Haut Batailley 2006

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot. 13%. Cork. Half bottle. Approx $A40

Smells and tastes like a furniture store. . . Deeply coloured, youthful and somewhat unyielding. The nose is pointed and laden with cedar, lead pencil and something that reminds me of Mr Sheen. There is fruit, but it is fleeting and well covered. . . Assertive, grainy and quite full. 88+ 2013-2020.

Hat tip.

Penfolds Bin 23 Pinot noir 2009

Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Pinot noir. 14%. Screwcap. Approx $A44.

Perhaps it is the cooler Autumn nights, for I found this less clunky and over weight than I had initially expected. The flavours and shape are very good, though it is over extracted and a little warmer than ideal. Like the unidentified seed pod that is pictured, I happened on this the other day. Macerated cherries, earth, stalks and spice (oak). It's lush, ripe and rich in the mouth, rounded and inviting before tightening and becoming more sappy and gripping. A hint of char and graphite before the warmth takes over. A blend from multiple vineyard and multiple clones, this may not appeal to the Burgundy purists, with its geographic vagueness, big bones and emerging creamy softness. I like it though, it tries to seduce and comes very close to succeeding. 91. Now - 2014

Lamb biryani

If I had not spent several hours in the kitchen, it's would be hard to believe that such a modest looking plate of rice could involve so much work. . .

What you will need.

750g of diced lamb
500g of Basmati rice
3 small red onions
5 cloves of garlic
6cm knob of ginger
3 green chillies
0.5 tsp turmeric
700g natural yoghurt
2 cinnamon sticks
0.5 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp of black peppercorns
14 cardamon pods
1 teaspoon of cloves
3 tsp of cumin seeds
0.5 tsp of ground cumin
1 tbsp Amchur powder
1 large pinch of saffron
2 dried red chilli
2 tbsp of Rose water
2 limes
4 tomatoes - diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
15 dried apricot halves
A bunch each of coriander and fresh mint
12 chat potatoes
3 eggs - hardboiled

How?

1. Make an onion paste by tossing 1.5 small red onions, all the garlic, ginger and two seeded green chillies into a food processor. Pulse into a paste before frying in several tablespoons of olive oil for about 7 minutes.

2. While frying the paste - prepare the marinade. Tip 300mls of natural yoghurt into a large bowl, along with the juice of 1.5 limes and 0.5 tsp of ground turmeric. Then add the onion paste from step 1, stir and now add the diced lamb. Mix well, cover and let marinate (in the fridge) for at least 2 hours.

3. Make the mint raita - In another bowl - add 400mls of natural yoghurt (eg Greek), 1 seeded chilli - finely chopped, a handful of mint leaves - chopped, half a red onion - finely diced, the juice of 1 lime, 0.5 tsp of ground cumin and a pinch of ground pepper and salt. Stir and leave in the fridge till ready.

4. For the rice - Boil 2L of water in a pot, and once this is bubbling - add the rice, 2 quills of cinnamon, 7 bruised cardamon pods, 1 tsp of black peppercorns, 0.5 tsp of cloves, 2 tsp of cumin seeds and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain the water and let the rice cool on a large tray. Whilst it is cooling - sprinkle the rice with 2 tbsp of Rose water and the saffron, which has been previously soaked in a few tablespoons of warm water.

5. Fry. . . Slice the remaining red onion into very fine rings and fry in a few tablespoons of oil. After about 5 minutes remove and set aside. Now fry off the lamb and the remaining yoghurt/onion marinade. Once the lamb has coloured add the diced tomato, the tomato paste and the dried apricot halves and the lamb spices (which consists of 1 tsp cumin, 0.5 tsp black pepper, 2 dried chillies, 0.5 tsp of cloves, 7 cardamon pods, 0.5 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tbsp of Amchur powder - all ground in a mortar and pestle). Cook over a medium heat for a further 30 minutes. At the end add a handful of chopped mint and coriander leaves and stir through.

6. Peel and parboil the chat potatoes and hard boil eggs if you are using as a garnish.

7. Heat your oven to 180 degrees C and find a deep oven proof casserole dish. I used my red Le Creuset. Place half the lamb mixture at the base and then cover with a layer of half cooked rice. Top this with half of the fried onions and stud the rice with half of the semi cooked potatoes. Add another layer of lamb curry and top with the remainder of the rice, fried onions and potatoes. Cover well and let this cook in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Serve with the mint raita and top with fresh coriander and hard boiled egg fragments.

Wine? This is a fairly mild, though flavour packed dish. The apricots made my think of viognier and after some procrastination I opened a bottle of Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier. Not a brilliant match, but still quite functional and pleasing.

Post script: Though delicious, this could do with more meat and sauce. Next time I will use at least 1kg of lamb.

Somewhat related post.

Weingut Knoll Loibner Gruner Veltliner Federspiel 2007

Loibner, Austria. Grüner veltliner. 12%. Cork. Approx $A38.

Yesterday it rained and hailed with surprising intensity. Over an inch of rain in less than a hour. The streets were flooded, property damaged and the city was in parts at a standstill. I spent a few hours bailing and then mopping up water, and today I found my street littered with leafy debris.

More sulfurous and stony, this will confront some and please fewer than the younger, brighter Gobelsburger. It has hardness and austerity, bitterness and a slightly stern unforgiving oily texture. It is also pleasingly mineral and has superb concentration and persistence. While I'm not enamoured, this does earn my respect. . . 90+ Now - 2020+

Gobelsburger Grüner veltliner 2008

Kamptal, Austria. Grüner veltliner. 12%. Screwcap. Approx $A25.

I try to confine my advice about behaviour to working hours. I will make a small exception here and recommend my Australian readers think about donating their old mobile phones to youcan.org.au. Your old phone will either be recycled (if it is ancient like my circa 1995 Ericsson) or resold. They will even send you a reply paid envelope. . . The funds will be used to fight cancer in 15 - 30 year olds.

The Grüner was terrific, bright and full of life, it over delivers. Stony and laden with citrus, blossom and pepper, it's juicy and exuberant and I loved the perkiness. 91. Now - 2015+

Also tried was a still youthful bottle of 2003 Mesh Riesling (Eden Valley, South Australia. 13%. Screwcap). More austere and chalky, this is bone dry and bursting with intensity and lime juice. It's a classic Eden Valley riesling, with no sign of aging. 90-92. Now - 2020.

Reconstructed memories. . .

I had a dream, a greedy one, bookended by soup and tomatoes. Sometime yesterday I made vegetable stock, I peeled carrots, scrubbed celery and halved two old Romas. That is clear and certain. As to my dream, verification will come when I receive my Amex statement. . .

I can picture a dark alley, steps and a black door. An improbable place for a refined dining room. A mosaic wall, Norma Jean, an unflushed toilet and a black horse with a water stain on its nose and a lamp shade from its cranium. I can smell and taste the lime and mint from my first cocktail and once again I can feel my brain starting to wobble. . . Were the people in the street last night staggering, or was the unsteadiness in the observer. . . I can almost taste the clear tomato broth and the goats cheese Tortelloni, the apple smoked duck. My dyspepsia allows me to endlessly and accurately revisit my slice of Roquefort.

On the wine, my mental wobbles remain. The 2007 Palacio de Fefinanes Albarino was spiced and gingery. I had a surprisingly good Swan Valley Verdhelo from Pinelli, but the full identity of my vinous highlight remains a mystery. . . my last sip alcohol for the night was a moscato which smelt of freshly plucked basil and tasted of passionfruit. . .

This morning I woke, involuntarily and early, my vision blurred and my hands unsure. I managed to roast a kilo and a half of tomatoes, along with a sliced red onion and a few cloves of garlic, before adding this to my vegetable stock and pulsing the lumps into a red broth, whose scent now pervades my house.

Post script: Some soup specifics - Toss the tomatoes in Balsalmic and olive oil (a few tablespoons of each), add salt and fresh thyme and roast for 30 minutes at 220C (this will give you enough time to get to Lawley's and back with fresh bread)

Luke Lambert Reserve Nebbiolo 2008

Heathcoate, Victoria, Australia. Nebbiolo. 13.5%. Diam. Approx $A65

The more expensive and manicured sibling is not always the prettiest. As the talented GW pointed out this is deeper, but not necessarily better. . . Rose petal and tar, this is clothed in spiced oak and balsam. Gripping and rich, this is rounder and more velvet like, with a hint of mocha, Turkish delight and lovely fine creamy tannins. 93. Now - 2015+

Image: Though I do not need another decanter, I was taken by this simple and lovely example from Ikea. It sells for $A12.95

Domaine A Pinot noir 2005

Coal River, Tasmania, Australia. Pinot noir. 13.5%. Cork (white and unblemished). Approx $A75.

One of the lovely things about six year old children is the unexpected. My daughter is forever leaving us notes, this one I found on the door when I came home. . .

The wine is new to me, I've read and heard much, but my tongue and brain have not been previously exposed. . . It's lovely - though at the big and extracted end of the spectrum. Some classical features (sappy, expansive, fine acids) married with the new (concentration and weight). The tension is pleasing, as is the opening note of reduction and the stalky slightly char flavoured tannins. A fleshy, generous and heavy set pinot, which is bold and dense. There is an almost Balsamic intensity and a lovely persistence. It's just a little too bombastic for higher marks. 92. Now - 2015.

Hurley Vineyard 'Garamond' Pinot noir 2007

Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. Pinot noir. 13.9%. Diam. Approx $A55.

If you like your pinot with flesh, weight and augmentation, this might be for you. I'm leaning towards wines with more svelte proportions and found this was like a sledgehammer wrapped in velvet. Bright and endearing to begin it seems slightly non specific and at times piercing and glue like. Juicy and frontal, this is a high impact, attention seeking wine. It's interesting and well made, but to me it seems overstated and top heavy.

A dry Saturday

I have a constructional dyspraxia, which I suspect is partly related to my refusal to read instructions. Both of these facts, which have been demonstrated repeatedly over the years, have kept me well away from IKEA, until today. . . My home is overflowing with books and wine. Wine is easy, the more I drink, the more room I have, but books are a problem when you have a magpie brain (opportunistically scavenging and collecting) and two young children who read voraciously . . . I toyed with the idea of a beautiful French antique bookcase, but the price tag and the smell of decay provided enough deterrence. Possum Magic, Enid Blyton, Horrid Henry and Harry Potter seems to call for a DIY flatpack from Sweden. And so it was, that I found my self in Ikea. It really is a remarkable place, there must have been tens of thousands of people in the shop, which to my mind is more like an airport. You check in , get greeted by staff who give you a much needed map and directions and you find your self in another country, a more efficient, cleaner, brighter and colour coordinated one. . . I ate* meatballs with lingonberry jam and drank lingonberry soda, and several hours later I found my self waiting to collect my luggage furniture, ready to finally return home.

* The Ikea restaurant must be Perth's biggest and busiest dining room.

Luke Lambert Syrah 2008

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. Shiraz. 13%. Diam. Approx $A45.

What a curious book and how unfortunate that it is only now that I have come across it. . . The Earth is not just an ordinary planet! There are one hundred and eleven kings, seven thousand geographers, nine hundred thousand businessmen, seven and a half million drunkards, three hundred and eleven million conceited individuals - in other words, approximately two thousand million grown-ups. . .

The grown up in me wants to say, this is bottle 802 of 4103 (4103 is not divisible by 6 or 12, but 11 does the trick nicely). Sadly after this, I will have no more. . . It's a gorgeous wine, immediately inviting and sensuous. An amalgam of crushed berries, juniper and raw meat. For the trainspotter, I thought there was also a hint of fresh earth and ginseng (unwashed root vegetables), two things I usually associate with stems and pinot noir. It's bright and mineral in the mouth, the intensity of the acids and flavours is quite superb, as is the multi-layered (savoury / smokey) complexity and the sappy super fine tannins. For the number obsessed adults - 95. Now - 2020.

Ras al hanout crusted lamb

How? At least two hours before make the marinade. For a single rack of lamb mix together the following: two cloves of garlic (crushed and finely chopped), the juice and grated rind of half a lemon, 2 tablespoons of Ras al hanout and two tablespoons of olive oil. Rub this into the lamb and set aside (in the fridge) till ready. Half an hour before you are ready to eat, brown and seal the meat on a hot pan and then place into a preheated oven (200 degrees C) for about 20 minutes (for this level of pinkness).

Kari Ayam - Take 3

The previous iteration was made sufficiently long ago, that I'm not sure which I prefer. This is based on a recipe by Ravinder Bhogal from the provocatively named Cook in Boots. I imagine the foot in the background, belongs to her. . .

It's quite similar to my second take, but there is the addition of a can of tomatoes (which gives a pleasing lift and some added depth) and she uses Madras Curry powder.

What I did. . . Slice two red onions, into fine rings and place in a large pot with a teaspoon of cumin seeds. Toss in a tablespoon of butter and a splash of olive oil and fry the onion. Then add the paste (2 seeded red chillies, 6 cloves of garlic and a large nob of ginger - all blended) and fry for a few more minutes before adding the spices (a handful of dried curry leaves, 1 quill of cinnamon, 3 tablespoons of Madras curry powder, 2 star anise) and frying and stirring for a few more minutes. Now add 1 tin of tomatoes (diced, 40omls), a tin of coconut milk (again 400mls) and 200mls of water. Bring to the boil, and then add two quartered and peeled potatoes and 1 medium chicken which has been cut into the appropriately sized pieces. Simmer and cook for about 25 minutes (it's ready once the potatoes are just done).

Josef Chromy Botrytis Riesling 2008

Tasmania, Australia. Riesling. 9.3%. Screwcap. Approx $A30.

This is a delightful wine, simple and satisfying and the perfect salve for a few hours with 25 busy children. Perhaps it was the occasion, but I found my self thinking I was sipping green cordial and dreaming of Canadian snow. . .

Luke Lambert Nebbiolo 2008

Heathcote, Victoria, Australia. Nebbiolo. 13.5%. Diam. Approx $A45.

Pure, primary and quite brilliant. Rose petal and musk, with lovely intensity, brightness and seductive beauty. It is textbook in its character and dimensions, with biting acidity, softened somewhat by the texture, and tannins which endure and slowly envelope. 95.

Comte Georges de Vogue Chambolle-Musigny 2001

Chambolle-Musigny, Burgundy, France. Pinot noir. 13%. Cork. Source: cellar.

Four years old today and I thought I'd treat myself to something special. . . Savoury, with earth, rosewood and bacon, a hint of spice and game and plenty of complexity and intrigue. Some might discern Brett's signature, I thought it pure, though starting to show the first signs of decline. . . I especially liked the amplitude and I can see why I was so enamoured with this Domaine when I first encountered it many years ago. The attack is rounded but full of vitality and sappy youth, while the shape is classical and expansive. 92. Now - 2015.

A Tuesday trio

The image is from long ago. . . Fremantle Street festival I think, and the world's most tattooed man. . .

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Marlborough, NZ. 13.5%). Delicious and salty. Full of zest, passion fruit and intense sappiness, this delivers a pleasing jolt of flavour and refreshment. 92. Now. And to think, I had almost forgotten. . .

Beyerskloff Pinotage Reserve 2007 (Western Cape, South Africa 14.5%). Stinky, but enjoyable. Earth and leather, while in the mouth this is quite grainy and slightly sweet. 86. Now.

d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz 2006 (McLaren Vale, South Australia. 14.5%). Dense and full, this is full of creamy oak and soft vanilla. Plush and luxuriant, I can see the appeal, but the curves seem to seduce me less as I grow older. . . 91-93. Now - 2020.