Good Living Cover Story – Huon Hooke
Sydney Morning Herald – Tuesday 28th July 2009

David Doyle in the wine room at Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney

One man’s passion for wine has resulted in a staggering $40 million private collection.

David Doyle is an understated, quietly-spoken man who dropped out of a university computer science course before going on to build a software business that made him fabulously wealthy.

Over the past 10 years, he’s spent $40 million of his fortune buying wine for a collection that must rank as one of the world’s largest in private hands.

Part of the 60,000-bottle collection is in this country.  The remainder is in London, New York and southern California, where he has a commercial cellar for his own wines and room for other collectors to rent space.

“I started out with zinfandel.  It goes great with pizza but it’s not a really long-keeping wine,” says the 48-year-old American, who came to Australia courtesy of a charity auction and now spends half the year here.

His collection includes some of the world’s great wines.  Among them is a 1945 Romanee-Conti, one of the greatest vintages in France’s Burgundy.  He bought it for $30, 100 – the most he’s paid for a bottle.  As yet, it’s unopened.

Doyle grew up in a home where his father “was into food” and his parents drank wine but it was “cheap stuff in large bottles”.

He did three years of a four-year university course but quit out of boredom.  “The school was way behind where the industry was,” he says.

While building his business, Quest Software, which specialised in problem-solving software, his life was all work.  His outlet was to go out and have a good time.  He liked fine food and wine and his formative wine experience occured in a San Diego restaurant.  “The ’75 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne was my first great wine.  The sommelier there took me under his wing and showed me some great wines.  One night at dinner, I was sitting next to a guy who showed me the 1970 Chateau Latour and I was hooked,” he recalls.

In 1992, he successfully bid $40,000 at a charity auction for a personal tour of Australian vineyards with wine legend Len Evans.  It also led to an entry to the Single Bottle Club, probably the most exclusive wine-lovers’ club in Australia, whose dinners are eleborately constructed around the world’s greatest and rarest wines.

With his company floated for millions and a new-found love for Australia, Doyle entered another phase of his life – as a restaurateur.  He owns the Rockpool Bar and Grill restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as Spice Temple in Sydney, with Trish Richards and chef Neil Perry.

Doyle’s wine collection forms the backbone of their wine lists.

The wine list at Rockpool Bar and Grill is unlike anything  this country has seen before.  Its depth and breadth of European wines is the equal of any other in the world and superior to some French venues with three Michelin stars.  It lists 3700 wines from a cellar of 7400.  Doyle has about 10,000 wines in this country and 48,000 in California.

He doesn’t blow his own trumpet but he confesses to a good memory for vintages.  “Memorable wines from great years really stick with you”, he says.  “It may be part of being a computer guy but I do have a memory for vintages.”

“Variety is one of the best things about wine, especially the ability to go back over vintages to see how they age.”

Purchasing a few large, private wine cellars boosted his enormous wine collection.  About one third comes from auctions, including Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Acker Merrill & Condit in New York with the remainder from merchants.

“They source a lot of great stuff and steer me away from stuff that might be dodgy,” he says.  “You have to have a relationship with them.  I make every purchasing decision myself.  I inspect bottles.

“I have never bought for investment purposes but only to share with people.  You never want to open a great bottle of wine by yourself then tell other people about it.  You always want to share.

“There were certain great wines I wanted to have but my spending has dropped off sharply.  You can’t go on doing it endlessly.”

He aims to get through about 20 percent  of the collection in his lifetime.  “I’ve got lots of friends,”he says.

Expert Opinions
Wine he would like to buy 1870 Chateau Lefite magjnum.  “There are probably only a dozen or so left in the world.”
On wine write Robert Parker “I’m not a Parker palate…not into high-alcohol wines.  Wines all start to taste the same at high alcohols.
His greatest recent food and wine experiences “I tend to remember the wines but not so much the food.  In a restaurant in Santa Monica I had the 1978 Domaine de lal Romanee-Conti Grands-Echezeaux, which was so perfect.  We also had La Tache and Romanee-Conti of ’78 but they were not quite at their pinnacle.”
Favourite Australian wines Grosset Riesling (“I’m a riesling lover”) and Mornington Peninsula pinot noirs.
Other passions? ”Music: I have more than 1000 CDs.  But I just love wine.”
Best recently tasted wine 1949 d’Angerville Volnay.  “It’s just a village appellation but one of the greatest wines I’ve had.”

Bar-style dining at Rockpool, Spice Temple and Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney

With what we consider to be close to perfect locations…3 restaurants wedged nicely between and within a hop, skip and pirouette of  The Sydney Opera House, The City Recital Hall at Angel Place, The Sydney Theatre Royal, State Theatre and of course The Sydney Theatre Company at Walsh Bay…could there be better options for enjoying a quick pre-theatre bite to eat (or a slightly elongated post theatre meander) than The Oyster Bar at Rockpool, the increasingly popular bar at Rockpool Bar &  Grill Sydney, or our elegant and sexy dungeon of a bar at Spice Temple?  All three venues offer quick bar bites – from the new Lobster Roll and Fish Tagine at The Rocks; the Wagyu Burger or a selection of small plates at Bar & Grill; or lamb and fennel seed dumplings and spicy pork and fermented chilli with noodles at Spice Temple. 

All venues are open til late, with the bar at Bar & Grill trading non stop throughout the day.

The Oyster Bar Menu at Rockpool, The Rocks, Sydney.

The Bar Menu at Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney – 66 Hunter Street.

Spice Temple Bar Menu - 10 Bligh Street, Sydney.

A few days after appearing on the ABC’s “The Cook and the Chef” we’ll see Neil in Melbourne for “The Koala Foundation’s Million Dollar Lunch”.

Held at the Palladium at Crown, this is certainly one of the most prestigious charity luncheons held in the course of the year.  At $10,000 per table, the exclusive guest list includes the who’s who of Australian sport, media, business and entertainment with the goal of raising $1 million for a very special cause – the KOALA (Kids Oncology and Leukaemia Action) Foundation.  http://www.koalafoundation.org.au/

Each and every glass of champagne, premium wine, culinary delight, prize and auction item has been generously donated, and of course the Palladium at Crown itself.

With these extremely generous contributions from sponsors and partners, the lunch has raised a phenomenal $5 million over the last 4 years.  Funds raised in previous years continue to fund various programs to make a real difference to the treatment, care and support of Victoria’s children with cancer and their families.

This year, Neil collaborates with other Crown chefs – Nobu Matsuhisa, Guillaume Brahimi and Philippe Mouchel to serve 500 guests.

All are looking forward to what will surely be a memorable day.

Neil Perry on “The Cook and the Chef”

Tune in this this Wednesday night (29th July) to catch Neil on “The Cook and The Chef” on ABC1 at 6.30pm.  As part of Maggie and Simon’s adventure through Australian culinary history, they pay their own special tribute to Neil (they call him Australia’s own “rock star chef”) by showing us their take on some of Neil’s dishes.

Here at Rockpool we all love this show and are very much looking forward to this week’s episode.
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/default.htm

Now that the nominations are online for all to see we could not be more proud to let you know Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney has been nominated in three, yes three, categories for the upcoming 2010 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards.  

Extra congratulations to Tom Sykes for his nomination in the Maitre D’ of the year category, his style and smile graced Rockpool for many, many years and now he is wowing the crowds at Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney.  Well done Tommo!

NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney, NSW:  The grandest restaurant Sydney (if not the nation) has ever seen, the northerly iteration of Neil Perry’s lavish steakhouse concept sees a no-expense-spared approach tempered by superb Deco architecture and an unfussy approach to high-end dining.

WINE LIST OF THE YEAR
Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney, NSW:  This time, you can believe the hype. This list is awe-inspiring: over 3000 bottles, covering most of the great names from most of the great vintages of the last century (and, indeed, the century before if you’re partial to 180-year-old Madeira). The clincher, though, is the prices: many of the bottles here are cheaper, if anything, than they are on the Melbourne Rockpool Bar & Grill list.

MAITRE D’ OF THE YEAR
Tom Sykes, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney, NSW:  The unflappable nature and good grace of Tom Sykes had long been one of the original Rockpool’s grounding elements. Now, at the new Bar & Grill, he is both front-of-house and field marshal, attending to the personal peccadilloes of instant regulars just as he coordinates coverage of one of the city’s most formidable dining rooms.

Road to Paris
by David Lawler, Head Sommelier – Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne

Working as a sommelier, one often ponders the most appropriate beverage for any given occasion.  Air travel for example; few things seem to bring the destination along more swiftly than the refreshing tang of a Gin & Tonic. However, after the often laborious process involved in air travel with its endless lines of people, required hustle from airport gate to airport gate; at journey’s end few things are more accomplished at removing the crusty travel haze…than an icy cold beer…and a hot shower…then another beer.  Just my professional opinion, that’s all.

The decision to spend a night in Paris before attending the general assembly of the Association Sommelerie Internationale (ASI) prove to be an inspired one.  Firstly it gave us the opportunity to explore the quintessential Parisienne Bistro experience; secondly it allowed me to get intoxicated just enough on the atmosphere of the 6th arrondissment to think that having lunch in a 3 star Michelin restaurant on a Thursday in Paris was a good idea…and it was…a very good idea.

But first, the quintessential Parisienne bistro experience.  This was perfectly executed by two long standing establishments.  We had both received enough recommendations for the Duck with Olives at Bistro Allard, so that was fait accompli.

Refreshed, we headed to Brasserie Lipp for some more beer…somehow we ended up enjoying some oysters and a frosty glass of Taittinger, served with the deft touch of well seasoned French attitude.  This attitudinal accent is oft associated with Parisienne waiters; they provide this attitude better than most and for no (obvious) extra cost, and it’s an experience that many people come to such a destination for, they come to Lipp…for the lip, you could say.

Brasserie Lipp successfully whet our appetites and gave us enough fuel to see if we could find Bistro Allard.  Allard was every bit as French as Lipp, only without the tourists.  A dining room without obvious tacky paraphernalia, small white clothed tables placed ‘cheek to jowl’ with no space between them.

A beautifully simplistic meal followed, with a plate of succulent white asparagus spears, terrine de foie gras and the plats de resistance; Duck with olives.  Or perhaps Olives with Duck is a better title for the sublime dish (for 3 people, although the two of us managed just fine).  Whole duck completely covered in green olives providing a delicious salty framework to the gamey flesh, all given a tart burst of freshness by a bottle of Beaujolais.

With beer, Beaujolais and duck in our bellies, naturally our thoughts turned to the next possible gastronomic experience for Paris.  The decision was made to spend Thursday lunch at l’Arpege…another very good idea.

Chef Alain Passard has crafted an impeccable reputation founded on the purity of great vegetables that he rears in each of his three Parisienne gardens.  Purity and provenance of produce is a concept many chefs talk about, yet I have rarely tasted dishes that talk so clearly, and with such volume, of the quality of the ingredients used (outside of Rockpool of course).  It seems unfair (and very difficult) to single out a standout dish, perhaps the lobster with vin jeaune sauce, or the fava beans with summer truffles, even the 5 year old Comte Gruyere demanded more than a moment of contemplation, after 7 courses the presentation of a complete mille feuille actually scared me a little, but due to its ‘cloud like’ lightness it disappeared with surprising ease.

Within this ‘hit parade’ of dishes, one did manage to stand out; perhaps it was the clarity with which its otherwise humble ingredients expressed themselves.  The most perfectly popping sweet fresh peas, partnered with little shards of strawberry, bound in a delicate onion emulsion; an engaging play between flavours that are intrinsically sweet with tasty, refreshing acidity…perfection.

Naturally, another very exciting element of great restaurants in France can be the wine lists with their ‘rivers’ of rarity; names like Lafon, Coche and Leflaive appear in such density that it can make one feel that Australia is a really, really, really long way away…unless you are at Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney!

Due to the proposed lightness of the menu, and a weakness for Burgundy we felt that the 2004 vintage was a great place to start; and Domaine Leflaive’s Clavoillon is a very pure example of the lean, elegant nature of this vintage.  As the menu progressed through lobster and duck we moved to the 2001 Clos de Ducs from Marquis d’Angerville which displayed all the pretty, elegant red fruits, florals and minerals of Volnay from this VERY drinkable vintage.

The Maitre d, provided a sense of hospitality that every professional should experience and aspire to; 3 stars anywhere (let alone Paris) can sometimes tend towards the celebration of all things snobbish, she managed to make us feel as though she was celebrating our choice to join her for lunch…impressive, sadly I cannot say the same for the sommeliers, but their apparent disinterest couldn’t dampen what was one of the most impressive meals of my career.

Next stop Bordeaux.