By Bruce Neyers

Saturday 24th May, 2025

Remembering Narsai David – Planning for Spring Dinners

We’ve fully moved into springtime here in the Napa Valley, and despite the occasional rain storm or frosty morning, we’ve begun another grape-growing season. The wildflowers are in bloom, and our lush cover crop is being mowed, then tilled back into the soil. Barbara is making plans for some seasonal dinners, and I’m looking forward to her grilled lamb. All of these thoughts brought back some wonderful memories of an old friend we lost last year — our next-door neighbor and friend for over 30 years, celebrated chef, restaurateur, and Bay Area food personality Narsai David. I’ve had lamb in Bandol with Lulu Peyraud, and in Châteauneuf du Pape with Henri Brunier. Many other lamb dinners have come my way as well. Nothing, though, has been better than Narsai’s Assyrian Lamb, marinated in pomegranate juice, then grilled over mesquite charcoal. We met Narsai in the summer of 1970, soon after we arrived in San Francisco. I was in the army, and Barbara was teaching school, but we were both following our early interests in food and wine. We lived on a tight budget, and one day a savvy neighbor suggested we drive to Berkeley for dinner at The Pot Luck. ‘It’s great food at people’s prices’, she said. It was casual, and the menu was creative and exciting. The wine list was extensive and fairly priced. Narsai, stopped by our table at the end of the evening, and introduced himself. The lamb, he explained, was based on his Assyrian heritage, but was locally raised and reflected his love for California. After we moved to Mayacamas, Narsai opened his own restaurant in Berkeley. We still met periodically though, as he bought wine from us. Later, when I joined Joe Phelps, the winery entertained frequently, and Narsai’s catering business was involved. Grilled Assyrian Lamb was his signature dish, and he served it to visitors as disparate as Katherine Graham of The Washington Post at a dinner for the American Newspaper Publishers Association, and Lady Bird Johnson at a lunch for the California Wildflower Club. We lost Narsai last June, but his impact on California wine and food — and a countless number of people like us — was extraordinary.

Barbara has her own version of grilled lamb — pomegranate juice isn’t always available here — but she invariably has an eye on the wine. She knows I’ll be serving Cabernet Sauvignon, just as Narsai insisted. We’re now shipping our 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Neyers Ranch’, and it’s one of the best we’ve ever made. Master Sommelier and wine authority Chuck Furuya had this to say about it recently:

The Neyers Ranch bottling has mojo and grandeur, but is still done with Old-World sensibility. Bruce considers 2018 a colder year, so he believes it will yield superb, long-lasting wines. It’s 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented in stainless-steel tanks using native, wild yeast, then transferred to 60-gallon French oak barrels for 20 months. It’s bottled without fining or filtration. It’s one of the compelling Cabs from California every year. It’s well priced, and age-worthy.

Marinade for Lamb Chops

Ingredients

• 1 cup blood orange juice
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• Zest of blood orange
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepperr

Preparation

1. In a blender combine the blood orange juice, onion, thyme, salt and pepper. Blend well. Add the blood orange zest to the mixture.
2. Marinate the lamb for 4 hours in the refrigerator prior to cooking.