Food review by Robert Wiggins and wine review by Richard  Gibson

Hmmmm Beef Cheeks.. brave man Merv

Well, what can one say… those little suckers have been in and out of the freezer more often than Frosty the snowman, due to lockdowns and they didn’t even have freezer burn.

First to the canapes;

3 canapes were served;

The lightly fried Crabcakes, with crabmeat, capsicum, spring onion and egg, were served with a Salsa dip that was a mix of coriander, mint, chilli and a little coconut cream.

These were followed by an orange soup; there was some debate over what the vegetable was; pumpkin, kumara, but it was sweet potato, with a bit of bacon and onion. This had an accompanying Chipotle to give some heat, which Merv informed us was made with his son’s imported dried jalapenos from Mexico.

The last was Curry puffs consisting of beef mince, peas and a curry mix with mango salsa.

Merv also did all of the canapes by himself, quite an achievement.

The aperitif wines were a Linderman’s Bin 1350 Reserve Semillon 2013 under screwcap.  This was largely from an original Ben Ean vineyard and released as part of Lindy’s “Regional series”.. featuring a small volume release reserve wine.

The colour was Pale green, the Nose was developed with lemon/grapefruit and zesty and the palette was finely textured, complex and medium weight. This wine was showing an attractive toasty aged character.  It had a long finish with good acidity and an alcohol level of 12%.

This was matched with another Lindemans; a Bin 1150 Reserve Semillon 2017 also under screwcap.

The colour was pale green/clear and the nose was also developed with grassy / herb, smoke and citrus.  The palate was light medium-bodied, green herbs, almonds with some complexity and retaining the freshness of the fruit.  However, it lacked persistence of flavour and had a clean citrus finish.

On to the Mains;

We were not really sure what was going to happen with the cheeks, approaching them with some level of trepidation, given the unfortunate serving earlier in the year.  However it turned out to be a very hearty meal, with plenty of mash, and the cheeks of ample portions falling apart in your dish, slathered in gravy.. just the thing for a coolish afternoon.

The cheeks were cooked in multiple La Creuset, with 6-7 cheeks at a time for 5 hours. The stock used was a mix of beef stock, red wine, sweet paprika, onion, celery and garlic.

The mash was Dutch cream potatoes which were silky, buttery and completely artery clogging with a serving of perfectly cooked al dente beans.

Some of the comments were that it was like “pub food”, as the presentation was not beautiful, especially with the large amounts of gravy hiding the food, however, it was also pointed out that without that wonderful and copious amount of the sauce, it just would not have been such a tasty dish.  There was not very much in the way of veggies.. this was definitely a carnivores’ meal.

The table wines were excellent, especially at our table.. lucky for once!  There was some level of bottle variation.

The Houghtons Gladstones Cab Sav 2005, was generally picked as the best overall wine for the day.

It was sourced from a single vineyard in the Margaret River (probably with a large mix of fruit from Great Southern).  The colour was a dark purple hue, the nose blueberry/mulberry with some bay leaf and mint and toasty oak. The Palate was an attractive cassis/plum fruit, with a tobacco character.  This was a very balanced wine with fully integrated tannins and holding up very well. The alcohol content was 14.5% but did not feel like this.

The Penfolds Bin 407 Cab Sav 2004, which is inspired by the wonderful bin 707, offers similar varietal definitions and structure but at a more reasonable price.  It is sourced from muli-regions and matured 12 months in a combination of new and old oak.  The colour was dark, the nose restrained, with subtle dark fruit and chocolate menthol notes.  The palate was dark berry fruit on a mid-palate, with some greenness.  Summed up it was a medium weight balanced with integrated tannins, however not overly complex and reasonably one dimensional.  There was significant bottle variation. This wine for all of its promise was on the whole reasonably disappointing, especially given its price. The alcohol was 14%.

The Yalumba Signature Cab Sav 2006 is an iconic Australian blend.  It is sourced from Barossa and Eden valley vines.  It was matured in new and used oak for 22 months and handpicked with wild yeast fermentation.

The colour was a black crimson hue and the palate had dark chocolate, blueberry and black currant notes.  It was a full-bodied wine with good intensity of flavour, elegant and balanced with fine integrated tannins.  The alcohol was 13.5 and along with the Houghtons, it was one of the 2 best reds on the day.

Wolf Blass Black Label Cab Sav 2005. This classic Wolf Blass bled was sourced from Maclaren Vale and Langhorne Creek fruit and aged in new and used American and French oak for 24 months.  The colour was black and the nose was opulent, fruit and cassis with oaky tobacco and dried herbs and pepper notes.  The palate was intensely sweet black fruits and cab dominant out front and shiraz/pepper in the back of the palate. It was textured, balanced with integrated fine tannins that were a bit big and acidic, with a long dry finish.  The alcohol, bless dear old Wolf’s tastes was a big 15.3%.  The fruit was surprisingly well balanced

In addition, as there were 2 tables of 10, a Chateau L’Enclose 2000 Pomerol also made its way to these tables. These were drinking exceptionally well.

The finishing note was a couple of bottles of 5-year-old McWilliams Tawny Port.

The cheese was a traditional clothbound Pyengana Cheddar, made by hand in north-eastern Tasmania using fresh Tassie milk from nearby farms and their own modest herd of Holsteins. The symbiotic relationship of the developing surface moulds and cultures helped to develop a fine-textured, crumbly body, along with aromas reminiscent of summer grass, herbs and honey, and a long, sweet and nutty flavour.

This cheese was very popular, with a scramble at the end to obtain the takeaways of the leftovers.

All in all, a great way to kick off the return to lunches and the buzz in the room was excellent.

We look forward to many more lunches now that restrictions are easing

** Note that the wine reviews were courtesy of Richard Gibson.