Indulge The Palate At A Wine-pairings Meal

“A jug of wine, a loaf of bread and thou” may have been heaven for poet Omar Khayyam, but at Signorello Estate in Napa, chef Michael Pryor prefers to feed us ratatouille tart with roasted lamb loin and polenta. The tariff is pricey at $175, but for nearly three hours, we sip, tour the vineyard, then retire to a salon where estate sommelier Ronald Plunkett explains wine nuances, the difference between Burgundy and Bordeaux glasses, why a winemaker would add Viognier to Syrah (for mouthfeel, aromatics and viscosity), and the importance of “volatizing the esters” (swirling the glass). The 2013 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon demanded a dish that was bold and succulent, he said at a recent luncheon, but the wine’s blend of 14 percent Merlot and 4 percent Cabernet Franc also called for earthiness. [...] he came up with handmade rosemary pappardelle, draped in sugo crafted by braising pork on the bone, then milling it with pancetta and porcini before adding a finishing flourish of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Rich meat and salty accents stood up to the wine’s dark berry and charcoal notes and opulent body, with a butteriness in the sauce to further soften the wine’s already silky tannins. For other inspiration, the chef looks to the on-site garden, harvesting ingredients for creations such as pan-seared scallops with vegetable ragout, fennel broth and lemon gremolata; and grilled peaches with burrata, pickled radishes, basil and pine nuts. The 2½ hour culinary tour and tasting ($120) starts in the garden at this European-chateau-style landmark, where full-time gardener Brad Agerter converted a former horse arena into an organic farm overflowing with artichokes, Brussels sprouts, Japanese mustard greens, glossy chiles, strawberries, pineapple guava, society garlic, limequat and lettuces. Visitors tour the 1,447-acre property in a Hummer, then gather for a four-course lunch with wine pairings at the Estate Culinary Event Pavilion, a glass conservatory overlooking Chalk Hill Valley. The menu changes frequently, but Chef Annie Hongkham may offer burrata, beef tartare, garlic agnolotti in duck jus, and halibut atop risotto with Parmesan “air.” Designed like a greenhouse, the cafe is delightful place to savor tasting flights ($20 for rosé, Syrah, Merlot and Muscat) with a superb meal of small, seasonal plates. Temptations might include chickpea-peanut hummus drizzled in Meyer lemon olive oil with Model Bakery bread ($9), pork rillette with fig-apricot-lemon compote ($14), and Silverado Trail strawberries with Di Stefano burrata and Katz Farm wildflower honey infused with chamomile and saffron ($9). Chef Yoshiharu Sogi serves succulent bites such as bacon-wrapped Hammersley oysters with tomato brunoise and Champagne-citrus vinaigrette; pan-seared sea bass with pickled ume sauce and black cherry cardamom jam; and Swiss chard-wrapped Cornish game hen ballotine with velvet pioppini mushrooms, pistachio, edamame, corn, braised turnips and miso-pomegranate jus. Wine-paired temptations include poached prawn with papaya gremolata and wasabi tobiko caviar; coffee-ancho chile-crusted spiedini with truffled Tuscan bean puree, and an outrageously good vanilla bean gelato-Madeira float with hazelnut cantucci and espresso dust (the gelato is made using Masanti’s secret recipe). Baked in a wood-fired Spanish oven, the breads provide backbone for dishes like ciabatta feta-prosciutto pizza ($10), a buffalo-cheddar burger on whole-grain bun ($15), and house-made wild-boar-cranberry-apple-thyme sausage with sauerkraut on dark rye ($15).