Nearing the end of the Chef of the Year cookoff’s, we had James Hill once again cooking for members and guests. A tremendous turnout today at just under 60 which stretched our providers capacity and food but certainly not their spirits or goodwill. James was assisted by Bill Alexie-Hucker and Matthew Holmes and they were accused of doing a wonderful job under the pressure of such numbers.

The write-up today is a little different (and longer) as Tony Scott kindly provided all eight wines that he had directly imported. The tasting notes below in italic print are from the notes that were provided by Tony and distributed to every table.

Tony was invited by the President to give us a short presentation on each of the wines and the depth of his knowledge was very clear. Thank you Tony.

Canapés. We were treated to three canapés, all substantially different. The first two were Ajvar, a Turkish condiment of red peppers and eggplant on Iggy’s bread and then smoked eggplant with yoghurt and mint on spoons. Most of us could eat Iggy’s bread on its own but the red pepper condiment with its touch of heat with a great match for the first aperitif wine. The mixture of the yogurt and eggplant was a simple but delicious taste looking wonderful on the spoons.

The third was foie gras which was donated by Paul Ferman and was up the at the very upper end of the quality chain. Paul advanced around the room with Sauternes in hand in front of the trays with the George Bruck foie gras to ensure that most attending got the opportunity to taste the classic flavour combination. Thanks to Paul for the donation, which may have otherwise seriously blown the budget lunch.

A wonderful selection of canapés to start the day. The Foodmaster pointed out that we were forbidden on judging James’s performance today on the canapés and we must concentrate on the main.

Aperitif wine. Two interesting and very different wines were served today. The Chenin Blanc from Loire started us off with the first two canapés. The third canapé was foie gras for which Tony had provided a Sauternes from the 2007 vintage. Whilst an entry-level Sauternes, at 11 years of age it was wonderfully drinkable and mature but may last many years. Tasting notes follow.

• 2015 Domaine du Closel, “La Jalousie” – Savennières AOC, Loire (100% Chenin Blanc 13.5%).

Appearance: Light gold with green tinges.

Nose: Clean, fairly subtle nose of pear and red-apple like Chenin fruit. Some white flowers – sure to develop in weight and richness with bottle age. Palate: A lovely Chenin Blanc. Medium bodied and slightly spicy with terrific acidity, very attractive mouth-feel and a long, spicy finish. Delicious but sure to improve with bottle age. Very much up to the quality expected of this revered appellation.

• 2007 Château Barbier (J. Medeville et Fils) – AC Sauternes, Bordeaux (90% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc 13%).

Appearance: Brilliant light to medium gold, green tinges. Nose: Clean, but quite reserved – subtle pineapple and botrytis honiedness is coaxed out.

Palate: A superb, quite mature Sauternes, fruity with pineapple and peachy flavours, good botrytis character, but lovely delicate acidity giving an impression of freshness and emphasising the wine’s quite extraordinary length. Beautifully balanced and while completely ready to enjoy now, this will happily cellar for at least another 5 years. A really fresh Sauternes – not the super-rich crème brûlée style at all.

Main Course. The main came to the table looking serious indeed. Seared duck breast with pomegranate molasses, duck jus, pickled radish, plums with leek and ginger baked in extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Accompanying this was a black dome-shaped object that had many of us scratching our heads. It was in fact a stuffed mushroom (portobello mushroom topped with mushroom pate and duck liver). Theories abounded about the ingredients and nobody near me was close to the mark.

The presentation of the main was generously commentated upon as were the flavours and textures that James had managed to get onto the plate.

The Wines. We enjoyed six red wines over the main course and cheese, three from France and three from Spain. A wonderful collection. As usual there was no standout winner amongst the large number of comments. There was not a bad wine amongst the group and in the end it got down to personal preferences. The Bordeaux wines were the preferred of the first group whilst the Priorat was probably the most popular of the Spanish set. It was a big wine and young being 2015. It has a wonderful future. Tasting notes follow.

• 2015 Domaine Les Granges de la Perrière – C. Baudry/J-M. Dutour, Val de Loire - Chinon AOC (100% Cabernet Franc 12.5%)

Appearance: Beautiful ruby red of medium hue.

Nose: A classic Cabernet Franc nose – the leafiness is there but there is good ripe fruit too. Attractive.

Palate: A textbook Chinon. Really elegant as well as displaying beautifully ripe red fruits that are truly delicious in the rich strawberry/raspberry spectrum. Really classy tannins and characteristic acidity provide structure and balance and there is a graphite/’pencil shavings’ nuance adding complexity. The moderate (12.5%) alcohol completes the picture of a benchmark Loire red.

• 2015 Château de Haux – Côtes de Bordeaux AOC (30% Cabernet Sauvignon; 60% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; 5% Malbec / 13.5%)

Appearance: Lovely bright ruby red – shines in the glass.

Nose: Very enticing – excellent depth of ripe fruit without any ‘green’ characters – reflecting the very ripe vintage that 2015 delivered.

Palate: A truly great de Haux. Medium to full bodied – perfectly ripe fruit with the hint of violet seen in great years. Lovely fine tannins in perfect balance and really outstanding length. Delicious already but this has, in the panel’s view, real potential to age as well for easily a decade or more.

• 2010 Château de Lussac - Lussac Saint-Émilion AOC, Bordeaux (80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc 14.5%)

Appearance: Deep inky purple/black – almost opaque. Impressive and substantial looking.

Nose: Classic Right Bank nose – blackcurrant, tobacco and dark fruits. Lovely.

Palate: A big, impressive dry red with lots of everything. Rich Merlot fruit, nice complementary oak of quality, some alcoholic warmth (14.5%), substantial chewy tannins and terrific length. Reflects a great year. Already ready to enjoy with some substantial protein but has a long cellaring future ahead of it.

• 2015 Clos Figueras – Christopher Cannan Family - Font de la Figuera, Gratallops – Priorat DOQ (60% Grenache; 10% Carignan; 30% Cabernet/Syrah/Mourvèdre 15%)

Appearance: Very attractive deep ruby red.

Nose: Clean, still quite closed but hints of rich fruit emerging – plum and prune.

Palate: A lovely ripe-fruited Priorat. Already drinking very well but with the depth and structure to cellar to advantage. Less evident alcoholic ‘warmth’ than some vintages and all the better for it. A really balanced Priorat that should appeal to all its loyal fans.

• 2014 Bodegas Monteabellón – Ribera del Duero DO (100% Tempranillo 14%)

Appearance: Deep ruby/black, almost opaque.

Nose: Very closed but a hint of pepper/spice and deep fruit.

Palate: A deep flavoured, rich Tempranillo. Showing very young at this stage but with real depth and balance. Totally fruit (not oak) driven, some alcoholic warmth (but in balance) and, while it will go very well with rich meat dishes already, it has substantial potential to continue developing complexity with time in the cellar – easily 5 to 10 years for those who are patient.

• 2010 Bodegas Viña Herminia, DOQ Reserva – Rioja (85% Tempranillo 10% Garnacha 5% Graciano / 14%)

Tasting Notes – Club Aquitaine Tasting Panel: Appearance: Very deep ruby/black. Nose: Lovely, classically rich Tempranillo nose, with a eucalypt like complexity.

Palate: This is sensational – beautifully balanced, ripely fruity, with a gorgeous backdrop of very well integrated vanillin oak, medium to full-bodied, with delicious brambly fruit, some spice, complex, savoury and super long.

Cheese and coffee. The cheese from James Healey this week was a chevre from Jean Faup made in the Pyrenees in France. This was an unusual, semi hard cheese made by hand from 100% goats milk. It had a wonderful creamy texture and goaty/tangy/earthy flavour. A great cheese and the leftover portions were snapped up immediately.

Cheese was served with green figs which provided a first for some who are more used to the more standard figs that are currently out-of-season.

Coffee was from the absent Spencer Ferrier who again provided us with an example of Rwandan coffee, with notes indicating that coffee from that country is now regarded as some of the most high-class coffees available whilst still lacking the grace of the best Ethiopian and Kenyan AAA coffees.

The President, Keith Steele, closed the lunch and thanked the room for the abundance of comments and Tony Scott for his generosity in providing the selection of wine.