New venue this year – moved to a house with a river running through the back yard, and no hike up from the garden to the kitchen, a change applauded by all.
First up was a Vietnamese seafood terrine, very colourful and with tasteful veg garnishes.
2008 Pewsey Vale ‘The Contours’ Riesling – I thought this Aussie riesling an excellent choice to accompany the dish. It had a primarily lime nose for a minute or two after opening, which left me wondering what it might be, but the Riesling petrol nose then kicked in leaving no doubt. Nice fruit levels and clean acidity.
2009 Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese – a nice contrast to the dry Riesling. Deliciously sweet nose with pear and spice elements, lots of fruit on palate and a nice clean acidic finish with less residual sugar that the nose might have implied.
I was up next with a rabbit and nut (almonds, hazelnuts) terrine with cognac soaked sultanas, and sides of ajo dulce (pickled sweet garlic cloves), celeriac and green apple remoulade, and an avocado salad with sesame oil and white soy and grated lime peel.
2001 Willm Gewurztraminer Kirchberg de Barr Clos Gaensbroennel – more spice and pear in this nose, though you’d be hard put to identify the varietal at this age. Some decent fruit and a finish that was slightly sweet.
2002 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Turckheim – On this one could get the varietal tip offs, the spiciness and fruit came through, not too sweet on palate and good acidity that made it match the food well. Not as good as the last bottle I opened, though.
We then changed gears for a chicken terrine that was Caribbean in inspiration and was garnished with ripe berries.
Oyster Bay Sparkling Cuvee Rose nv – a pale salmon pink and an initial fizz that made one think it wasn’t methode champenoise, but it may have been. It was a fun wine but lacked depth, which is exactly what you’d expect. Pinot and chard in this one.
2015 Joie Farms Rose – made from pinto noir and gamay, this was a pretty dark pink colour and showed a sweet nose, less sweet on palate, and I thought just a tad flat (lacking acidity) in the middle, but it did finish quite well.
We next indulged in a roasted vegetable terrine with a side of scallop carpaccio, served with a pair of pink bubbles.
La Vida al Camp Brut Cava Rose nv – pleasant if a bit light nose of sulfur and lemon, and a good crisp finish.
Laurent Perrier Brute Rose nv – presented in the characteristic squat bottle, which looks nice but is among the hardest to rack in the cellar (the hardest, IMHO, being Ch. De la Gardine CNduP, which absolutely refuses to stack and attempts suicide if you try). An excellent showing, with fastidious balance, and clean crisp flavours, and endearing raspberry and cherry notes in the nose.
Last up was a ‘Terrina Nuits St. Georgia Terrine’ a play on jambon persille, with sides of rhubarb and ham aspics, and compressed watermelon (makes a lot of difference to ‘feel’) with green pea and cheese grits.
2005 Dom. Chandon de Briailles Volnay Les Caillerets Volnay Caillerets – light to medium colour, nose of forest floor and cherry, nice fruit concentration and appropriately high acid at end. Nice.
2013 Teutonic Wine Company Pinot Noir Alsea Vineyard – quite pale colour, with a slightly candied nose, but smooth and integrated on palate, and good fruit levels, and an earthy but elegant minerality that was most noticeable at the finish..
After the other guests had departed, we had another bottle to sit and contemplate the river:
2012 Bevan Cellars Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc - some colour and slight turbidity, the nose an aggressive gooseberry and lime, huge flavour concentration, excellent length and long clean acidic finish. Really, really good.