Food Report - Reviewed by Mark Bradford ( CheeseMaster )
Good to be back for culinary adventures at the REX for 2026!
Our first lunch of the year saw, yet again, James Hill in the kitchen. It’s the 14th consecutive time that James has presented the opening lunch and, unsurprisingly, a full house today. This is always a keynote lunch for the year ahead, cooked to the impeccable standards for which James is renowned. Current COTY Rob Guthrie assisted with canapés.
Canapés
Rob started us off with feta cheese, beetroot puree and walnuts served on a blini. Very good and enough for two rounds.
Next was James’ take on “Tuna Pringles”. These were made from tuna marinated in chives, lemon zest and EVOO, served in a humble stackable pringle crisp that is often eaten in front of the TV watching the cricket.
James also served bresaola wrapped nectarines. The salty savoury meat was an excellent pairing with the in-season sweet and juicy nectarine.
Canapes were aplenty, light and all a good match for the young Brokenwood semillon, as well as a few more odds and ends that ended up in our glasses.
Main
As he often does for the opening lunch for the year, James served us a seafood dish. This time it was baked salmon, with dill beurre blanc, snow peas, kipfler potatoes, warmed fennel and EVOO.
The salmon was baked to perfection and perfectly seared, the peas crisp and bright green, the potatoes baked to perfection and the fennel strong in aniseed. Nothing but praise from the floor for this wonderful French dish.
The baguettes were from Humble Bakery, down the road in Circular Quay.
Cheese
In theme with the main, the Cheese Master selected Bûche de Lucay, a white mould goat cheese from the Loire region south-west of Paris.
This typical, French log-shaped cheese takes its name from nearby Lucay-le-Male. Fresh salted curds are covered with penicillium candidum and ripened in humid rooms to encourage the moulds to form a velvety white coat. Transported in a special ‘cloche’ to ensure the mould continues to ripen, this chevre has a dry, crumbly centre surrounded by a ring of soft ripened goat’s cheese, all blanketed in a soft velvet-like rind.
The flavour is rich and creamy with a traditional goat’s milk tang. The cheese was applauded on the day.
James accompanied the cheese with refreshing seasonal queen garnet plums.
A great start to our 2026 Tuesday lunches.
Wine report - Reviewed by Stephen O'Halloran ( President )
Our first lunch for the new year kicked off yesterday & what a beauty it was . James Hill & his sous chef Rob Guthrie presented us with some terrific canapes which were delicious & plentiful , followed by Salmon perfectly cooked , with a wonderful cheese to finish up, presented by Mark Bradford . See food report for full details .
With regard to wines for the day , we started with the canapes an excellent young Hunter Sem from 2023 ,a Brokenwood @ 11 % . We have had this wine before , last year , & at the time I was amazed how drinkable it was for such a young wine . I normally like my Hunter Sems with at least 5 years bottle age . The wine yesterday drank as before , crisp & refreshing , great acid /fruit balance delivering a rewarding finish . Hints of apple & lime , a real delight to drink . Perhaps the winemaker had in mind producing a wine for high enjoyment now , & let the future look after itself ! It will be interesting to see how the wine develops , if we can keep our hands off it !
Wine no 1 on the lunch list
Wine no 1 on the lunch list was a real cracker , a Deep Woods Estate Margaret River Chardy 2021, @ 13 % . This was really my style of Aust chardy , & I guess from comments around the room , everyone felt the same way . A deeply flavoured wine, quite intense flavour of peach & grapefruit . Creamy & smooth with a powerful clean lingering finish . Medium to full body with delightful gleaming gold colour . In my view the quintessential MR Chardy .
Deep Woods Estate was founded in 1987 in WA & has expanded since then to become a multi vineyard conglomerate with vineyards nation wide . It is now the largest producer in the MR region . This was a truly great Chardy , I hope our wine master can secure us some more . At the time of drinking yesterday , I thought that this wine was quite comparable to the Leeuwin Estate Chardy , perhaps not as elegant as the Art series , but there would not be a great deal of difference between them .
Wine no 2 on the list
Wine no 2 on the list was the Yabby Lake Pinot 2015 @ 13.5 % . This wine is highly regarded, with a sound reputation as a quality PN from the Mornington Peninsular. I felt today drinking it , we were enjoying it just in time , as in my view the wine was beginning to fade . Still had those PN flavours of ripe cherry & raspberry , silky & smooth , mild red brick colour with an enjoyable finish , but in my view the acid was beginning to drop off at the finish . Still drinking well as a 11yo PN , but definitely not one for keeping .
Wine 3
Wine 3 was a French Sav Blanc 2013 @ 13 % from Pierre Morin , a Sancerre Vielles Vignes . I was a bit apprehensive about this wine even before I had tasted a mouthful . A nearly 13 yo S/B , is it going to make the grade ? Before condemning the wine prematurely , I thought I would at least give it a try , my memory taking me back to August last year when we had a Craggy Range S/B from 2011 which was excellent . Fresh , clean, well balanced , a perfect match for the Goats Cheese then served . Bear in mind that was a 14 yo S/B .
So I suspended judgement on todays wine until I had at least tried it . I need not have bothered ! Exhausted & flabby, acid gone , a mere shadow of it's former self as a quality Sancerre which I have always liked . The difference between the French S/B & our local stuff is amazing . I do not let local S/B into the house. Anyhow this poor old thing was not " off " in the accepted sense , just too old & frail . Always sad to see when this happens .
Final wine of the day
Final wine of the day was the truly excellent Andrew Thomas Dam Block Shiraz 2018 from the Hunter @ 14.2%. 2018 vintage in the Hunter was rated 10/10 , along with the famous 2014 . This wine certainly showed it's pure class . Deep colour almost inky , medium weight, but packing huge concreated flavour, this wine was outstanding . The balance of tannin /oak & acid was perfect . A powerful , but elegant wine , it got my vote for the wine of the day . I suspect that was also the view of the majority of the 50 members in the room. The Deep Woods Chardy was lovely , but this wine was next level .
