Domaine Roulot Bourgogne blanc 2006

Tasted before, I was curious to see if I would have as high an opinion. This bottle has been held between two and four degrees in my spare fridge for most if not all of the last 18 months. It starts somewhat diminished and dull. Presumably it's too cold and still hibernating. It seems nutty, flabby and more bitter than expected. It's only much later that it matches my recollection. Flint and struck match, peanut skins and grilled peaches. The bitterness persists in the mouth giving a hardness and astringent edge, a bristle and forcefulness that I may have missed before. 92-94. Now - 2014.

On the plate: Roast chicken, two salads (1, 2) and roast potatoes.

Garden greens

My ten tomato plants have remained nulliparous. The flowers have appeared but then quickly shriveled. Maybe next year. . . In contrast the rocket that I was so ambivalent about has continued to flourish and each week manages to produce enough leaves for a small salad or two. Equally pleasing has been the sudden appearance of flowers on my clump of garlic chives - each tiny flower a burst of sharpness and bite.

Sunday

Summer's last Sunday and the hot weather shows no sign of abating. I woke this morning to a thud on the window, an angry bird colliding. . . It's usually a magpie lark but today something more beautiful, and in these parts, uncommon. A immature Sacred Kingfisher. Some minutes after the collision it was resting and waiting on the ground, so placid and still I was able to fetch my camera and then momentarily cup it in my hands before it flew off into suburbia.

Frankland Estate Smith Cullam Riesling 2010

Great Southern, Western Australia. Riesling. 11%. 20g/L of sugar. Screwcap (stelvin luxe). Approx $A40.

I bought the book just prior to Christmas 2010 and have been dipping in and out for the last few months. It's a wonderful thing, the images are beautiful and words evocative and informative. I've just been reading the chapter on the Lewis Chessmen and I'm concerned that my Chess tactics are too gentle and lacking in terror and bloodlust. Alistair and I have now been playing chess by snail mail for over 4 months and neither of us has managed to draw blood. . .

The wine in question is $10 cheaper (than the book) and sadly nowhere near as good. It is enjoyable, refreshing and a fine example but still I'm only mildly impressed. Lime zest, mustard fruit, river stones and white pepper. It's bright and sappy but also slightly broad and attenuated and the resultant shape is not entirely flattering. Now - 2015.

Image: Even the bottles are sweating.

Choya Umeshu

15% alcohol. Approx $A33 for 750ml bottle

Just occasionally I get tired of wine. I can't bring myself to pulling another cork or twisting one more screwcap. The brain like the nose is easily habituated. . . This oversized green test tube is a welcome change. Sealed with a flip top lid and containing six ume fruit (Prunus mume), this Plum wine is a window back to childhood. Nominally a plum, ume is more closely related to the apricot. The Umeshu certainly smells of apricots - or at least a crushed apricot stone, with warm notes of almond meal and marzipan. A single note for a jaded nose. . . In the mouth it is sweet, sour and mouth watering. Not unlike a milder version of those tamarind flavoured Chinese salted plums I used to eat as a child. I'm not sure I ever really enjoyed them with their cadaver like appearance and their hard and shrivelled shell just waiting to assault your mouth with a wave of saltiness and impossible sourness. . .

Baked kibbeh

Not surprisingly, it's possible to find a large number of more or less similar recipes for kibbeh bil sainieh on the net. It's fairly straightforward to make, though the resulting dish is quite dry and granular. You'll need something with acid to moisten things. Yoghurt and or wine are recommended.

For the stuffing:

• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 250 minced lamb
• 2 tablespoons of pine nuts
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

For the dough:

• 500g of coarse Burghul wheat - soaked in water for 5-10 minutes and then drained
• 500g lamb mince
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of salt and white pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Ras el hanout.
• 1 onion

How? Start by making the stuffing. Fry the onion till clear and then add the remainder of the ingredients and cook till the lamb is done. Remove from the heat and let cool. Make the dough in a food processor. First add the onion and blitz before adding the meat, spices and then the soaked and drained wheat. If needed, use your hands and squeeze together until sticky and homogeneous. Now grease a large baking tray with olive oil (mine was 20x30cm) and using half the dough mixture, make a base and sides. Flatten and compress by hand and once done, add the stuffing and create a uniform layer. Seal and top this with the remaining dough. Then cut into the desired squares or diamonds and drizzle with olive oil before placing in an oven (pre heated to 180 degrees C) to cook for half an hour.

Wine? The vinous cliché of lamb and Cabernet is a good one and so I revisited a bottle of the 2001 Giaconda Cabernet sauvignon. It's moved very little in the last 3 years. Youthful and perfumed I could still find violets and super ripe blackcurrant, though also a hint of graphite and curry leaf. Generous and ripe in the mouth, some mid palate spice and lovely tannins. This is a keeper, though sadly for me there are no more.

Jauma Alessa 2010

Barossa, South Australia. Touriga Nacional and Monastrell. 13.9%. Diam. Approx $A28 for 500ml bottle.

It seems too obtuse to mention, but this is a wonderfully tactile package. A narrow bottle with two thirds the normal quota of liquid, a yellow wax seal. . . Touriga Nacional the key component of Port, could this be something sweet? Though the presentation is suggestive, the Monastrell and the 13.9% sends the opposite message.

Purple and heroic. A warm nose with raisins and spice. After reading the small print on the label and the comment about whole bunches, I can smell stems - but of course I'm kidding myself. . . though it does seem fleetingly sappy. By nights end there's menthol and bay leaf. The heat of Summer is there in the mouth too - it's rounded and full and once the meaty tannins have spoken my mouth feels parched. Convincing.

incy wincy

Huntsman spider being relocated from letter box to garden.

Osso bucco with moghrabieh

Ingredients:

• 8 - 10 medium size pieces of osso bucco
• Black pepper to season
• 3 medium onions diced
• 3 cloves of garlic diced
• 3 medium carrots diced
• 2 x400g tins of diced tomato
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 2 cinnamon quills
• pinch of sumac
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• half a teaspoon of Ras el Hanout
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 litre of chicken stock
• 2 cups of water
• 1 and a half cups of moghrabieh (giant couscous)
• 1 half cup each of fresh coriander, parsley and mint
• juice and zest of one lemon

How? Brown the veal pieces, in batches in a large pan splashed with olive oil. While cooking season with pepper, once suitably coloured and sealed, set aside. Now fry the onion and garlic till clear, then add the carrots, spices, tomato, stock, water and finally return the osso bucco pieces. Bring to the boil and let simmer for 30 - 40 minutes. Now cover, turn off the heat and do something else for a few hours. The meat will continue to cook and soften in the process. 30 minutes before you plan on eating and at least two to three hours since you started cooking, fire up the stove again and bring the liquid back to the boil. Add the moghrabieh and simmer for about half an hour, or until the semolina balls are al dente. Now add all the herbs, lemon juice and zest. Stir though and serve.

Retail therapy

Just as Imelda had a surfeit of shoes, I have a problem with wine. . . at least my funds are not ill-begotten. Though I have a cellar more or less full, I still find it hard to walk out of a bottleshop empty handed. Today a trio of wines from an unknown (to me) producer - Jauma.

The bottles, all from 2010, are topped in wax and the seal is visible and Diam. The labels are beautiful and the man behind the counter was good enough to warn me that he could not decide if the bottle on the left was pure genius or utter crap. . .

Kerrigan + Berry Riesling 2010

Mount Barker, Great Southern, Western Australia. Riesling. 12%. Screwcap. Approx $A24

A rushed photo at day's end. The clouds promise rain and after a warm day (39 degrees C) the air is flirtatiously cool, but I can already sense the disappointment and the sticky night to come.

No such concerns with the wine. K+B have had locally illustrious vinous careers though perhaps their services are now less sought after than once before.

Pale. Blossom and talc, lime and feijoa. Fresh, pert and primary, it smells of its origin. Lime cordial and a burst of brightness and sherbet like energy. The acid seam is long and pulsatile. Very good. 92. Now - 2020.

Kusuda Pinot noir 2006

Martinborough, New Zealand. Pinot noir. 14%. Cork (chateau length). Approx $A65.

This bottle is a significant one. I bought it in Sydney a few years ago and I've been waiting for the right time to open it. In the intervening years, I've read about Hiro Kusuda the maker and how he sorts his grapes one berry at a time. . .

It's quite an extraordinary wine. Perfumed and structured, there is sinew and hardness, but also something quite beautiful. Tea leaf, earth, stems, a suggestion of aniseed and small goods. Serious. Tight and lean in the mouth, quite savoury before becoming more expansive, meaty and enduring. 95. Now - 2016.

Tried next was the 1995 Penfolds Grange. Quite plodding and deliberate in comparison. Made in the house style it seems a little old fashioned. Rose wood and spice, a suggestion of Port. In the mouth a streak of vanilla, though in time this is more spice and texture. A formidable wine which shows no sign of tiredness. 91. Now - 2021

Donnhoff Dry Riesling 2009

Nahe, Germany. Riesling. 11.5%. Cork. Approx $A40.

The first and consequentially the least remembered wine of the evening. I'm sniffing at the long empty bottle and recollections of sweetness offset by grip and bitterness emerge. Perhaps this is not as convincing as the 2008 and it seems more suntanned and phenolic. Still a pleasing way to begin a night's drinking. . . 89. Now - 2015.

Anticipation

Related.

Parity

The Aussie dollar's parity with the US is of course a story which is many months old. How long it will last is likely to depends on how long the world needs Australian coal and iron ore and on whether there is and third or even fourth round of money printing by the Fed.

Image: 1977 'Eisenhower' silver dollar with an Aussie from 1984.

Dinner

A Lebanese trio and a radish mouse. . .

Black lentils with bulgur wheat. Place 150g of lentils in a pot with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and then drain and set the lentils aside. Clean the pot and add a generous splash of olive oil and fry 2 onions, which have been finely chopped. Let them brown, but don't burn. Now add 2 cups of water, and bring to the boil. The water will colour and the onions will soften further. After about 5 minutes add 75g of bulgur wheat, the previously parboiled lentils and a generous pinch of salt. Cover, reduce heat and cook for about 15 minutes, checking periodically to make sure there is enough cooking liquid.

Spinach with lamb. I cooked this meal sequentially. So once the lentils were done and on the table (they can be eaten hot or cold), I started on the lamb. Heat some olive oil in a pot and add 1 finely chopped onion and 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Fry and stir till clear. Now add 150g of fresh coriander which has been chopped, 50g of pine nuts and 400g of diced lamb (half inch cubes or smaller) and a tablespoon of Ras el Hanout. Cook and stir till the lamb is coloured and then add 300g of fresh spinach which has been roughly shredded. Stir well and allow the heat to wilt the leaves and cook down for a few minutes before adding about half a cup of water. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking add the juice of one lemon. Serve with rice, to soak up the cooking juices.

Radish and rocket salad. I took one tablespoon of onion from the onion used above and chopped this very finely and let it sit in a teaspoon of lemon juice to extract some of the harshness. I used three handfuls of rocket, 3 radishes finely sliced and 6 cherry tomatoes roughly chopped. All the ingredients were then tossed together (while the lamb was finishing off) and then dressed with a tablespoon of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Radish mouse. Slice a small disc from the base - which will allow the mouse to stand. From this shape two ears. The eyes are black peppercorns, you could use cloves if you want eye lashes and a a bit more high camp. . .

Jean Claude Lapalu Brouilly 2009

Brouilly, Beaujolais, France. Gamay. 14%. Cork.

I've one bottle left, which I'm tempted to lose in the disorder otherwise known as my cellar. Though it transforms over a few hours, the overall impression is that this is unready and restless. Spice, sawdust, stems, Bay leaf and Ocean Spray - a concoction of tartness and sappiness. Pert and quite zippy, it leaves my mouth feeling like it's full of grape skins. I'm guessing this will improve. 89+ 2013 - 2016

A. dubius salad

I was in my local Chinese grocer today and saw a bunch of green and purple leaves. An unrefrigerated and unwatered box on the floor, bursting with colour. Chinese spinach the sign said. They looked extraordinary and wonderfully fresh - surely they were only harvested this morning. . .

On a whim I picked a bunch, the most purple, and within an hour made two simple dishes. I was so keen to eat, I forgot to open some wine.

The one pictured is an improvised Caprese salad - the spinach is joined by a handful of fresh basil. The cherry tomatoes have been splashed with Balsamic vinegar and sea salt and the bocconcini torn by hand. All the ingredients are then tossed and dressed with a squeeze of lemon and spoon of olive oil.

With the larger and older leaves - another slightly confused dish. One part Italy, one part Thailand. This time fry 3 chopped cloves of garlic in a splash of olive oil before adding two or three large handfuls of spinach to the pan. Cook for only 30-60 seconds, just enough to wilt the leaves, then added a tablespoon of Thai fish sauce for an umami hit. A quick stir and then off the heat and onto a plate to be dressed with lemon juice and more olive oil.

Image: A. dubius on a plate.

Felton Road Pinot noir 2009

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand. Pinot noir. 14%. Screwcap. Approx $A60

Dark for what it is. Spiced, dense and cola like nose. A fleeting suggestion of rubber and then rose petals and raw meat. Clumsy words for something plush and velvet like. Soft, full, slightly sweet and immediately seductive in the mouth. It's seamless and quite forward, though it tapers it never seems to end. Very very good. 92. Now - 2015.

Garlic chives?

I've always assumed these long spears of green were garlic chives, but looking at the various images, my leaves looks a little too flat, they've certainly never flowered. Still, I'm fond of the taste and every week for the last few months, a chopped up bunch makes its into an an omelet.

It's a hardy herb. I first planted it three or four years ago, and it has been left, largely forgotten and unwatered, partially choked by weeds and daisies. Since clearing the away the competition and giving it some attention it has been prolific in throwing up new growth.

V

How pleasant is the day when we give up striving to be young - or slender. Until then, I'll be putting on my walking shoes and roaming the streets, trying to avoid the cars, and carbs. . . While doing so, I came across this inflatable hand today. Modeled on the artists hand, I'm concerned about the positioning and over rotation of the ring finger and pinkie.

Mt Difficulty Pinot noir 2004

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand. Pinot noir. 14%. Screwcap. Source: gift

Intense and formidable. Spiced and low pitched, cooked beets, cream and freshly turned earth. Brisk, bold and impatient in the mouth. I can see the appeal, though I found this too big by several sizes. 88. Now - 2013.

Tasted next was the De Bortoli Melba Mimi 2008 (79% Cabernet, 14% Shiraz, 7% Nebbiolo. Yarra Valley, Victoria. Approx $A22). Delicious. Slightly green Cabernet characters - gum nut, bell pepper, curry and bay leaf. Bright and quite silky, crowd pleasing softness and fruit and very fine unobtrusive tannins. A savoury finish. 89. Now - 2014.

Image: liquid nitrogen