Nine North Wine Dinner at Delius

Friday, May 30, 2014

A new winery I have never heard of (but that is not surprising), Nine North out of Napa. The winemaker Charles Hendrick along with the new rep from Henry Wine Group and the rep from the group that owns Nine North were at the table I was seated at. Always like to try new things. The names of the wines are a play on words.

We all know that Delius, www.deliusrestautrant.com,  is one of my favorites and basically is my benchmark in comparing quality of food and service. And its local which at my age now is a big plus. I am getting so I hate driving anyplace anymore. I put on 50 miles a day driving back and forth to work. I sure don't need road trips on weekends.

We started out with Oysters on the half shell with Preserved Lemon Mignonette. Oysters were plump and very good flavor. The mignonette was different and refreshing. Served with a 2012 Parcel 21 Sauvignon Blanc. Good pairing and the sau blanc was not to acidic. It had a touch of Semilion in it.

Second course - Braised Pork & Fennel Ravioli, Cabbage and Pork Jus. My favorite dish of the night. Great flavor and I was so surprised that the wine paired perfectly with the dish. I would have never thought a white wine much less a Vermentino would pair so well. Wine was a 2012 Dirty Pure Project "G-Spot" Vermentino (Lodi).

Third course - King Salmon. Micro Herbs, Wilted Spinach, Celery Root Puree. Excellent fish and the celery root puree seemed to be the added touch it needed.  Paired with a 2012 Dirty Pure "F-Bomb" Grenache blend.(Santa Barbara County) Good pairing.

Fourth Course - Bone in Lamb Loin, Farro Risotto with Peas and Bacon. By this time I hit the wall.  I did had a couple pieces of the lamb which was excellent and a few bites of the Farro. Great new way for Risotto. Will have the remainder tomorrow for lunch. After all we have dessert coming up. The wine paired was a 2012 Twenty Bench Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa valley. Wasn't overly taken with this wine but after ten minutes or so in the glass it really opened up.

Dessert was an Almond Cake, Chocolate Ganache, Raspberries & Cinnamon Ice Cream. I felt the cake was too dry. I saw a lot of plates going back to the kitchen with everything eaten but the cake so I have an idea others felt the same way. It had good flavor but really needed less time either in the oven or sitting out before being plated. Because of its small size it would have a tendency to dry out faster.

Patrick Gallardo, the sous chef is in charge of the wines dinners. He does the menu and helps Dave with the wine pairing. So Louise becomes his sous chef for the night. I feel he is doing a great job and his menus now are a great improvement over the past few years. 

So another good dinner at Delius and looking forward to 2 more. In a few weeks Wine Country is hosting a Maderia Wine dinner and July is Clos Pepe wine dinner. Looking forward to both of them