NYE

Inspired by all the dodgy listed companies, who release their financial accounts on the very last day allowable and often at the close of trading; I've decided to publish some incomplete wino sapien posts, which I've been sitting on for some months (see below). The images are all from this calender year and the text even more truncated than usual. I'm spending the final day of 2011 cooking a meal for my extended family. Pomegranates will feature heavily and I dare say a few bottles will be opened for inspection. . .

Belacan

the year's smelliest ingredient. . .

Last year's.

Favourite things

Julian Barnes - And does history repeat itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce? No, that's too grand, too considered a process. History just burps, and we taste again that raw onion sandwich it swallowed centuries ago.

C.S. Lewis - You read to enlarge yourself, you write to preserve yourself.

Robin Williams - God gave man both a penis and brain, but unfortunately not enough blood supply to run both at the same time.

Related.

Drift wood

Another place and another time, but the lines and curves made me think of a Singaporean train station. . .

Stadium MTR

I disembarked and spent a lazy and solitary 15 minutes admiring the curves of the Stadium MTR. Which of course meant that when I finally made my destination my ticket was voided. . . Presumably the authorities don't expect people to meander.

Alcatraz?

Part of a larger family of Macaques who managed to escape from their enclosure at the Singapore Zoo. Even in captivity there is hope. . .

10 pieces

of exquisite chocolate, hand made here in Perth, purchased for the princely sum of twenty nine dollars. . . 110 grams of sweet delight, each piece beautiful to behold and delicately and intricately flavoured. For someone who finds easy pleasure in most commercially produced chocolate, $29 is a lot to pay for such a small portion. . . Could it be the vinous equivalent of buying a bottle of Grand cru Burgundy for someone content to to drink Jacobs Creek?

Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 2000

Great Western, Victoria, Australia. Shiraz. 13%. Cork. Source: Cellar

I've had a pair of disappointing 8- 10 year old shiraz based wines in the last few days from my brother in law's cellar. One corked, the other cooked and generally lacking in definition. Time then to revisit some wines, to see if my patience has been warranted or in vain. . .

Mature and heavy with scent. Leather, stewed mulberries, five spice and meat. A Chinese BBQ? It invitingly rich, warm and cuddly. Mouth filling and softened while still having a Balsamic like intensity and an opening and fleeting hint of honey. Spiced and firm, the structure feels clean (and not Brett derived) and the length is exemplary. This is a wine of maturity which still gives the impression of movement, flow and most importantly life. 91. Now - 2017.

Image: North West Coastal Hwy from The Pilbara project.

Burn Cottage Pinot noir 2010

Central Otago, New Zealand. Pinot noir. 13.7%. Cork. Approx $A90.

It's different from the previous vintage, but still clearly from the same cloth. Lighter and perhaps more confection like, it also seems less immediately alluring and sensual, while still suffering the same fate in the glass. It seems to decay and rapidly lose its prettiness and scent. Smoke and cherry, flint and flowers, though by nights end it is more cola, earth and rosewood. Momentarily zippy and pert, it still reminds me of flat cola; rounded, slightly sweet with a streak of char.

Three gifts

Safety rule #3 for the X-mini capsule speaker - take note that this speaker is not edible and should not be placed in your mouth.

Burning love.

Ferran Adria's - The Family Meal. Is quite apart from any other cookbook I own. The recipes are in clusters of three; relatively simple but indulgent meal plans for a family. The opening page for each trio of recipes has a picture of ingredients, each dish, with its constituents lined up in a row, to the right there is a time line with tasks. It's obsessional and precise. I like it. The recipe for each individual dish is a storyboard of photos with bubble captions - which of course means there are lot of superfluous pictures of garlic being chopped or sugar being spooned into a pan, but the overall impact is televisual and groundbreaking.

Domaine A Cabernet sauvignon 2005

Coal River, Tasmania, Australia. Cabernet sauvignon. 13%. Cork. Approx $A60.

Like its less esteemed Stoney Vineyard sibling this has a prominent nose and a supple body. Cassis and more cassis. It's bright and clear, slightly sweet before fine firm tannins. It's lovely, pliant and long, but it seems overly straightforward and simple. 91. Now - 2020.

Wantirna Estate Amelia Cabernet Merlot 2009

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot. 12.7%. Diam. Gift.

And so the Holiday drinking begins. . . First a few glasses of the Eric Rodez Cuvee des Grand Vintages (Ambonnay. 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2002. Approx $105). Pale gold, sour dough, bruised apple and peanut skins. Beautiful length with a honeyed note of maturity in the mouth. Pinot dominant, gripping but slightly bowed, this may not please all.

The pictured Wantirna Amelia is delicious, brisk and relatively petite. Violet, cherry, plum and freshly stewed berries (mulberry and blackberry); any blackcurrant is in the background, along with stems, earth and the odd gum leaf. It's beautifully perfumed and not surprisingly for such a young wine, it is bursting with vitality and energy. Bright and juicy in the mouth, it is so approachable I suspect most bottles will not make old bones. Fine, firm and varietally dry, there is a touch of earth and dark chocolate to end. 91-93. Now - 2021.

Two more sleeps

and time to thank all the kind souls who have shown an interest in Wino sapien. I hope you all have a lovely, peaceful and very merry Christmas.

It's hard to believe this is the sixth Christmas since I began; there have been changes and some maturation, a better camera, clearer pictures, my tasting notes still need some work, while the wines I've been tasting have become more diverse and reflective of a partly satisfied curiosity. My tendency for being a serial enthusiast continues unabated, this year a dip into the food of Morocco and the Levant and perhaps as a consequence of a few too many chickpeas I've rediscovered the joy and middle aged necessity of skipping - the whirl and whirr of rope and that fleeting moment of synchronization.

Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 2005

Montalicino, Tuscany, Italy. Sangiovese. 14.5%. Cork. Approx $A55.

Three sleeps from Christmas and a mostly languid day punctuated by the occasionally retail skirmish to obtain produce. Prawns, salmon and of course small goods. . . Work seems a distant memory and the most pressing task for the day was the construction of Gingerbread houses and homemade pizza for dinner. Brunello with it's savoury edge and firm tannins must be close to the ideal match. . .

Generously proportioned, you can feel the weight. . . the wimp in me wonders several times whether this would be better if it were slightly more gracile. . . Tobacco and cherry, leather and aniseed scented small goods. It smells of meat and ink and for the most part it is clean. Ripe and full, a fleeting suggestion of raisin before becoming more characteristically firm, savoury and leafy. 89 - 91. Now - 2015+

McHenry Hohnen Calgardup Brook Chardonnay 2010

Margaret River, Western Australia. Chardonnay. 13.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A35.

I first tried this two months ago, at the cellar door, a 30ml taster which reminded me of blood orange and pith, though of course it tasted of much more and any suggestion of orange was fleeting at best. Imprecise and hasty impressions. . . Tonight with whole bottle and hours instead of minutes, I wish I could say that my words have more exactitude. It's more powerful and textured than I recall, with the obligatory strike of flint and match stick. Citrus and grilled pineapple on the nose, while in the mouth a suggestion of river stones and once again blood orange and pith.

Unrelated image: A Barking owl with insomnia.

Pierro Chardonnay 2009

Margaret River, Western Australia. Chardonnay. 14%. Screwcap. Approx $A65.

The quality and appeal are obvious, but even so, I'm not sure I'd want to drink something like this too often; big bones and dangerous curves, it's delicious, but only in small doses. I had thought from previous encounters that the Pierro chardonnay was getting slimmer and tighter, but I concede that my recollection may have been wrong; looking back at my other tasting notes it is clear that the 2009 is from the same heavy cloth and that my tastes are fickle. Flint, struck match, smoke. . . mustard fruit, white peach, ginger and fig. It's complex and layered and slightly hard work. . . the acidity is wonderfully bright and there are flashes of green bean and citrus, but the dominant theme seems to be a richly textured creamy vanilla nougat; it is as it sounds, mouth filling and somewhat confected.

Day 1

of school holidays. . . only 46 days to go.

Image: Mango, Banana apple and berry, mixed berry.

Related.

Lake's Folly Chardonnay 2010

Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia. Chardonnay. 13.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A60.

Fleshy and slightly sweet, it tastes uncoiled and abundant. Flint and peach skin, a prickle and bustle to the nose along with haystacks and spiced oak. Broad, rich and sweeter than expected; an anachronism. Butterscotch and cream in the mouth, the strands of acidity are just holding things together. A two to three year proposition. 90.

Image: One day on from the wettest Summer's day I can recall.

Lucien Albrecht Clos Himmerlreich 2004

Alsace, France. Riesling. 13%. Cork (half stained). Approx $A55

Both wine and beans were bought on a whim. . . my mostly intended purchases had been made and cash in hand, I was at the point of departure, magpie eyes spotted both, a day and a city apart. The beans are less pleasing and confronting than hoped for, the flavours are there, but only in passing.

The wine is very interesting. Off dry. Golden, though certainly not beautiful or poised, it smells of glue and acetone at times, and there is to my nose and tongue, a reasonable dose of botrytis. Ginger spice and toast, citrus pith; can a wine smell and taste burnished? A tart and linear attack with mineral and flint; though a sip and moment later there is a rim of sweetness and weight which only seems to heighten the intensity.

Slow reading and drinking

I started reading A History of the World in 101/2 Chapters over a week ago, and normally for a modestly proportioned book of a few more than 300 pages, I would be done. Instead I'm lingering and intentionally going slow; often reading a paragraph and then wandering off, dwelling and ruminating on the beauty and ease of the words and the ideas contained. It manages to be amusing and simultaneously rich in meaning and imagery; and like all excellent books, it's something I want to prolong and absorb. Of course there's pleasure to be had in reading something simple and shallow, just as there is enjoyment in wines that are direct and carefree, but surely a mark of vinous and literary excellence, is the desire to go slow and to luxuriate in the beauty and nuance.

Want

but don't need.

In the approach to Christmas, it seems like every winery and retailer I have ever bought wine from, has tried to call me to hock their wares. Perhaps it is a sign of harder economic times or perhaps that I have been too free and easy with my contact details. . . I have enough, more than enough wine and associated paraphernalia; a cupboard full of decanters, a drawer of corkscrews and various wine sleeves. The unkind, though perceptive might call it all tchotchke. . . Despite this abundance, I was and remain tempted by the pictured Cool Breather.

You tube video.

Bass Phillip Crown Prince 2009

Two glasses from two different cork sealed bottles of the same wine. Separated by minutes, both were similar and yet notably different. The scent of each was clearly apart; the first having more rubber and citrus peel, the second was prettier, though less aromatically wild and free. . . How am I to write something applicable to both. . . Preferring the first, which seemed to have an edge of reduction, I'd assume this was closed with a better seal. Mushroom and rubber and a prickle of dried citrus peel; this smells wild and untamed, the stems have a trace of char and this seems closer in character to the previous Bass Phillip wines I've tried. Quite tart and sinewy in the mouth, it's penetrating and shapely without being indelible. 92. Now - 2016.

The mostly unrelated image: A Margaret River rooster and some of his wives.

Harira

Physically and mentally distant from Morocco, I suspect my attempt at this classic dish has the wrong emphasis, looking at various pictures on the web, I can see there is a little too much meat and the consistency is closer to stew than soup. . .

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 celery stalks - diced
• 3 small onions - chopped
• 2 large carrots - diced
• 3 cloves of garlic - chopped
• 1.5 tablespoons of cumin - partially ground in mortar
• 600g of lamb - cubed
• 3 teaspoons of turmeric
• 3 teaspoons of paprika
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
  
• 3 cups of chicken stock
• 1 cup of water
• Salt flakes and pepper
• 1 x 400g tin of diced tomatoes
• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas - drained
• 100g of puy lentils - rinsed
• 1 handful each of coriander and flat leaf parsley

How? Roughly dice the onions, celery and carrots and then start to fry these off in a pan splashed with olive oil. While the mirepoix is cooking and the onions approaching translucency dice the lamb, sort the garlic, cumin and locate the other ingredients. When the onion is starting to colour add the meat, garlic, cumin and the remaining spices and bay leaf. Let the lamb seal, then add the tomato paste, stock and water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for about 60 minutes. At this point add the tinned tomatoes, the rinsed lentils and the chickpeas. Cook for a further 30-40 minutes and then add the fresh herbs at the last moment, stirring to incorporate.

In keeping with the cultural origins of the dish, I had an alcohol free day. . . Though I was thinking how good this would have been with a glass of Cabernet.

I ate it with some Butternut pumpkin and caramelized onions. . . Peel and half a 1kg pumpkin, remove the seeds and then cut into 1 inch half moons. Place the pumpkin in a roasting tray with half a cup of water and roast (at 200 degrees C), uncovered with 40 minutes. Prepare the onion topping concurrently. Quarter 4 small onions and fry in a few tablespoons of olive oil at low - medium heat. As the onions start to colour toss in 6-7 cloves of garlic that have been slightly squashed, along with a few handfuls of blanched and peeled almonds. Stir occasionally until the onion is partly caramelized (15-20 minutes). Remove from the heat and now toss in 2 handfuls of craisins (less sweet and more tart than raisins) a few tablespoons of honey and 1-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. When the pumpkin has been cooked for 40 minutes or so, top with the onion mixture, add a little more water if needed, and return to the oven for a final 5 - 10 minutes. Remove and while this is still oven hot sprinkle with a handful of chopped mint and toss.

Image: An unexpectedly wet and thundery Summer's day.

Ad Hoc Wall Flower Riesling 2011

Great Southern, Western Australia. Riesling. 11.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A25

Delicious and direct, the citrus is joined by flavours and scent that verge on the tropical, and like the previous vintages this is punchy, gripping and slightly salty. . . I do recall this received high praise in Halliday's top 100 (was it 95 points). . . though I also recall a disclaimer about his use of a variety of scales. Presumably there's a scale for each grape and each price point which to me only lessens my faith in numbers. I still accept that a numerical score is a shorthand comment on quality and perhaps because I'm male and have a short attention span a high score from someone I respect, does increase my interest; though increasingly I can see that it is a tool that is misused and misunderstood.

Image: wine bottle with a puddle of non Newtonian fluid

Fish kefta

I'm slowly working through my wish list of Moroccan recipes. Today spiced fish balls, made from fillets purchased from one of those peculiar road side vendors of frozen fish. . .

Ingredients:

• 450g of white fish fillets - I used snapper, which I cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 tablespoon of Harissa paste (to make 5 tbs - blend 6-8 chillies - fresh or dried and rehydrated, 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander, 2 cloves of garlic and 4 tbs of olive oil)
• 1/2 preserved lemon rind - finely diced
• 1 large handful of coriander leaves - roughly chopped
• 1 pinch saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon of warm water
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 egg - beaten
• 1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
• salt / pepper
• Flour for dusting

How? Combine the first 9 ingredients and mix together and then form small, 50 ml balls (the average supermarket egg is 60mls) and set aside. Just before you are ready to eat, coat them in flour and then deep fry in a few inches of cooking oil, till golden. Rest and then serve with a slate dry Riesling.

The dominant flavours are the preserved lemons and harissa. I suspect an ice cold beer and a slice of lemon would be more sensible. . .

Mountadam High Eden Chardonnay 2009

Eden Valley, South Australia. Riesling. 14%. Screwcap. Approx $A35.

Like the previous iteration this has a similar emphasis, with plenty of weight, depth and creaminess. It's rapidly becoming a stylistic outlier with its malolactic curves and fuller proportions. Looking at my previous tasting note, I'm not sure I've more to add. . . Butterscotch and cream, flint, struck match and nettle. For a moment I could smell hay, but perhaps it was the surrounds - a warm Summer evening and picnic on the grass. . . Peach skins, grilled fruit and an indulgent wobble of flesh in the mouth. A touch sweet, rich, full and concentrated; if a wine could be unapologetic, this is it.

KT Peglidis Riesling 2011

Peglidis Vineyard, Watervale, Clare, South Australia. Riesling. 12%. Screwcap. Approx $A35.

210 cases made. It smells of lavender and lime, slate and citrus blossom. Perhaps it's autosuggestion or more likely inebriation, but as I sniff I can feel the texture and grip. . . The line is beautiful, straight and long and the intensity and mineral edge is accompanied and juxtaposed by the surprisingly viscous and mouth filling texture of the wine. A Riesling of tension and poise. 95. Now - 2021+.

Dinner

The original recipe calls for poussin but I used thighs and made some minor modifications.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken maryland pieces
• 6 small dried chillies - soaked in boiling water for 1 minute
• 5 shallots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2cm piece of ginger root
• 2cm piece of galangal
• 3 stalks of lemon grass
• 270ml tin of coconut milk
• 1 lime
• Salt.

How?

1. Trim the chicken pieces of excess fat.
2. Make a paste by blending the chilli, shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal and one cleaned stem of lemon grass, and half a cup of water.
3. Rub 2/3 of the paste onto the chicken. Take the second lemon grass stem and bruise and tear into strips and add this the coated chicken.
4. Take the remaining paste and add to a pan along with the coconut milk and the final stalk of lemon grass. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally until it is reduced by half. Cool and then add to the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and let the meat rest in the paste and coconut milk for a few hours.
5. 50 minutes before you are ready to eat, turn on the grill (220 degrees C) and work on the Rojak salad and white rice.
6. Grill the chicken - skin side down for 15 minutes (let it colour) and turn the thighs and grill for a further 15 minutes so it is suitably brown and crisp.
7. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the baking pan and spoon the cooking sauces over chicken and rice.