For our first winter wine lunch Josef Condrau was rattling the pans. He was assisted by Denis Redfern on the canapés and the main.

Canapés. I did not get to try either of the canapés so a description will have two suffice. The first was salmon roe (from Tasmania and Yarra Valley) on blinis with crème fraiche. This was followed by wild boar rillette and chicken paté both on sourdough bread with gherkin on top. I must say that the boar and chicken pate looked wonderful as it was being prepared, but after that our paths did not cross. Commentary after the lunch supported this inkling.

Aperitif wine. The aperitif wine today was the Tyrrells Belford Chardonnay 2012. Many in the room knew the history of the Belford Vineyard with fruit being grown by Elliott’s in the early days. This wine under screwcap was in excellent condition with the 9 months it spent in oak not overpowering the fruit. It was well balanced and classy drinking.

Main Course. The day was cold and a perfect day for a rack of lamb that had been frenched and then baked with garlic, fresh mint and Dijon mustard. The image above does not show it properly but the lamb was tenderly cooked with the centre of the jewel of meat just beyond the rare stage. The meat was tender, succulent and a joy. Some commentators spoke about the love of the dish but would have liked a little more to further extend the pleasure. The protein was served with witlof braised in port with sliced mushrooms and polenta sticks (the polenta was done with parmesan and then reheated in the oven).

A satisfying meal leaving everybody I spoke to wanting more. Literally.

The Wines.

• Chateau Pontensac 1995
• Clos du Marquis 2000
• Chateau Villa Bel Air 2008
• Huntington Special Reserve FB20 Cabernet 2002
• Orlando/Jacobs Creek St Hugo Cabernet 2002
• Grant Burge Shadrack Cabernet 2002

The theme of this first winter wine lunch was a comparison of Left Bank Bordeaux with Australian Cabernets.

The Pontensac had leathery dry characteristics but was clean. The comments tended to the view that it was starting to dry out and would have been better a few years ago. However, there are those in the room who prefer this older dryer style and never the twain shall meet. The Clos du Marquis , a high-end cru bourgeois, was from the wonderful 2000 vintage in St Julien. Still a dense, the wine is beginning to soften and whilst drinking well will go on for many years. There was a bit of a showdown over this wine and whether in fact it was the famed super-second growth of Leoville Las Cases or whether it was often thought to be that. Some excitement was caused with raised voices. No names, no injuries. The final French wine from Villa Bel Air was obviously the youngest, but also the lightest and an earlier drinking style. A very good Medoc. All three wines had a significant Cabernet content, but in each it was pipped by the Merlot content.

There was a chasm to cross going on to the three Australian wines with the immediate sweetness being overwhelming. The Huntington wine was the driest of the trio and some felt that it was beginning to dry out a little. However, there was a certain elegance about it. The St Hugo was a little lighter than expected with fine tannins and a wonderful mouthfeel and long finish. For some this was the wine of the day. The Shadrack was a Barossa sweetie. It was holding its age well and was still a substantial wine, although not particularly well-balanced and not well particularly liked by the room. An interesting and diverse range of six wines.

Cheese and coffee. Cheese today by Gary Linnane was Gruyère always a firm favourite of many of us. The image above shows the chunk we had from the 32 kg wheel. It was sweet, creamy with just a touch of saltiness that makes this cheese so eatable. The cheese was served with dates and Nashi pears. The bread was of course Iggys.

Coffee from Spencer Ferrier (in absentia) today was a blend of Colombian and Mexican peaberry beans and was presented by James Hill. Spencer had used the full body of the Colombian to offset the more acidic Mexican flavour to produce what he called ‘a good end to a wine lunch’.

Josef gave us a quick rundown of Swiss history during his description of the meal. No surprise there. An excellent meal Josef.