Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Today was the last Tuesday for popular REX head chef Rob Doll, regarded highly by the Society members who opt to cook at our weekly lunch.  He will be missed.  Longstanding member and former President, Peter Kelso, was the final COTD in the kitchen with Rob, assisted with canapes by Jonathan Casson. “A chef and two lawyers” for this wine tasting lunch.

Canapés

First up, Peter presented gravlax salmon with a mustard dill sauce on toast, assembled by the Cheesemaster on the day.

Jonathan prepared an antipasto canapé comprising a baked salami cup holding Philadelphia cream cheese, finely sliced sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and red peppers with a sliced olive on top. The salami had been arranged into a shallow muffin tray and baked for 10 minutes at 185°. 

Both received praise and were a good match with the canape Chardonnay.

Main

Peter served us kangaroo loin fillets, marinated in olive oil and crushed juniper berries, then seared quickly, rested and warmed up at the last moment before being sliced and served on a bed of roasted beetroot, carrot and red onion with brown lentils and a touch of cumin, sweet paprika and minced fresh turmeric. It all depended on the ‘roo, and that came to the plate suitably rare, thanks mainly to the ministrations of Rob Doll. Comments were favourable.

Cheese

The cheese today was Le Duc Vacherin, selected by Will Studd. It was an artisan soft surface-ripened washed rind cow’s milk cheese, made in the mountains of the Franche-Comte region of France, using a recipe adapted from the seasonal spruce-bound cheeses of the region.  Bound with a thin ring of bark, skilfully cut from local pine trees during the summer months, then ripened in a traditional wooden box, Le Duc Vacherin is best enjoyed when the smooth pinkish rind starts to ripple and bulge.  Inside, the cheese softens to a rich, creamy melt-in-the-mouth texture with just a hint of forest. Appreciated by the Members.

Wine

Today’s Board of Fare consisted of fillet of kangaroo and selected vegetables prepared by one of our ex-presidents Peter Kelso. I had images of our intrepid former President in full camo gear and pith helmet, with his trusty Winchester. 243 by his side and a box of 75-grain hollow point ammo in his bandolier, stalking around the plains of NSW searching for a couple of prime Eastern Greys for our meal. Dear members, you will understand my letdown when I was told that our lunch came from the Meat Emporium here in Sydney! Standards are slipping!

In any event, after I had regained my composure, I thought the meal was well presented and tasty, the pass-arounds were excellent and the cheese to finish was superb. Now for the wine.

With the savouries, we drank an agreeable WA Chardonnay made by Larry Cherubino, one of our best winemakers. The wine was called Folklore, 2022 13%. A bit above an entry-level Chardy. The wine was seemingly approved by the room, crisp and fresh with typical Chardonnay flavours. Went well with the pass-arounds. I was doing some wine pours and the wine was well received by all. Perhaps our Winemaster could order some more if the price is right.

Moving onto the first of our lunchtime reds, we had a bracket of two Penfolds favourites, a 2013 Bin 389 and a Bin 407 2012. Both 14.5%. The 389 was a blend of 51 % Cab and 49 % Shiraz, a multi-area wine, as was the 407, a straight Cabernet. To my taste, the 389 was a medium-bodied wine showing typical Penfolds oak and tannin flavours. Dark fruits of blackcurrant flavours were there, but the wine was dominated by the tannin and oak. A bit unbalanced. Acceptable, but in my view not up to the usual high standard for this wine. About the 407, I must declare my hand and advise that I have always regarded this wine as my least favourite of all the Penfolds red wines. The wine presented today as a huge coloured black thing, almost sucking the light out of the room. Inky and fleshy, with again large tannin and oak overtones. To me, 407 has never shown any of the delightful aspects of quality Cabernet. Flat and boring is par for the course I must say about 407. The wine limped along to a tired finish. Overall very underwhelming, but that’s what I have always felt about this particular wine.

Wine no 3 was a Bordeaux from St Emillion, a Ch La Serre 2010 14.5 %. Vintage wise a pretty good year in that region, I enjoyed the wine, a Merlot/Cab Franc blend. Juicy and plummy from the predominant Merlot composition with a smooth velvety tannin finish. Very nice indeed, I actually think I will have another glass, merci garcon.

 Wine no 4 was a strange dude, an Italian Super Tuscan, a Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet blend, but unfortunately, this was not a super wine. The wine was a Poggio Mediterra 2010 14%. To my taste, the wine initially presented well, but soon thereafter developed some odd flavours, hard to identify, but unappealing. The finish was dull, possibly due to acid falling away. A disappointment.

Wine 5 was a beauty, my wine of the day by far, the Lindeman’s Pyrus, a  Cab blend from 2008, 14%. Of the famous Coonawarra trio, St George, Limestone Ridge and Pyrus, I have always found the Pyrus to be the most attractive, at least to my taste. Whereas St George and Limestone have always followed a predictable path taste-wise, the Pyrus is different, exotic, alluring, wanting to show you more. This no doubt comes from the mixed composition of the wine, Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec and at times Cabernet Franc. Lighter in texture than the others, the wine is elegant, yet complex in its array of flavours, black currant, cedar and spice. Deep crimson colour, medium body weight, and a lingering, fine tannic finish with sufficient acid to see it through to a clean finish. In a word, delightful.

The final wine was the celebrated Yeringberg Cabernet Blend 1999 13.5%. A very historic vineyard in the Coldstream region of Vic, originally planted in the 1860s. The wine today was a blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Cab Franc and Malbec. The wine is now 25 yo and is showing its age. At my table, the consensus of opinion was that the wine was long “past it”, as evidenced by an offensive odour and poor finish. I let some of the wine sit in the glass till the end of lunch, and to my surprise it made a bit of a comeback finishing with a reasonably pleasant finish of stewed fruit consistency. Maybe we were judging the wine prematurely. I heard it suggested from a member that perhaps the wine should have been opened yesterday!