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.