Delius and Talley Wines

Saturday. April 25, 2015

Delius, www.deliusrestaurant.com, hosted a Talley Vineyards wine dinner this evening. Brian Harley from the distributor was in attendance.  Talley is in the Arroyo Grande area of the Edna Valley. They are at the far end of the valley and have a panoramic view sitting high on the hill. They have their estate wines, Talley and their second label, Bishop's Peak. One of their vineyards is the Rincon Vineyard. I like the grapes that come from there and do buy wine from several producers that source from that vineyard.

We started out with a Citrus Watercress Salad, whipped goat cheese, pickled pearl onions and pancetta. Great flavors, the whipped cheese made a really good dressing. BUT why do I have to have stems sticking out of my mouth. When the stems are left on, and I am not a fan of a salad that I have to use a knife on, they becomes like "sticks". There is no way you could eat this salad gracefully. Serve it at home when you can use your fingers to shove the food in your mouth. I cut off the stems of greens when I do a salad and I also keep the pieces of the greens small enough that I don't have to use a knife. Wine poured was a 2013 Bishop's Peak Sauvignon Blanc. A decent pairing but a little off. Salads are a real pain to pair wines with. I would say this was a 85 to 90% compliment.

Second course served was a Sauteed Monkfish, pommes puree and braised greens. Mu favorite dish of the night. I am a big fan of Monkfish, one of the ugliest fishes ever seen. Actually "gruesome" would be a good description. The greens were slightly bitter so I am assuming either, collard greens, kale or dandelion.  The wine was a 2012 Talley Chardonnay. A nice clean, crisp wine and paired nicely with the fish

Third course was a Roasted Quail, mushroom pecan risotto, white asparagus with balsamic reduction. Everything on the plate was very good. Quail is quail but the risotto was different and very good. A 2013 Talley Pinot Noir was poured. Good but  young. Bright cherry, light tannins but paired well with the food.

Main course came out, Grilled Hangar Steak with celery root puree, roasted farm carrots, cippolini onions, peppercorn demi. Steak was cooked perfectly for me, rare. All the items were good. A nice solid dish. Wine poured was a 2013 Bishop's Peak Elevation. Best wine of the evening. A blend of Cab, Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. I asked about the alcohol level. I said I thought it was between 13.8 and 14%. Turned out to be 13.9%.

Dessert was served. Strawberry Pot de Creme, Basil Ice Cream and Rosemary/Dandelion cookies. The basil ice cream was different and very good, I am not a huge fan of basil but it worked perfectly. You could get a slight taste of lemon from the Pot de Creme. A 2012 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc was a surprise wine. Brian had some in his cellar and brought it tonight. A good pairing with the dessert. Went especially well with the cookies.