Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Wine

Today’s Lunch was our opportunity to mark the passing of Society members who have died over the last two years and due to Covid restrictions, we were not able to acknowledge as a group their contributions to the Society. It turned out to be a splendid lunch, thanks to our Chef de Jour Steve Liebeskind and our Winemaster Chilly Hargraves. I am sure all of the deceased would have more than enjoyed the occasion.

As befitting the occasion to celebrate the lives of the departed we kicked off with some NV Pol Roger, and NV Bernard Bremont. Both delightful. What more can one say? A late addition to the pre-lunch drinks was the Scorpo Mornington Pinot Gris. I have reviewed this wine before. I really like it. Extended skin contact produces a wine with a light reddish/brown hue and an abundance of pear and apple flavours. An excellent aperitif wine. Hope we have more in the cellar!

To accompany the salmon entrée Chilly produced a magnificent Tyrrells Vat 1 from 2004. Grown on the Short Flat and Johnno’s Vineyards, this wine was described by Bruce Tyrrell in 2016 as “drinking well now, but will continue on for another 5 years at least“. I think he really should have meant 15 years. Drinking this wine today, there did not appear to be any reason why it would not last for another 10 years. Simply superb, a wonderful mixture of mellow soft fruit with perfect acid on the finish. Very low alcohol 10.3%, a real treat.

The second wine in this bracket to partner the chicken main was the Tolpuddle PN 2014 from the Coal River region of Tasmania at 12.5%. If a wine could be described as having the benefit of rich parents, this is the prime example. The vineyard was established in 1988 in the Coal River district, on an impeccable plot of land. Parents were indeed rich, cousins Martin Hill Smith and Matthew Shaw. The vineyard and its management were overseen by a team of heavy hitters in the industry, which would come as no surprise. The wine today was in my view and that of our table superb, although some dissenting voices around the room suggested that the fruit was falling off and the wine a little tired. Perhaps a degree of bottle variation. The wine we had was full of mellow luscious flavours with no sign of ageing. Very fine tannins and beautifully balanced.

The  3^rd wine was a wonderful Leeuwin Estate Cab 2012 at 13.5%. I have long thought that Margaret River Cab from a good year is as close as we get to a good 2^nd or 3^rd growth Bordeaux.

This wine was elegant but made a statement. Soft Cab overtones, restrained tannins, with the right mix of fruit and acid to keep it in near-perfect balance. A wonderful wine. Many thanks Chilly.

The 4^th Luncheon wine was the Grant Burge Shadrach Cab 2002. 14% from the Barossa. I have been a fan of Grant Burge wines for years, especially his Fisell Shiraz, always consistently very sound. I did not, however, like this wine. I think it was a victim of being left in our cellar for too long.  Tired and exhausted, the 20-year wait proved just too long for all of its component parts.  I am sure a different wine would shown itself if opened 10 years ago.

Finally, we were treated to a genuine Port from the home of fine Port, Taylor’s, a 2008 Vintage Port Quinta de Vargellas.  A delight. Refined flavour, in no way cloying, fresh and clean finishing. As I commented upon in my last report, like German wines, we seem to have lost contact with Port over the last few decades. I am sure most Society members will remember (hopefully), the days in the 70s and 80’s when no dinner party (remember them?) would have been complete without a bottle or two of Hardy’s 1947 Show Port. We seem to have left those occasions far behind, along with the crushing hangovers, to enter the world of non-alcoholic wine, Prosecco and of course the ever-present at any function, Sauvignon Blanc. God help us! Bye for now, until next time.

Food

The room was full to capacity today for a memorial lunch for Society members that we lost in the Covid years 2020 and 2021.

In the kitchen was our well-regarded Chef Steve Liebeskind with assistance from Nigel Burton.

Canapés

First up we had Steve’s homemade gravlax topped with a mixture of sour cream and horseradish topped with fennel fronds on some sliced baguette.

I’m a big fan of this dish, it's a perfect example of gravlax and was eagerly consumed by members.

Then followed some chilli and lime biscuits topped with yoghurt, cream cheese, cucumber and lemon and finished off with a jalapeño slice on top.

The acid of the cream mixture sat well with a chilli hit on the palate.

In making gravlax there’s always some leftover so Steve created the last canapé.

It was a mixture of red onion, coriander and salmon pieces that had been mixed with an Asian sauce and lime juice. The salmon was cured by the sauce the onion and coriander adding flavour and texture to the ceviche.

As it was a memorial lunch Steve generously treated us to two courses today, an entree and a main.

Entree

Confit salmon with herb beurre blanc (including tarragon, chives, parsley) fried capers and finger lime topped with crispy salmon skin.

Loved the textures in this dish ..the salmon was perfectly cooked ..then the crispy salt of the salmon skin sitting on the herby beurre blanc..not overly buttery ..some lively acid burst from finger lime.

I’d call this Steve’s signature dish and we saw why today.

Steve served the entree in honour of Wal Edwards who in the latter years couldn’t digest (and chew food) as well as in the past. He was very happy when we served salmon to him.

We noted that today was Wal’s birthday in the past he would share his Inner Circle rum and tell us the story of buying every last bottle in Sydney in 1986 when the company announced they would no longer produce the rum. We drank that rum for many years after that.

Main course

Prosciutto chicken involtini with ricotta, parmesan, spinach and charred zucchini. This was served on a bed of heavenly mash of roasted pumpkin and sweet potato with perfectly cooked asparagus and beans set on the side. This was then accompanied by a pesto sauce.

Well seasoned, with balanced flavours and great presentation.

The kitchen was busy at service thus delaying service and Steve suggested the chicken could have been more moist.

Bread

Steve’s sourced white sourdough bread from the new bakery ‘Humble’ now in Loftus St Circular Quay.

Cheese

Gary Linnane presented the cheese today in the absence of our Cheese aster James Healey. We are getting better at identifying cheeses at lunch and members were very close to guessing the type of milk and origin.  It was D’affinois de brebis fromagerie guilloteau.

It comes in 1kg squares, is around 6-8 weeks old and according to James, is an extremely well-priced cheese for the quality that is delivered.

This cheese is made by Fromagerie Guilloteau near Pelussin in the Rhone Valley. This cheese utilises ultra-filtration techniques and modern lactic fermentation techniques to boost the protein and calcium levels in the curd. Made with added cream and ripened for three weeks under a thin white mould rind covering the cheese and gradually develops a mild and rich texture that is savoury, building complexity. These modern lactic fermentation techniques boost the protein and calcium levels, it had a good sharp finish. Don’t forget the cheese is made from sheep’s milk.

In between courses we paid tribute to those members that we lost during Covid times when we weren’t able to acknowledge their passing and give them the celebration that was accorded today.

2020

• Ross Macdonald (Life Member and past Cheese Master)

• Bob Swinney

• Frank Johnston

• Ted Triester

2021

• John D Edwards (Life Member and Past President)

• Wal Edwards (50+ Year member)

• Roger Layton

• James Muir (past Food Master)

Members spoke with personal reminiscences of those passed with others calling from the floor with tributes and anecdotes.

It was noted that among the members present today there were ten past presidents and our incumbent in the room today, unfortunately, the writer didn’t have the presence of mind to take a photo.

Past President Nick Reynolds sent his apologies.

Next time.

To open lunch we were treated to some Pol Roger NV champagne kindly donated by Paul Panichi.

Lunch was closed with a toast of port to the lives and contribution to our Society of those that had passed.