Food review by Frank Liebeskind and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Mark served up a fantastic lunch and was assisted in the kitchen by Denys Moore.

I think it was one of Mark’s best lunches, and the attention to detail was appreciated and reflected in a great lunch that totally complemented today’s wines.

Canapes

As it turned out were all vegetarian but full of flavour and mouth-filling.

First out was a chilled cream of asparagus soup, brilliant, thick and full of flavour. Mark, sautéed onion in butter, chopped asparagus cooked in more butter and chicken stock. The soup was pureed with a stick blender, thick cream added (but not too much), seasoned and garnished with dill and chives.

Next came falafels. Mark said he made them with overnight-soaked dried chickpeas, shallots, coriander, cumin, baking powder and chickpea flour, all put through a food processor.

Mark formed in small bite-sized balls and fried at home. As Mark said, they would possibly have been better fried on the day, they were a little dry, but as President Bill said “he’s never had a falafel that isn’t dry”.

The third and final was a simple Calabrese bites, but its simplicity made it an exciting flavour bomb in the mouth. Mark used a Bocconcini ball, fresh basil leaf and cherry tomato threaded onto a toothpick. Drizzled with reduced wine of Moderna balsamic, which was reduced in the kitchen before serving, loved it. A perfect lead into the main.

Main

Mark served a brilliant version of Polpetonne.  And beautifully presented it was, easily the best presentation of a “meatloaf slice” I’ve seen, great colours too, reminded me of the Italian flag colours.

It’s usually mixed pork and veal baked in a log, wrapped in pancetta with string and having a filling such as cheese. Mark wanted to try individual portions and was concerned about leakage of cheese during baking, so chose to blind bake impervious shortcrust pastry shells. These were lined with prosciutto (sides and base) and filled with a mix of Feather and Bone pork and veal mince, garlic, oregano, fresh rosemary, panko crumbs, egg and parmesan and cooked in batches for 40 minutes.

Topped with taleggio and cooked for a further 20 minutes. The individual meatloaf in its pastry shell was served on rings of mash, white and green. The white was a silky Paris Mash of unpeeled washed potatoes put through a potato ricer, lots of cold butter added, as well as warm milk. The green ring was pea (frozen) and mint (fresh from Mark’s garden) puree. Sauteed garlic and French onions, peas brought to a simmer for two minutes then blitzed through a food processor with a small quantity of mint, salt and white pepper. Then forced through a sieve to remove pulp. Looked great and tasted even better.

But the dish needed red, and Mark created a topping of homemade tomato sauce of (high-end) canned diced tomatoes reduced slightly in sauteed garlic, treated with a stick blender and forced through a sieve to remove pulp. Warmed on the day with fresh torn basil leaves, and Mark’s pièce de resistance, carrot shaves atop the pie!

Bloody great meal. I want it again, and perfect with the Shiraz served today.

Cheese

Mafra Cheddar. Gippsland, not far from Bairnsdale. Two types as per the links below. The one served round was the red, and the flat was the cloth-ashed, aka black.

I thought they were great Aussie cheddars, and the best Aussie cheddars I’ve had in a long time, so full of flavour, they were very well received and served with dried fruit (including figs and pears).

https://www.calendarcheese.com.au/product/cheese/hard-semi-hard-cheese/cheddar-territorials/red-wax-matured-cheddar-2-7kg/

https://www.calendarcheese.com.au/product/cheese/hard-semi-hard-cheese/cheddar-territorials/maffra-cheese-company-cloth-ashed-cheddar-2kg/

Wine

Being Halloween, the eve of All Saints Day, I thought our deputy Wine Master being the playful type he is, may have visited upon us his version of Trick or Treat. Mercifully he desisted and we were treated to a great lineup of reds and whites.

The first wine was the majestic Tyrrells Belford Semillon from the wonderful vintage of 2014. 11.5%. From the comments around the room, this was by universal acclaim a superb wine, fresh, clear colour of light straw with a crisp finish despite being mouth-filling with quality fruit. No sign of ageing should last for years, and all the right structures in place. We are fortunate to have our wine masters in years gone by secure a significant supply of the 2014 vintage. A great decision.

The next wine was one of my favourites, the Seppelts Drumborg Riesling from Vic, 2016 and 11%. I was standing next to Phil Laffter when I took my first sip, expecting a delightful wine, and I said to him straight away “not as good as other Drumborgs I have had“. He then took a sip and said one word, “Botrytis “. I naturally concurred, unmistakable I said, although I could not quite pick it up myself!  The benefit of standing close to an expert. My initial reason for the disappointment was the lack of the usual crisp acid finish we expect in Riesling of this calibre. The wine was still quite drinkable, but overall a bit of a letdown.

We then had a bracket of two Tyrrells Hunter Shiraz from the acclaimed vintage of 2007, the Vat 9 and the 4 Acres. Both at 13.5% I was like a kid in a lolly shop. Both wines carried their age well at 16 years, and both had rich complex flavours of spice and blackberry with restrained tannin. Both medium medium-bodied, with the Vat 9 tending to finish with a slightly jammy aftertaste. For my money it was the 4 Acres, slightly lighter in structure and a more elegant wine, but with full flavours. Others at my table disagreed, and there was not much between the two, but for me, it was the 4 Acres.

We were then presented with two excellent French Syrah, both Guigal wines from the same year as the Tyrrells wines, 2007. First was the Guigal St Joseph Vignes de L’Hospice at 13.5% and the second was the Guigal Cote Rotie Brune Et Blonde, also at 13.5%. How blessed are we to enjoy these two fine and expensive wines from the Rhone district.

The St Joseph vineyard is just near the famous Hermitage vineyard. Highly regarded. The wine had little aroma, but on the palate, it was rich and opulent. A straight Syrah. My impression was that the acid was beginning to fall away a little, resulting in a small degree of loss of flavour. However, it was a most enjoyable Rhone classic.

The second wine was the Cote Rotie, which I preferred. A silky smooth finish, with soft rounded tannins. A little bit more flavoursome than the St Joseph. Perhaps a touch of Viognier? A lovely wine. Wish I had some.

We then finished the afternoon off with two Australian classics, the Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 2007 and the Penfolds St Henri Shiraz from 2009.

The St Peters at 13% comes partly from the famed plot below the Seppelt winery in the Grampians and surrounding districts. Developed by the legendary wine Colin Preece back decades ago, the wine was originally called Seppelts Gt Western Shiraz, then some years ago under the great winemaker Ian McKenzie, was rebadged as St Peters. A great wine, always one of my favourites, this wine lived up to my expectations. Deep purple in colour, gentle tannin, and an aftertaste of spice and mellow fruit. Wonderful.

Our last wine was the 09 St Henri. We seem today to be blessed with a number of saintly wines both in name and quality. The St Henri today was a very full-bodied wine, distinct tannin with a typically dry Penfolds style finish.  Powerful fruit, but well balanced with gentle oak. I really liked the wine. If asked to make a choice between these two great wines, I would go with the St Peters by a narrow margin, probably because I have stood in the vineyard and Ian McKenzie was one of my winemaking heroes!