This wine pairing dinner was put on by the Palisades Restaurant. This was my first time at the Palisades Restaurant and it definitely surpassed my expectations. My mom, sister, and one of our friends joined me for dinner and we had a blast! The Palisades has such a homey feel and the wait staff was great. We also throughly enjoyed talking to Scott Davalle ("the wine guy") about all the wines and the chosen pairings.
The Menu:
East Coast:
Lemon Ricotta with Country Ham Dust
Red Tail Ridge Reisling (New York)
Sage Sausage & Squash Puree
Ox-eye Cabernet Franc (Virginia)
West Coast:
Lamb with Balsamic Red Grapes
Unconditional Pinot Noir (Oregon)
Goat Cheese Pistachio Truffles
Dante Chardonnay (California)
The Wines & Food Pairings:
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| All the wine and food! |
Name: Red Tail Ridge Reisling
Variety: Reisling
Region: Seneca Lake, NY
Country: USA
Year: 2016
Shop Review: Bosc pear, lemongrass and lime juice on the nose. Whiffs of guava and white floral follow. Limestone, white peaches and crisp pears on the palate; followed by orange blossom and hints of pineapple. Mouth-filling acidity cuts through the mid-palate with lingering minerality notes, lemon peel and nectarines to finish.
My Review: On the nose this wine smelled of green apple, citrus, lemongrass, and peach. On the palate you could distinctly taste the peach in this wine along with hints of lemon and apple.
Pairing: Lemon Ricotta with Country Ham Dust
First off I love ricotta so when I saw this I was very excited. We also had a good time at the table discussing what the heck ham dust was. Can confirm ham dust is exactly what you think and is a finely shredded ham resembling a dusting. We learned and experienced many new things at this dinner.
When tasted with the lemon ricotta with ham dust this resiling became much more smooth in flavor and the lemon really enhanced the lemongrass and peach components of the wine. The saltiness of the ham dust brought in another element and provided more depth by bringing out a sweetness that was not present in the tasting without food. The wine and food both equally complemented each other with neither becoming too overpowering of the other.
Name: Ox-eye Cabernet Franc
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Region: Shenandoah Valley, VA
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Shop Review: This Cabernet Franc boasts raspberry and plum flavors with a hint of clove on the nose. Aged in a combination of French, American, and Hungarian oak barrels.
My Review: On the nose of this wine I got rich dark berries and cherry with hints of clove. This was a tannic wine with a light body that contained flavors of dark berry and spice.
Paring: Sage Sausage & Squash Puree
I wasn't too sure about this at first because I don't typically like sausage, much less the idea of sausage and squash but today I was feeling adventurous and gave it a shot.
When tasting the wine with the sage sausage and squash the sage becomes much more prominent and somewhat overshadows the flavors of the wine. The squash element did a good job of mellowing out the wine, making it much more smooth and lessening the tannic components.
Name: Unconditional Pinot Noir
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Willamette Valley, OR
Country: USA
Year: 2016
Shop Review: The aromatics are full of blackberry, black cherry, jasmine, and cedar. The entry is dark and brambly and continues the theme of black fruit accompanied by Christmas spices and sweet wood. The wine rounds the mouth and delivers a full, long finish with velvety tannins and hints of sandalwood. Aged in 20% new French oak barrels for 12 months before bottling.
My Review: This wine smells of dark berries with blackberry coming through quite prominently, there is also a background hint of cedar coming through the aromas. On the palate this wine is lightly tannic, you can taste the sweet wood flavors of vanilla and some spices.
Paring: Lamb with Balsamic Red Grapes
This was for sure a night of firsts for me as this was the first time I have ever eaten lamb. Once again I was feeling adventurous and decided why not.
Lamb for me seems to be a fattier meat which I think really added to the pairing. When tasted together the fat in the lamb definitely gave the wine a richness that wasn't there when tasted alone. The berry flavors were so much more evident and the tannins were mellowed out by the flavors of the lamb.
Name: Dante Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Sonoma, CA
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Shop Review: This barrel fermented Chardonnay is medium straw color and has tropical mango and pineapple fruit notes with light butterscotch. The palate has a ripe peach entry with honeycomb and slight clove. This wine finishes with ripe tangerine and Medjool date flavors and then recalls the earlier mentioned honeycomb. Aged for 6 months in French oak.
My Review: This was my absolute favorite wine of the evening! This wine smelled of lime, dates, and mango which overall smelled of a sweet bubblegum. This wine had a heavy body and great mouthfeel, the light acidity and citrus of lime balanced well with the sweetness of mango and date flavors.
Paring: Goat Cheese Pistachio Truffles
This was by far my favorite wine and food pair of the evening. Alone the goat cheese was very overwhelming and the wine tasted as if it were lacking something. When paired these items balanced each other so well. It was a magical finish if we are being honest!
The richness of the cheese and the sweetness of the pistachios brings out a depth of flavor and richness in the Chardonnay. The strength of the cheese was mellowed by the wine and it cut through the fats leaving a richness in the mouth. There was dill in the cheese which added a nice flavor component when tasted with the wine, it made the wine taste lighter and more zesty with acidity and lime flavor.
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