Metaphora Wine Dinner at Delius

Friday, November 20, 2015

In lieu of the Champagne dinner that Delius,                                    www.deliusrestaurant.com does every year Dave opted to have a big "red" wine dinner. He chose a winery that I was unfamiliar with. Metaphora, www.MetaphoraWines.com, . The owner Ravi Metha was in attendance to talk about his wines. Nice, personable person, a lawyer in Sacramento.  This winery is very small production  and the prices are high. Apparently the wines are in some very high restaurants like the French Laundry. But at $150 a bottle for the Cabernet Sauvignon it is not in my cellar.

We started out with a Pomegranate Salad, sweetbreads, argula, frisee, pine nuts and pomegranate dressing. Sweetbreads were very good.  A 2014 Sauvignon Blanc was paired and it was a very good pairing. The wine itself had a very light citrus and peach taste. Very intensive nose. Fermented Sur Lie in concrete eggs and neutral french oak barrels. 14.3 % alcohol.  It really cut the fat in the sweetbreads. I really did like this wine.

Second course served was an Oxtail Tortellini, roasted tomato ragout, fava beans and mushroom broth. Again another excellent dish from Delius. The ragout had deep flavor and I wiped out the remains with the bread.  Paired with a 2009 Pinot Noir. Grapes from Truchard vineyard and Atlas Peak. 13.8 % alcohol. This was not my style  of Pinot.

Third course was a Lamb Porterhouse, sunchoke puree, roasted peppercorn demi and grilled white asparagus. Lamb was very flavorful and tender. Nice thick chop. The demi was good and the asparagus were addicting. A 2012 Cabernet Franc was poured. I really liked this wine. Dark fruit and a little spice with chocolate. Grapes sourced from the Sierra Foothills and 1% from Stage Coach vineyard. Alcohol was 14.%.  My favorite wine of the evening.

Entree was Hanger Steak, red currant spice grits, haricot verts, caramelized onion bechamel. Good dish. Loads of flavor. Grits were great.  Paired with a 2009 Caberent Sauvignon. Very dark fruit with a hint of chocolate. This was Clone 29 . Beatty Ranch, Howell Mtn.  13.7 % alcohol. Nice wine Good pairing.

Dessert was interesting. Chocolate Angel Cake. Very dense. With a persimmon butter and malbec tuille. Good flavors. But after this heavy meal I personally would have preferred a much lighter dessert