its favour, there was a very developed Riesling character with a touch of sweetness.

2008 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove – This is the second wine of Tenuta dell'Ornellaia. I have always enjoyed this wine and it makes me wonder why people pay much more for the upmarket “first growth” version. Even this second wine is not cheap. Full-bodied, with juicy, velvety tannins and a very long finish. Bolgheri has vastly improved over the last twenty years and was underrated but that appears to have changed. This wine was Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon (with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot). It goes by the misnomer of “Super Tuscan”. At fifteen years of age. The wine is at its peak and showing significant browning. Drinking well now and enjoyed the dry chewy tannins which worked well with the food. 14.5%

2012 Monili Tarantione Primitivo - Primitivo is what we used to call Zinfandel back in the 70s and 80s. The style is basically rich and sweet and often alcoholic. This wine at 13% was surprisingly low in alcohol and at eleven years of age had a brown meniscus. The wine is from Puglia and whilst not my favourite grape seemed to work well with the wonderful pork we enjoyed from Rob today.

2010 Goaty Hill Pinot Noir - Goaty Hill, was a label from the wonderful Tamar Valley which produces many wonderful wines. The winery was relaunched some years ago as Small Wonder (go figure!). I agreed with many who thought this wine was probably passed its peak, having lost its fruit and was decidedly simple. A shame, Tamar produces some very good wines. 13.4%

2018 Toolangi Chardonnay - This wine comes from Dixon’s Creek in Yarra Valley and produces some very well-priced wines. At five years of age. I thought the wine was at its peak. Showing a buttery malo character. A little flabby and a touch more acid would have been appreciated. However, it did go well with the cheese and once again, a white wine with the Cheesemasters cheese was a big success. 13%

13 June 2023 James Hill

Food review by James Hill (as CoTD) and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Near-capacity bookings for our mixed lunch today with yours truly in the kitchen assisted by Jonathan Casson and Gary Linnane.

Canapés

First up Jen’s crisp cheddar biscuits topped with sesame seeds, with some cayenne adding a ‘bite’ at the finish. Perfect with champagne.

Then came Kay’s duck liver pâté, fresh organic duck livers were used to make the pâté, good lively flavour and texture, served on oven-baked white bread toasts. It could have had more cognac for my palate.

Jonathan Casson was up next with a savoury prosciutto roll with pears, Gorgonzola picante and wild rocket.

Gary reprised his signature canapé a white bean anchoïade topped with some Cantabrian anchovies served in pastry cases. Gary used the Tarbais beans that Society member Scott Witt provided.

The beans were puréed with some Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream cheese capers, anchovy, lemon zest and EVOO.

Full of flavour, creamy, thick and rich.

Plentiful canapés and highly commended by members and guests today.

Main

Our main course today was a chicken smoked cheese and bacon rotolo.  Served with chicken fat potato gratin, shaved brussels sprouts sautéed in butter and water and topped with a cream sauce of sherry, chicken stock, shallots and caramelised button mushrooms.

The rotolo main ingredients are chicken breast mince, diced salami, onions, garlic, mustard, parmesan, parsley and bread crumbs. It’s then patted out to an even rectangle with mint leaves pressed over the surface. Thin slices of ham are layered and then sprinkled with grated smoked Dutch cheese. It’s then rolled up and covered with bacon rashers it was baked for an hour, rested for twenty minutes sliced and served.

Lots of flavour in the rotolo complemented by the rich cream sauce.

Bread today was Iggys ‘super long’ white sourdough.

Cheese

Our cheese master Mark Bradford presented a superb Bay of Fires cheddar from the East Coast of Tasmania.

This was served with some quince, a Mark Best recipe, poached with star anise, sugar syrup, lemon juice and zest, cloves, juniper berries and vanilla bean.

A good accompaniment to the cheese.

Technically, cheddar cow's milk from St Helens, Tasmania.

A traditional cloth-bound cheddar from St Helens in Tasmania, made by 13th generation cheese makers hailing from England. This farmhouse cheddar is aged for a minimum of one year on Tasmanian oak boards, which gives the cheese its unique characteristics.

The result is an intensely earthy cheese reminiscent of a damp cave, with an authentic crumbly texture.

Each table received a bottle of 2017 Chateau Miselle Sauternes donated by yours truly.

Wine

Lunch today was with the ladies, a very pleasant occasion with a near full house. Our Chef de Jour James Hill treated us with some sensational pass-arounds and then a superb main. We finished up with a terrific cheese. Others will comment on the food and I will confine my comments to the wine.

As you would expect for a ladies lunch, Champagne was obligatory and a NV Lanson did the Job.  A satisfactory NV Fizz, the wine was well received as judged by the number of empty bottles! An excellent partner for the delicious pass-arounds.  Next on the aperitif list was the Minaia Gavi 2021 13%. I had reviewed this wine in my report of 22 March, when I reported that I found the wine unimpressive. The problem was that the wine was served with a strongly flavoured lamb dish.  The wine today was presented as an aperitif wine and went extremely well with the pass-arounds. Well balanced, flavoursome with a great balance of fruit/acid and an attractive aftertaste. No wonder this wine from the Piedmont district is a very popular wine in Italy. A good example of how food flavours can impact on  the taste of a wine.

Our first wine with the chicken main was a White Burgundy, a Macon-Verze 2015, 14%. From my vintage charts a reasonable year for whites in Burgundy, but not as good as for the red wines. Upon tasting the wine, I found it quite enjoyable, but nothing to write home about.  At my table, I found myself the odd man out, as the wine was acclaimed by just about everyone else, must be me? The wine had the usual features of a Village Chardonnay, had no obvious faults, and was balanced and still fresh and clean, although now 8 yo. I just felt the wine was a little lacking in flavour with no real aftertaste. Happy to accept that I may be out of step with the majority,

The Yabby Lake PN 2014, 12.5 % was a cracker, warm and inviting, with excellent PN flavours, substantial texture, and a bit more colour than the average Australian PN. Showing no sign of ageing, although it is now a 9 yo. Lingering clean finish. One of the best.

The excellent PN was followed by a 2012 Sancerre SB from the Loire. Enjoyable wine with a good balance of flavours, I preferred it to the Macon. Amazing how SB from the Loire tastes nothing like a NZ SB. They may as well be different grape varieties. Still fresh and lively with a clean aftertaste. Holding together well for a white now 11yo.

The final wine for the day was a Bricco dei Merli Barbera d’Alba from 2014, 13.5 %.

Totally enjoyable, in fact quite delicious. A perfect food wine as are most quality Italian wines. Excellent balance of tannin, oak and fruit. These wines never seek to dominate the taste buds, and just compliment the food being served. A very satisfying wine to finish the afternoon along with the excellent cheese.

6 June 2023 Jon Young sons

Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

The North Sea

Simon and Chris North were in the kitchen cooking a memorial lunch for their father and our 50-year member, Jon North Snr.

Simon is a qualified chef, Chris a member of Escoffier and today’s meal reflected their combined talents in the kitchen.

Canapés

First up was a paté made with Swiss brown mushrooms a little chilli and topped with caviar served on toasts. The heat was evident but not too much to overwhelm the flavour of the mushroom.

Then followed some biscuit topped with caramelised onion topped with smoked trout crystal champagne jelly smoke comments thought it thought caramelised onion “novel” others “groundbreaking!”

Next was bruschetta of tomato with cream fraîche on toast. The flavour and texture were a theme in the canapés with favourable comments for the floor.

Lunch started with reminiscences of Jon by the eldest son, Jon.

He lived a full passionate life, devoted to wine and food, especially the Hunter. A great friend of Society he loved the camaraderie the comments on food and the interjections to which a resounding chorus of “bull shit” echoed around the room! His favourite wine was Gevrey-Chambertin and his last drink.

Main

Our main course today was cotechino with porcini mash and slow-cooked lentil sofrito with picada.

The cotechina was sourced from a soon-to-be retiring Haberfield butcher and it is traditionally served on New Year’s Eve in Italy. Today it was poached for  24 hours then pan-seared with slow cooked lentils a rich beef cheek ragu jus and topped with caramelised fennel and apple.

A simple wholesome meal perfectly executed, full flavoured and textural. A favourite dish of Jon’s, gutsy was his description.

Comments today included lip smacking, sticky, great mouthfeel. A perfectly executed winter dish.

Chris added that Jon always said that the Society is our cohort and gives us a  sense of purpose and we are part of the tribe. He reminded us that he and Simon cooked the last lunch at Lower Fort Street premises in 2010.

Jon is well remembered and it was a fitting farewell lunch

Cheese

Cheesemaster Mark Bradford presented an Australian white mould cow’s milk cheese today. It was a Tarago River Cheese Company Gippsland brie.

David Johnson and Laurie Jensen grew up on neighbouring farms in the small Gippsland village of Neerim South. Both families have been dairy farmers for many generations and Laurie’s great-grandfather, a Danish emigrant, often made cheese on his farm in east Gippsland, kindling his interest in cheese and inspiring him to complete a degree in dairy technology.

In 1982, Tarago River Cheese Company was founded when David’s parents formed a partnership with Laurie and his dad, building a small cheesery alongside the milking dairy on the Johnson’s Hillcrest farm. Tarago River Cheese Company is named after the river that winds its way around the gently sloping hills of this renowned dairy region. The farm, now grown to over 500 acres, is home to 400 Holstein-Friesian and Jersey-cross cows who are milked twice daily. The fresh milk, travelling only a dozen or so paces from the dairy to the cheesery, is pasteurized and transformed into a range of handmade, Australian farmhouse cheeses.

Gippsland Brie is made in a special area of the cheesery designed for surface-ripened cheeses. Jersey-Friesian milk is enriched with cream before select cultures and non-animal rennet are added. The resulting curds are gently hooped and then matured at 14°C over the next 4 weeks in dedicated maturation rooms. Penicillin camemberti and candidum moulds give this Australian brie a pristine, velvety white rind. The paste is soft and buttery, becoming creamier with age.

It was accompanied by a salad of English spinach and finely chopped kale, simply dressed, a good match for the creamy cheese today.

Wine

Today the Society had a memorial lunch to honour the Late Jon North an esteemed long-term member of our Society. His sons cooked our lunch and with the collaboration of our Winemaster, put on a superb afternoon. As usual, my comments relate to the wines served only.

The first aperitif wine was a delicious Andrew Thomas Hunter Semillon 2015, 10.3%. A 7/10 year in the Hunter for Semillon. An elegant wine with delicate balance and flavour. Thomas is by universal acclaim an outstanding Semillon producer as was evidenced by this wine. Now 8 yo the wine is drinking beautifully but has the promise of years more wonderful drinking ahead. Would love it see it again in another 5 years. All the key ingredients are there.

Wine no 2, was in my view the Star of the Show, the wonderful Orlando/Jacobs Creek Steingarten Riesling 2005, 12.5%. What a wine and to cap it off, we had our own winemaker Phil Laffer at lunch today, who actually made the wine.

I have always been a fan of this wine stretching back into the 1960s, yes I am getting old! I made a special trip to the vineyard several years ago to see for myself the famous ‘Garden of Stones‘, created by Colin Gramp in 1962. He was seeking to develop a high-altitude vineyard for Riesling similar to those in Germany. The vineyard is near Rowland Flat in the Barossa, on a stone-littered hill some 1600 ft above sea level it must have been a bugger to plant! His efforts have been rewarded by this wine, an Icon of Australian Riesling. Wonderful wine, a delight of mature, harmonised Riesling flavours in perfect balance. No wonder aged high-quality Riesling like this is my favourite Australian white wine. Many thanks, Phil, you did a great job, you should be proud.

Moving onto the red wines, the first was a Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo from the Piemonte 2015, 14%. They say sometimes that Nebbiolo can at times be austere, well I will second that motion. I found the wine to be medium texture with high acid and strong tannins. The wine was I felt unyielding, tight with a very dry finish. Perhaps more cellar time is called for.

The next cab off the rank was my second favourite of the day, the Tua Rita Rosso dei Notri 2016, 14.5%. A lovely wine, warm and generous, just like an enthusiastic hug from that special someone. A very different wine from the taught, harsh Nebbiolo. This wine had that special quality of being welcoming at first taste and wanting to show you more. I would describe it as a lover's wine.  I cannot recall if the components were mentioned on the label which they are often not, however, some research by me indicates that it was a Sangiovese blend with probably some Cabernet and a few others thrown in. Whatever was the recipe. The wine was a gem. Great balance and flavour with a lingering finish. Can I have some more please?

The next wine was the Vasse Felix MR Cabernet 2008. Wow, what a fruit bomb! Massive blackcurrant aroma and taste dominated all else. You would never encounter a quality Bordeaux Cabernet with this presentation. Many in the room seemed to enjoy the wine, coming from a quality producer, but to me, the wine was out of balance, so strong was the ripe fruit/blackcurrant influence. Perhaps the wine should have been opened 12 hours beforehand to lessen the assault on one’s olfactory system!

The final wine for the day, was a Larry Cherubino Franklin River Shiraz 2009, 14.9%. I have been impressed with this man’s skills as a winemaker for many years now, making high quality wines for numerous producers from all parts of the country. I do not think this was one of his best. Possibly my taste buds had been steamrollered by the previous wine, but I found this Shiraz lacked flavour and finished with a flimsy aftertaste. This region produces some fantastic Rieslings, perhaps Shiraz is not the grape for this district. Possibly if well separated from strong flavoured wines, my view might change. Let’s try again.

30 May 2023 Paul Ferman

Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Paul Ferman was in the kitchen today cooking for our monthly wine tasting. We welcomed member Bruce Tyrrell today, making the trek from the Hunter for our lunch.

Canapés

Canapés were bountiful today and enjoyed with the canapé wines.

Warmed king oyster mushrooms on spoons with polenta cooked with chicken stock/butter/ parmesan, a umami hit..they were full of flavour and great texture.

Home pickled sardines on GF seeded bread, another flavour hit with the taste not overly dominated by the sardine.

Terrine of pork and veal with a layer of wild rabbit ..one of Paul’s signature canapés, it’s a favourite of mine and didn’t disappoint today.

Main

Paul’s theme today was quality, simplicity and ingredients.

He promised "a couple of plump legs of the 4-legged type, slow cooked on a bed of halved potatoes and quarters of onion, lots of oregano, an insinuation of garlic, in a Greekish manner, accompanied by a Frenchish composed set of blow-torched greens with a dust of far-left Labour salt and ultra-right pepper, oh and Dutton mushrooms".

It was marinated goat, slow-cooked over Dutch cream potatoes with onions and lemon. Goat is notoriously difficult to cook and keep the moisture and favour balance, Paul succeeded today.

Great flavour and texture, wonderful mouthfeel and a long lingering aftertaste.

It was accompanied by a Salad Composé mustard and olive oil dressing over autumn vegetables of zucchini, beans, lettuce and Spanish onion.

Well done, Paul, a lunch of plenty.

Bruce closed lunch today by discussing the wines on taste and an overview of winemaking terroir, tradition and innovation.

Cheese

Our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford, in theme, presented two types of goat cheese.

1. Holy Goat La Luna Ring 1.35kg

Tasting Notes

Category: White Mould

Origin: Australia

Milk Type: Goat’s Milk

Classification: Farmhouse

This award-winning, surface-ripened goat’s milk cheese is handmade at Sutton Grange Organic Farm near Castlemaine using ancient cheese-making techniques that were refined in the Loire Valley over a millennium.

Lactic acid fermentation slowly sets the curd over 24 hours before it is gently hand-ladled into moulds, as to preserve its delicate structure. After draining, the young cheeses are moved to the maturation room where they are turned daily for seven days, then matured for another two weeks to allow the wrinkly Geotrichum candidum rind to fully develop.  As it ripens, the chalky centre softens to a soft, fudgy texture. Delicate citrus notes accentuate lactic sweetness and herbaceous flavours from the goat’s milk.

2. Fromager D’Affinois Florette 1kg

A hexagonal-shaped cheese that has the d’Affinois silky consistency that we all know and love and a delicate goat’s milk flavour.

Tasting Notes

Category: White Mould

Origin: France

Milk Type: Goat’s Milk

Classification: Co-Operative

Rennet: Non-Animal

Soft, surface ripened pure goats’ cheese made near Lyons, France.

This new cheese uses special microfiltration techniques that concentrate the rich solids in the goat’s milk ensuring a very smooth texture and delicious rounded creamy flavour.

Fromagerie Guilloteau are leaders in a modern process called “ultra filtration”. Ultra filtration is a technique co-created by Jean-Claude Guilloteau and occurs before the cheese making process. Pasteurised milk is forced through a series of membranes, extracting protein and removing water; concentrating all other desirable components. This results in the production of consistent, nutritionally rich cheeses that have a silkier mouth feel and creamy subtle flavour.

Wine

A very full house for today’s gathering which is excellent for our bottom line in revenue terms. We started the day with a Guigal Cote du Rhone white blend 2018, probably a blend of Roussanne and Viognier 14%. We have had this wine before on several occasions and it gets no better by repetition. Hope our Winemaster is doing a cellar clearout. Bit harsh perhaps, but I am sure we can do better. Enjoyable enough for a glass of wine at a bar with a female friend, but neither would you want to take home.

On a brighter note, the next wine was a truly excellent Tyrrells Semillon 2008, 11.3%. Bruce Tyrrell who was with us for lunch commented that this vintage along with 1971 was the most difficult in his memory. Whatever happened in the winery is unclear, but the finished product was wonderful. A 15 yo Semillon, defying age was fresh, clean, and balanced with no sign of adverse ageing. A wonderful example of a true Australian icon, hard to see how this wine would not go on for another 10 or more years.

Next on the table, we were presented with three wines from the legendary Brian Croser, namely three 2022 Tapanappa Chardonnay from his Piccadilly Vineyard in the Adelaide Hills region. Our Winemaster asked us to conduct a serious assessment of all three wines. Given the fact that all the wines were barely a year old, this was I suspect a bridge too far for most of our members, or at least for me.

Crozer has always made his top Chardys very tight, restrained and disciplined. No excessive oak, acid or fruit. At one year old these wines had little to offer for a tasting, very young and tight. The Tiers 1.5 M Vineyard showed some more fruit than the other two, and some real promise, but how they will develop is a bit like picking the Melbourne Cup winner at the 500 M mark. Would love to be around when we hopefully taste these wines again, when they develop in say 5 years.

The final bracket was a fabulous collection of Tyrrells 2014 Shiraz from the best vintage in the Hunter since 59 or 65 some say. My wine assessment skills are not sufficient to evaluate clinically each of the gems, suffice to say that I think I preferred the 4 Acres to the Vat 9 and the Old Hut in that order. At 9 yo these wines on their current presentation show no sign of adverse ageing and should present well again in 15 years from now. Hope I am around then to taste. We are indeed fortunate to be members of the WFS on occasions such as today.

23 May 2023 Hal Epstein

Food review by James Hill and Wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Hal Epstein was in the kitchen today preparing a Thai-themed meal.

Canapés

Tod Man Pla

Fried fish cakes made within fish fillets, capsicum, chilli, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, coconut milk, eggs, and snake beans, with sweet chilli sauce…good texture and fish flavour.

Ma Ho (Galloping horses)

This is a Charmaine Solomon recipe. Finely cut pork cooked with garlic coriander, peanuts, fish sauce, pepper, sugar, and chilli cooked down till dry. This was topped onto mandarin segments.

A favourite today with a good balance of citrus and pork.

I like it when Hal cooks. He challenges himself and us when preparing his lunch themes, Hal promised Thai street food nothing more nothing less.

As Hal pointed out street and market food changes from hour to hour as vendors add to the pots during the day. What started in the morning will change by the evening.

We sat down to some Tom Yum Goong. This is hot and spicy, sour and aromatic all the same time. Many people around the world who love Thai food say this is a measure of the quality of the chef and people swear by the soup to clear their heads when they have a cold.

The basis of the soup is lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, chilli, mushrooms, prawn lemon juice, fish sauce and coriander.

Hal made the soup the night before to allow flavour infusion. Most soups just add prawn heads and fish bones for flavouring ..Hal added fresh prawns, squid and some flathead.

It was a great soup, full of flavour, aromatic and not too much heat.

Main Course

This was a simple green curry with perfectly cooked perfumed Thai rice and green papaya salad ‘Som Tum’. This salad was a David Thompson recipe.

This dish is one of the most loved in the Thai repertoire. Originally a marketplace, snack, or lunchtime dish from the northeast, it proved so irresistible, it is now eaten throughout Thailand and has become a signature dish. Shredded green papaya is mixed with a paste of garlic, chillies, roasted peanuts, dried shrimp cherry tomatoes, snake beans, palm sugar, lime juice, tamarind water and fish sauce.

Mostly favourable comments with one member voicing a contrarian view, some suggesting there could have been more heat if not in the dish than as an alternative suggestion to serve some chillis in a bowl on the table.

The afternoon was perfectly summed by member Julian Parmegiani quoting the Latin “De gustibus non est disputandum” (or, “in matters of taste, there can be no disputes”).

Thanks Hal.

Cheese 

Our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford selected an Italian-washed rind cheese to go with the food today. It came to the table in perfect condition with many comments of the quality and taste of this cheese. It was “Mauri Taleggio DOP” Italian washed rind, cow's milk.

The microclimate in the natural caves where these cheeses are matured, high in the Alps, encourages the development of a unique flora on the outer rind. Washed and brushed several times over a month, the cheese develops a thin bloom flecked with blue penicillium moulds.

Beneath the rind, the ivory chalky texture of the cheese begins to change slowly as it ripens, becoming buttery and soft. The creamy texture, when balanced with the delicious yeasty taste provided by the rind, is one of Italy’s best kept secrets.

Mauri Taleggio is considered one of the finest DOP cheeses.

Wine

We started the day with a Craggy Range Riesling from NZ, 2011, 12.5%  We do not see a lot of Riesling coming out of NZ, the Kiwi’s seem to prefer making Chardonnay, Sav Blanc and Pinot Gris. I really generally enjoy these wines save for the dreaded SB, which I studiously avoid. It always strikes me how a NZ SB is totally different from SB grown in the Loire, you would swear they were different grapes.

Anyhow getting back to the Riesling, what struck me was how much it resembled on first tasting a dry German Riesling, perhaps a restrained Kabinett. Enjoyable with good basic structures drinking well for a 12 yo. Pronounced floral overtones, with a dash of residual sugar. Nothing wrong with the wine, but just not my cup of tea for a Riesling.

The second wine for the pass-arounds was a delightful Toolangi Chardonnay from the Northern Yarra Valley region. The vineyard was planted in 1995 and since then has achieved many glowing reports for its Chardonnays. I can see why. This wine was from the 2018 vintage, 13%, the year rated 7/10

The wine was balanced and elegant, with no overpowering constituent features. Acid/fruit/oak all combined seamlessly. A winner! More please.

Wine No 3 was the Scorpo Bestia, a Pinot Grigio 2017, from MP in Vic. A highly regarded vineyard. I had in fact reviewed this wine very favourably in my report on Oct 22. I recorded “well balanced, good flavours, enjoyable, more please“. Something happened from Oct 22 to May 23 with this wine, maybe a dud bottle, or just me. I found this bottle to have a distinctly medicinal flavour, most unappealing. I am sure that if you were feeling unwell, a few glasses of this would make you feel better for a while, but that is not really the test.

What did attract my attention was the black label, depicting an ape-like creature holding a languid alabaster-skinned, large-breasted female in his arms. Then I saw the connection! Bestia is Spanish for Beast!  Now I get it, however, my mind was immediately taken to the notion that this was an attempt to replicate, within the bounds of copyright, some 16th and 17th-century artists, who painted images of the Incubus. Google Fuseli 1781 the “Nightmare“.  You will then understand.

This horrid squat man/beast from hell would sit on a woman’s chest during her sleep and squeeze the breath out of her and occasionally have sex with her. Nice type. In more recent times an Incubus has become the villain in so-called exorcism rituals.

Anyhow here’s the tip, if you find yourself having the good fortune of being on top of a woman and she yells “get off me you incubus“, just accept that the magic moment has passed and the relationship is doomed! I guess it is just as well that most women are unfamiliar with the term thereby saving us men from incurable self-image trauma and depression!  

Now where was I? Moving onto wine 4 the Massolino Barbera D’ Alba 2016. 14.5% a delightful wine. The Italians have perfected their skills at making wines that are harmonious with food, not assertive, just gently matching the food. What more can you say?

Wine 5 was the Andrew Thomas Hunter Shiraz from the Sweetwater vineyard, 2016 at 14.5%.   Thomas is a fine winemaker who deserves his high reputation. 2016 was only a 7/10 year in the Hunter but he has done well to get this wine to the very enjoyable stage. I thought the wine was a good example of Hunter fruit, balanced and without any wine making faults, went well with the cheese.                                                   

The final offering for the day was the Rosemount Balmoral McLaren Vale Shiraz 2010, 14.5 %. Now this was a no holds barred old fashion OZ Shiraz from the old school of SA Shiraz. Huge fruit, but balanced by superb integration of tannin/oak. Now 13 yo, still lively and drinking so well it is hard to see it not lasting for another 5/10 years, given its current presentation. This style of wine may not be to everyone's taste nowadays given the trend towards lighter styles,  but to me, it was a beautiful drink!

16 May 2023 Steve Sparkes

Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Our Food Master, Steve Sparkes, was in the kitchen with an “Australiana” themed lunch. Word has got around that if Steve is cooking turn up and we did with Society stalwarts Ted Davis and Terry Stapleton welcomed and acknowledged by our President Bill Alexiou.

Canapes

• Parmesan custard tart with a native Dukkah which included macadamia, wattleseed, lemon myrtle, desert lime, bunya nut and topped with a sliver of bush tomato.
• Kangaroo Kofta. A mixture of minced Kangaroo Rump and Spec spiced with cumin, coriander, ground wattleseed, ground Tasmanian pepperberry and garlic. Served with a Kewpie Mayonnaise infused with Lemon Pepper and Lemon Myrtle.
• Apple, macadamia and blue cheese tart topped with toasted macadamia.

Main

Loin of Kangaroo served with a potato, carrot and wattleseed mash with warrigal greens and saltbush, roast onion and riberries which had been confited and then pickled.  The greens were blanched, (a must for warrigal greens), then pan-fried with garlic and butter and dressed with sesame oil.

 The gravy was a base of intense chicken stock infused with Riberry puree, pepperberry and lemon myrtle. The kangaroo loin was cooked sous vide for 4 hours @55C, flashed in a hot pan with butter and then rolled in a sesame, wattleseed and Tasmanian pepperberry 'crust' prior to service. It was sourced from Sutton Forrest Meats.

The jus…so good I saw a member, who will remain nameless, drinking left over from his coffee cup.

Great comments on the canapés and main today highlighting presentation, texture and flavours. We tried to guess the many ingredients in the food presented today and mostly failed.

Ted Davis, kitchen legend, summed it up ..it was the best meal he’s had in all his years of being a Society member.

Cheese

This cheese has long been on the wish list by Steve and it was sourced by our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford who had to trek to Balgowlah on the weekend to attend the market where it was being sold.

It was a superb Bay of Fires cheddar from the East Coast of Tasmania served with a simple green salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic, accompanied by a date, prune, fig and macadamia nut roll and a Riberry Relish, both homemade.

The roll did need a seed content warning and the relish perfect with the cheese.

Technically, cheddar cow's milk from St Helens, Tasmania

A traditional cloth-bound cheddar from St Helens in Tasmania, made by 13th generation cheese makers hailing from England. This farmhouse cheddar is aged for a minimum of 1 year on Tasmanian oak boards, which gives the cheese its unique characteristics.

The result is an intensely earthy cheese reminiscent of a damp cave, with an authentic crumbly texture.

The bread was a light sourdough baguette from Bourke St bakery.

Wine

I arrived a little late due to funeral obligations and as a result, I missed out on most of the pass-arounds, which I am sure were delicious. Anyhow getting my hands on something I could taste the first white I encountered was the Pewesy Vale Riesling 2013.  This wine has been always a great wine, going back for as long as I have been a member, for 22 years. 2013 vintage, 12.5%, this example of the great winemaker Louise Rose is a classic Australian Riesling. Perfect balance, at 10 yo, not a sign of ageing. A true delight.

Wine no 2 was as a Seppelts Jaluka Chardonnay 2013 at 2013%. I have always had high regard for Seppelts, who have a fabulous array of great wines. Their original vineyard at Great Western was purchased by Bruno Seppelt from the Best family back in the in the late 1800s. The vineyards are literally on opposite sides of the road. Anyhow, we had one of their commercial Chardys, a reasonable wine, with no obvious wine-making faults, quite acceptable as a good Journeyman Chardy, holding on well for a 10 yo.

We then marched onto Wine no 3 the Protero Merlot 2007, 14.5%. A Steve Pannell wine from McLaren Vale. I am so pleased to see some of the “second row“ wines like Merlot are appearing on our luncheon wine lists. There is a treasure trove of exotic flavours that await our taste buds with the likes of this wine, Grenache, Tempranillo, Australian Nebbilio, Barbera and so on. Anyhow, this was an excellent Merlot, from a master winemaker, now 16 yo, with big plummy fruit overtones, great condition for a 16 yo, nice balance of tannin and oak. Delightful.

Wine no 4 was the  Taturry Vineyard Syrah from 2013. 13.6%. A very good wine from a reputable winemaker from Mornington. Always consistent quality from this producer. More please. A 10 yo shiraz, big fruit, but balanced, restrained tannin, with a lingering finish. I really enjoyed it.

Next wine was the Isole e Olena Chianti Classico 2019. 14.5% This excellent wine came from a very reputable producer within the official Chianti Zone. Most likely either a straight Sangovise or a blend with a few other bits and pieces making up the lesser components. An enjoyable food wine as Italian wines always are. Not reaching any great heights, but that was how it was made to be, playing second fiddle to the food.

Wine no 6 was the Blue Pyrenees Estate Cabernet 2009 vintage 14%. A great wine to go with the Cheddar served. Considerable tannin upon first tasting, but the huge fruit held it together with good oak overtones, showing no signs of age and finishing with great flavour. By no means an elegant wine, but I guess it was never intended to be!

The final wine for the day was a masked fortified wine from parts unknown, provided by our Chef du Jour Steve Sparkes. I have shied away from the likes of Port in recent years as a result of drinking my body weight in Hardys 1947 Show Port during the 1970s. The killer

hangovers are still fresh in my memories! For what it is worth, I picked it as a Morris Liqueur Port, but it was in fact the same style from Stanton and Killen. Beautiful way to finish up!

The lunch was terrific, and Steve Sparkes's main was exceptional!

9 May 2023 Amosh from REX

Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Members and guests were met on a cool and cloudy day with a Nepali treat provided by the REX sous-chef, Amosh.

Canapes

We started off with Aloo Chop Nepal style, aka potato croquette. Boiled potatoes were mixed with Nepali spices, coated in flour and fried, and served with tomato chutney. A good match with the German resiling. Second, Amosh presented Pakauda, a flavoursome snack of onions and potatoes mixed with cottage cheese and spices and deep fried. The Pakauda was accompanied by a sesame tomato sauce. Finally, we were given Masyaura soup; a spicy soup served in a cup containing sun-dried lentils. The lentils had many of the members baffled, some thinking it was bacon. The floor was happy with the vegetarian starters on offer.

Main

Amosh presented Khasi Ko Masu – a Nepali lamb curry – served on Ghiu Bhat; Basmati rice sauteed in ghee and cooked in chicken stock. A lovely selection of Nepali spices and not too hot. Some members mentioned that a side of chillies may have been appropriate for those who needed more heat, but Amosh told us that what he presented was typical of Nepal cuisine.  Amosh spoke passionately to the floor about his meal and provided information on the ingredients in great detail.

Cheese

The cheese was selected by Head Chef Rob Doll. It had everybody guessing but the consensus was – correctly – that it was Australian. It was a cheese new to the society I would expect; a Coolamon Cheese Co. soft blue. Coolamon is in the heart of the Riverina between Temora and Narrandera.  The three-month matured artisan cheese from local cow’s milk has a blue vein style; the soft and creamy interior being enhanced by the tang of the blue mould. Overall, it was well-received.

Wine

We kicked off with an Andrew Thomas Semillon, the Braemore vineyard, 2017. An excellent vintage in the Hunter and made by a talented winemaker. Quite frankly I was a little underwhelmed. I think I was expecting too much given the wine’s pedigree, which can often happen. The wine was quite sound, but to me, it just did not deliver in terms of flavour. Was however quite acceptable with the delicious pass-arounds.

Wine No 2 was a German Riesling a Kestener Herrenberg from 2011. The label was impenetrable so I could not ascertain any more information. My pick was that it was a Kabinett. An enjoyable wine, good with the food. Good balance of fruit/acid, not too much residual sugar. Holding together very well for a 12 year old, with no sign of adverse ageing.

Wine No 3. The Deep Woods Margaret River Cab/Malbec 2020 14%. No doubt our Winemaster had a plan for this wine in light of the menu, and it sat comfortably with the spicey main, but it was so clearly drinking before its time. A somewhat curious blend with the Malbec in there and would be interested to see the wine again in 5 years. All the right structures were there, not sure of the % break up between the two. Keen to see in future if the muscular Malbec overpowers the Cab.

Wine 4 the Mader Gewurztraminer 2018. 13.5%  Wow what a wine! The word Gewurz translates into English as spicey, and boy did it fit that description. Upon initial tasting, it nearly blew my head off with its overpowering, perfumed fruit aroma. On the palate, it was exotic, opulent and mouth-filling, where will it go to from here? To continue drinking this little number you really have the tiger by the tail. Anyhow pressing on, the wine was intensely fruit driven, yet without excessive residual sugar. After a while, I became adjusted to its style and soon thereafter I came to the view that it was in fact a very impressive wine, drinking beautifully with the spicy main. Quite an experience, thank you Winemaster.

Wine No 5 was the Tunkalilla Oregan Riesling by Brian Croser, vintage 2011 13%. A well made wine. We had this wine recently and I enjoyed it then as I did today. Quite delightful.  Now a 15yo, but no loss of fruit or acid. Again, a good choice with the spicy food menu.

The final wine on the list was one of my favourites the St Hallets Old Block Shiraz 2002. 14.5%. Excluding the likes of Grange et al, this wine along with Stonewall Shiraz and Elderton Command Shiraz and Grant Burge Meshach Shiraz, are my favourite Barossa Reds. I really enjoyed this wine. Massive fruit and high alcohol, but to me not unbalanced, although some on my table thought the wine was showing hints of unripe fruit, a tad green as they say. Nonetheless, it was in my opinion a classic old-style Barossa Shiraz, drinking beautifully at 21yo.  Still time to go. Thank you Winemaster.

A late entrant for the afternoon was a French St Emilion 2014, via the generosity of Tony Scott. If you like right bank Bordeaux merlot blends, this was your wine.  The wine came out late in the day as I was just about to depart and I overlooked recording the name of this wine. A thousand Pardons. I did however taste a reasonable amount and what stood out was the rich plummy, jammy flavours of the Merlot. From glancing at the label it is my recollection that the Merlot was the predominate grape.  Thank you very much Tony for your very kind gesture.

Edit: The final wine above from Tony Scott was Chateau De Barbe Blanche 2014 (Libournais, Lussac St-Emilion, Grand Vin De Bordeaux)

This Years Lunches

2 May 2023 Nick Reynolds

Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

A full house today for a Greek-themed lunch prepared by our Chef of the Day and Cellarmaster Nick Reynolds.

Canapes

Filetto di Maiale Tonnato

Pork tenderloin with tuna sauce was garnished with deep-fried salted capers. This was a superb dish and rather than use traditional veal Nick substituted pork tenderloin. It was tender and topped with the flavourful tonnato.

Then came hummus tartlets garnished with fried chickpea.

Bill Alexiou provided some white tarama with home-cured olive dice on toasts.

Plentiful and great flavours to kick off our lunch.

Main

Nick cooked Janni Kyritsis’ slow-cooked lamb shoulder cured in a coating of salt, fennel and oregano, cooked with garlic, lemon and green olives. Served on Japanese eggplant, zucchini, and pearl couscous and garnished with gremolata and cooking juices.

Nick had slow-cooked the lamb in an oven and had prepped the lamb by vacuum sealing it for reheating it sous vide, thus retaining its unctuous moistness. When it came to finishing off in the REX kitchen, it overloaded the powerboard. Some were finished in the oven and some sous vide.

This led to some plate variation with comments on the moistness of the lamb with the suggestion more jus may have been considered. 

A lot of preparation was evident in the dish today within good robust flavours with vegetables and pearl couscous perfectly complementing the dish.

Thanks Nick.

Cheese

Cheese today was Kefalotyri a hard salty white cheese made from sheep and goat from Greece.

Aphrodite Kefalotyri is hand-made especially in the small, fertile town of Epirus, located in northwestern Greece, using a traditional recipe combining ewe’s and goat’s milk. Fresh milk is collected on a seasonal basis from shepherds’ milking animals that freely forage on the natural vegetation growing on the steep, rugged mountain slopes of the region.

After pressing and brine salting, the cheese is ripened for 3 to 4 months until the hard, slightly irregular texture has developed a mild, distinctively herbaceous tang. Traditional Kefalotyri is considered to be the authentic cheese used for Saganaki in Greece. When pan-fried in thick slices, the combination of non-bovine milks produces a dish with a delicious brown crust, rich moist texture and lingering savoury finish.

It was served in two ways:

Raw and as Saganaki fried both sides with honey, fresh oregano and sesame seeds, with some dried figs and apricots accompanying both versions.

Quote of the day

"A fine wine may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure." - Czech Proverb

James Hill

Wine

A nearly full house was present for our lunch today, and it was indeed a good one. We had some excellent pass-arounds prepared by our chef de jour Nick Reynolds and the first wine was a Gundog Estate Hunter Semillon 2019. 11% with 2019 being rated a 9/10 year. This is a well-regarded winery near Pokolbin. Now 4 years old and beginning to show typical Hunter Semillon flavours. I would like to see it again in a few years when it has built up some more complexity. At the moment an enjoyable wine, quite acceptable and even dare I say “nice“. I am aware that this word inspires an instant hostile reaction from some of our luminaries who regard the use of the word in describing a wine as blasphemy, with appropriate looks of strong censure, and implied threats of a Jihad being imposed upon the heathen uttering this word.

Upon reflection, I do not think such a Fatwa upon the use of the word “nice“ is called for. After all, it is a word in the English language that is clearly understood, meaning “giving pleasure, satisfaction, agreeable, delightful“. Why should a wine if meeting that description, not be referred to as such? I am puzzled. I do not wish to antagonise our esteemed and respected senior members by repeated use of the word, but no doubt it will appear occasionally when appropriate. I have made my Will and my affairs are in order. Fire at will!

There were two other wines served, a French Rose and a Tyrrells Semillon and a sherry, both of which I did not get to taste. The Rose was from Provence, very typical of the style. Bone dry, but a good food wine.

Moving along to the lunch wines, we kicked off with a Dolcetto d’Alba 2020 from Luigi Pira. This sweet little number as it is known, was quite sound, very dry with noticeable tannin influence. Restrained flavour, light texture. Mixed opinions around the room.

Red wine no 2 was a Grenache from the highly respected winemaker Steve Pannell. This chap has an impeccable pedigree, being the son of the famous Bill Pannell of Moss Wood.

The wine was straight Grenache from McLaren Vale. 14%, rated a 8/10 year. Great fruit, medium texture, typical grenache overtones. Would like to see the wine in 2/3 years. I am delighted to see this grape variety working its way into our cellar, either as a straight varietal or as a GSM blend. Bring them on!

Red no 3 was the Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz 2009. 13.5% with 09 rated a 8/9 year. This El Cheapo was a surprise package. Enjoyable for an inexpensive Shiraz now 13yo. Was never going to hit great heights, but excellent value for money.

Wine no 4 was my firm favourite of the day, the John Duval Entity Shiraz from 2008. An excellent year in the Barossa, 14.5%, a big wine, but superbly balanced. Wonderful fruit with voluptuous texture and flavour. This was a truly great wine from a master winemaker. Lovely soft tannins and a lingering finish. How lucky were we?

Next cab off the rank was a Glandore Estate Hunter Tempranillo from 2011. 13.9% A year rated highly in the Hunter, I really liked this wine, being a fan of Tempranillo. A very flavoursome wine with, nice integration of tannin, oak and fruit. Good food wine and it went very well with the lamb main. Good prospects for future development.

A wine that was not an official starter was the Rosemont Mountain Blue from Mudgee 1999. A Cabernet Shiraz blend . Despite it now being a 24 yo wine, I was really impressed. I could only enjoy a small amount, but what I tasted was excellent. Beautiful intense stewed fruit flavours, with a powerful finish. All key components still hanging together to produce a fine wine, better than nice!

18 April 2023 CoTD Merv Peacock

Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

As Anzac falls on a Tuesday this year it was decided to hold our monthly wine tasting a week early.

In the kitchen was Merv Peacock as CoTD in the last ‘cook-off’ for Chef of the Year 2022. What could be better than some duck cassoulet and a brace of Bordeaux on an autumn day!

Canapés

We were served mini chicken pies made by Merv’s wife, Kerry. They were delightful with chicken, mushrooms, leeks and sweetcorn. Who doesn’t love a pie and these were exceptional. A lot of time and effort here with us being rewarded with the finished product.

Next to appear were crunchy toasts loaded with sliced rare fillet steak and horseradish, along with Merv’s own homemade spicy chutney.

They were both very tasty and abundant.

Main

Our main course was duck Maryland with cassoulet. There are many varieties and these alter from region to region and in Merv’s interpretation saw him adding tomatoes. The perfectly cooked duck Marylands were served resting on the cassoulet, the ducks spent 24 hours in a dry marinade and were then confit over the weekend for 6 hours, remaining in fat until Tuesday morning. The cassoulet was prepared from beans, tomatoes, pork spec, and onions and the sausages were a mix of Cumbrian and Italian. Croutons were added at the end.

A lot of preparation was evident and the result was full flavoured, textural and perfect with wines today. Much praise for the course today.

Merv wore an apron with the logo “Maddo the chemist from Paddo” in memory of Peter Madden. Peter had enlisted his aid in cooking 56 wagyu beef tongues for a society lunch in Lower Fort Street. Not only were they cooked but my memory is they had to be peeled as well. Peter went on to win the Chef of the Year award in 2007 for the dish.

Peter is well remembered.

Thank you, Merv.

Cheese

Our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford, in theme, presented Fromagerie St Mamet Cantal Entre Deux.

This is one of the oldest cheeses still made in France. When mature this cheese has a crumbly texture and buttery flavour with a little bite.

Tasting Notes

Category: Cheddar & Territorials

Origin: France

Milk Type: Cow’s Milk

Classification: Artisan

Rennet: Animal

This natural rind cheese is one of the oldest cheeses still made in France. It has been traced back at least 2000 years when cheese from Gaul was popular as far away as Rome. Being a large cheese, the flavour is mild unless it is matured over a long period, although smaller versions known as Cantalet mature more quickly.

The cheese was at least 14 months old when they have developed a moist and crumbly texture and buttery flavour with a little bite.

Accompanying the cheese was some red grapes and walnut crunch (honey-glazed walnuts) made by Mark. The walnut crunch was not overly sweet with tannin evident coming from cinnamon. They went well with cheese.

Wine

The theme for today’s lunch was a Bordeaux affair, more often please! What a great food and wine event it turned out to be. Merv Peacock’s Cassoulet was accompanied by some terrific wines from the Left and Right Bank of the Gironde River from a variety of years.

We got the ball rolling with a white from the Graves region to the south of Bordeaux, a region famous for the First Growth red, Ch Haut Brion and the legendary Ch d’Yquem, a sauterne. We enjoyed a bottle of Ch Boyrein 2016. A blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc 12.5%. A 7/9 vintage year for that district. A fine dry flavoursome wine, very different to the same blend made locally.  By way of comparison, we also enjoyed a 2008 Tyrrells Stevens Semillon. Now 15 yo but not showing any signs of adverse ageing. A most enjoyable wine, but the first was my choice. A perfect way to start with the pass-arounds.

With great expectations, we embraced the awesome collection of reds our Wine Master had in store for us. First was the 2014 La Gravette de Certan. I really liked this wine. A 6/8 vintage in Pomerol, drinking @14%. Plummy merlot flavours, good balance of tannin and oak. I think, going back into the deep recesses of my mind, Len Evans had something to do with this vineyard in the early 1980s, but only for a short time. Perhaps I am mistaken. Does anyone out there have any recollection?

Wine No 2 was a 2010 Ch Pezat, a Grand Cru from St -Emilion 14%. A 7/10 year in Pomerol. Despite its high pedigree and great vintage, this wine just did not connect with me. No one obvious fault, very dry on the palate, but finished without much lingering flavour. Perhaps it was just me.  From some comments around the room, which spoke highly of the wine, perhaps there was some bottle variation here, which can be expected with a cork seal.

Wine 3 was my favourite, the Cantemerle, 2009 from the Macau region in the Medoc. A 7/10 vintage. 13%.  This wine just snuck into the 1855 Classification, as a 5th growth, being the last included in that group. In French “Cantemerle” translates into “in the song of the blackbird”, so now you know, in case you get the chance to drop it into the conversation with some Bordeaux lovers. I digress, the wine was in my view excellent, classic Bordeaux flavours we all love when we are lucky to happen upon them. The song of the blackbird was running around in my head for a long time after we parted company. Thank you, Wine Master.

Wine 4 was the Ch Haut Bages Liberal, not to be confused with Lynch Bages a more prestigious wine, with of course a much higher price tag. In any event, this wine was from 2002, a year rated as 6/8 in the Pauillac region, drinking at 12.5%. An excellent wine, lots of Bordeaux flavours, not my pick, but nonetheless a most enjoyable, mainly Cabernet blend.

Wine 5 was the Ch L’Encios From Pomerol 2000, 12%. A well-respected vineyard.  My current vintage chart does not go back beyond 2002, so I cannot report on the vintage. This was my least favourite of the group. A dull finish, tired, fruit falling away, at 23 yo, an example of the old saying that nothing lasts forever. Perhaps a mainly Merlot wine such as this just does not have the legs to go 23 years.

Finally, we finished up with a 1995 Ch Pontensac, a non-classified wine 13%, I forgot to make a note of the district from where the wine hailed from. My reference books did not recognise it.

Anyhow the wine was very enjoyable, with persistent lingering flavours, not bad for a wine now 28 yo. A lowly rated wine in comparison to some of the Glitterati preceding it, the wine performed very well, still retaining soft flavours of Bordeaux character.

A memorable afternoon.