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

Food

What better on a cold winter’s day than a hearty boeuf bourguignon, washed down with a selection of fine 2021 cabernets from the Coonawarra?  Merv Peacock was in the kitchen today providing us with three canapes as well as the main, all on his own, with the exception of Leigh Hall on plating and odds and ends, and the usual enthusiastic support in the kitchen of “Team REX.”

Canapes

Merv did mention that his wife Kerrie provided some inspiration with the canapes.

First off pea and ham soup; always a good start to a cold winter’s lunch. Merv acknowledged these as being his wife’s creation.  A couple of croutons added some crunch to the soup.

Following was mackerel pate with a home-made crust. Mackerel, Philly cheese, horseradish and dill, and balsamic pearls to give it a lift.

The beef curry puffs, being the third pass around, were Kerry’s creation.  Served with a mango chutney.

An excellent start to the lunch and a good match for the several canape wines on show today.

Main

Today’s boeuf bourguignon was from a Nagi Maehashi recipe, with each component being seared separately in the pot.  Like Nagi’s recipe, Merv used an Australian Pinot and not a French one.  We had Dutch cream potatoes – Kerry peeled all 7 kg of them – with peas and a puff pastry crust.

A tasty lunch which was very appropriate for tasting the reds.

Cheese

The Cheesemaster presented a Maffra Red Wax Aged Cheddar, from Maffra in the Gippsland of Victoria.  This popular creamy waxed cheddar – produced by Ferial Zekiman and her team – has subtle fruity tones and a delicate nuttiness.

Merv served mixed nuts and dried apricots with the cheese, and his spicy chutney served as well was a good match with the cheese.

Wine

Lunch today was a beef bourguignon prepared expertly by our Chef du Jour, Merv Peacock, with assistance from Leigh Hall, with the generous servings of canapes, which were delicious. See full food report. 

With regard to wines, we commenced with a delightful Skillogalee Clare riesling 2023. Whilst quite young, the wine did not suffer from being drunk, perhaps a bit prematurely. Crisp and refreshing, plenty of lively acids and a persistent finish. Excellent balance, a nice wine. 

For the lunch wines, we were presented with seven highly regarded Coonawarra Cabernets, all from vintage 2021, except for the last wine, which was from 2000. Vintage 2021 in Coonawarra is regarded very highly.  The wines were St Hugo, Redman, Riddoch, Parker, Wynns Black Label and Majella. Wine 7 was the Parker Estate First Growth 2020. A very impressive lineup indeed. I do not intend to review each wine, as writing about 7 near identical wines pushes my boredom level to breaking point, so I will just deal with the worst and then the best. Those two wines were the Redman and the Parker First Growth. Of the other wines, all very enjoyable, my pick of the litter was the St Hugo, a lovely wine.

Dealing with the two wines to be discussed, first comes the worst, the Redman. I really did not like this wine one little bit. The taste to me was objectionable, maybe " green", ie unripe fruit or over extraction, was the problem, the bottom line is that it left a sour taste on the palate. To me this came as no surprise as I have watched a gradual decline in the quality of Redman's wines over many years.  To me, this is very sad. I first began drinking Redman "Claret", a Shiraz in the mid 60's, then enjoyed their first Cabernets in the early 70's  They were good wines. I continued to buy their wines for many years thereafter, but by the early 90s, something happened, and their wines were no longer appealing, at least to me. Looking back now, it has been like watching a slowly disintegrating marriage. The initial burst of joyous rapture as a young, keen wine enthusiast enjoying wines from a distinguished producer gradually cooled over the years into modest comfort and acceptance of diminishing enjoyment, then gradually deteriorating into indifference and finally restrained hostility.  All very regrettable, as I have always had a soft spot for Redman's.

As a postscript on Redman's, members may be interested to know that our erstwhile member Ray Kidd was the GM of Lindeman's when it acquired the  Redman property and the name "Rouge Homme" in June 1965. Our own member and winemaker Phil Laffer became winemaker at Rouge Homme in January 1966.   The Redman family subsequently acquired another property in Coonawarra and continued to make wine, under their own name, much to the discomfort of Lindemans. I digress. Back now to the second wine for review, the Parker First Growth 2020 @ 14.5% 

This wine comes from the southern end of the famous 13 x 2 Km stretch of the Terra Rosa strip of land in Coonawarra. This was a very serious wine, muscular, powerful and assertive, but at the same time smooth and perfectly balanced. Densely purple, with a huge berry fruit aroma, with hints of spice and cassis. The integration of oak, tannin and residual acid delivered a perfect finish, long and sensual.   To me, this wine represents the apex of Coonawarra Cabernet. Hugely flavoured and powerful, by far my wine of the day. On the other hand, if your taste preferences favour the more elegant Bordeaux style of Margaret River Cabernet, as seen in say Moss Wood, then the world is your oyster. Simply thrust your hand deeply into your pocket, pull out a large bundle of cash and buy yourself a bottle of each. Then you will have the best of both worlds.