Sunday Dinner on the Beach

A fantastic Sunday evening sundown dinner on the beach at Margaret Xu's charming restaurant with a small group of friends.

The 8-course shared dish meal themed around organic produce from the village was visually stunning and light but consistently delicious with the focus on the quality of the produce.

An amazing shared plate - the Calamari and Squid ink looked like it had been plated by Jackson Pollock and could be auctioned at Christies.

Everything was near-raw and went really well with the light style of the Gaja.

• 2009 Gaja Langhe Chardonnay Gaia & Rey 88 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  Lemony gold colour. High but somehow bass notes of lemon on the nose. Palate is round, warm nettles (which I don't like), sun-warmed lemon skins (which I do like) and good unobtrusive oak treatment. Fun but not as good as other vintages I have drank....definitely not worth the entry price, especiallly when drank alongside the US$40 Ridge Santa Cruz Chardonnay 2007.

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The extra heft of the Ridge complimented the fresh-caught sweetness of the crab meat and the spice.

• 2007 Ridge Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains 92 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Light yellow gold colour - no sign of age. Nose of matured oak, lemon and clam shells with seaweed-covered rocks on the shore. Palate is is rich, opulent, oaky, rounded and harmonious, with lots of roasted lemons and enough acidity to keep it very fresh. Powerful and muscular but very lean-muscled. Big reverberance on the end. Always a delight and a crowd-pleaser. Totally blew out a Gaja Gaia & Rey Chardonnay 2009 that costs over 4 times the price.

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This dish worked brilliantly - it provided the pepper and red-dried chili that the Shiraz should have displayed but was too young to deliver.

• 2005 Thicker Than Water Shiraz Squid Ink 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Decanted for 5 hours before serving - the cork has been touched less than 3mm by the wine and it looks like it was bottled yesterday. Colour is similar ; very youthful blue -purple that only emerged from the initial totally inpenetrable black with 5 hours of decanting. Nose is very deep and ripe but extremely reticent black plum. Palate is black (coal, plum, asphalt, liquorice stick)....monoloithic and inpenetrable but so precisely-hewn...like a black granite sculpture. Incredible power on the finish - wave after wave of deep growling power. Still too young to be other than headachey at this stage. Brilliant potential - 92+ for now but could well develop to 95-96 with 10 more years. One of the very best products of the 'Hunt for the Next Grange' that Runny and I undertook in around 2007.

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Stunning, simple but so more-ish dishes that suited the Cariad better than the Squid Ink.

• 2006 Colgin Cariad

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Decanted for 2 hours - not enough. Totally opaque black-red in colour. Nose is lush and really deep - classic clean and precise Colgin signature. Similar palate - silky and succulent and very poised but rather too primary at the moment. Good length but can only get a whole lot better. More fruit-driven than the 2002 I drank with Ann Colgin a year ago. Preferred not to score it as didn't give it enough contemplation.

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One of those evenings that will linger in the memory for years.