Lake's Folly Spring Lunch 2009 - Hunter Valley

I had a real treat this weekend. I was invited to the Lake's Folly 2009 Spring lunch at Muse Restaurant in the Hunter Valley.Winemaker Rodney Kempe and his wife Sandra hosted a nine-course degustation perfectly complementing their wines.

As a late convert to the Lake's Folly wines I have a lot of catching up to do.

It was Australia's first boutique winery and only makes two wines - a Cabernet blend and a Chardonnay. Both varietals are award-winning and more remarkably are grown, vintaged and bottled entirely on the Lake's Folly Estate. We now have a dozen of their 2008 Chardonnay sitting in our cellar!

Muse Restaurant at the Hungerford Hill Wine Estate on Broke Rd, Pokolbin

a forest of glassware

Amuse Bouche: tuna sashmi on pickled seaweed

Petuna Ocean Trout and citrus three ways

Lake's Folly 1998 Chardonnay

Wild Atlantic Sea Scallopps, marchetti proscuitto, sweetcorn and saffron cream, basil oil

These scallops were plump and meaty - one of the many highlights

Lake's Folly 1992 Cabernets

Confit duck, roast garlic and spinach tortellini, parsnip espuma, brown butter and balsamic reduction

Slow-cooked Hunter Valley venison, celeriac and onion puree, Jerusalem Artichoke, chervil, sweet blackberry sauce

The venison sliced like butter

the celeriac and onion puree was delicately balanced

this was a refreshing palate cleanser

2001 Chateau Doisy Daene dessert wine

Hazelnut Panna Cotta, Sauterne and blueberry granita with star anise spun toffee

textures, textures, textures!

turkish delight petit four

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Muse Restaurant and cafe is run by two food talents -  Troy Rhoades-Brown in the kitchen and Megan Rhoades-Brown running the floor. These are two youngsters to watch!

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