Clos Pepe Wine Dinner at Delius Restraurant

Friday. July 18, 2014

This was the second wine dinner that Clos Pepe Winery and Delius Restaurant , www.DeliusRestaurant.com, has hosted. First one was  two years ago. Wes Hagen the winemaker and vineyard manager from Clos Pepe was present and pouring his wines to compliment the food. Dave the owner of Delius let me bring in a bottle of Clos Pepe Pinot Rose Sparkling wine. I shared it with the 6 people at my table. There was not enough to give everyone a taste so if you were seated at the reps table you got the bubbles.

We started out with a Grilled Octopus, Warm Confit Potato Salad, Apple & Black Kale. The octopus was so tender and had such great flavor. Other restaurants should learn from Delius how to cook octopus This was my favorite dish of the evening. Paired with a 2012 Clos Pepe Barrel Fermented Chardonnay. A perfect combination.

Second course was a House Cured Salmon, Pickled Shallots, Cucumber, Black Radish, Shiso, Micro Wasabi. What can I say - so good. Perfect combination of flavors. A 2013 Axis Mundi Rose of Mouvedre was poured with this dish and again another perfect pairing. Interesting to taste the Clos Pepe Rose and compare it to Tercero Rose. Both winemakers source from the same vineyard for their grapes. Shows what different winemakers will do with like.

Third course came out of the kitchen. Smoked Duck Breast (cherry wood), Bing Cherry Pinot Noir Reduction, Watercress Salad.. This duck was outstanding. Served room temperature. Fantastic flavor. BUT - I have never been able to get into watercress. It has the leaves and stems and even if you cut it you still seem to get stems poking out of your mouth at odd angles. Maybe it just me but I can't get the hang of eating watercress genteel, so I just ignore it. I just wish that the greens would have been different.  Wine was a 2011 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir. A perfect pairing.

Fourth course was a Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Cauliflower Goat Cheese Gratin.  Pork was great but the gratin was so good. Wine served was a 2011 Axis Mundi Grenache/Syrah.  Another good pairing.

All pairings tonight were good. Cannot understand why other restaurants can't do the same. And the WOPN. I am still ticked off at that organization and the lousy wine dinners I paid through the nose for.

Dessert was a Apricot Tartlett with House Made Cinnamon Ice Cream. Good flavor but I really appreciated the ice cream. After a large meal I prefer something light for dessert. And I do miss the Russian Cream Delius used to serve. For some reason I seem to have fonder memories of the desserts served years ago that I have in the past year. 

So another good dinner at Delius and looking forward to next week. The Hobbit and Delius again along with Dim Sum and a new place called Fuego.