Wine Dinner #2 - 4/8/15 - The Palisades

It was really sunny when we were seated!

Today, Will and I had date night + wine and food pairing night at the Palisades (which, coincidentally, is where we went on our very first date many moons ago).  The theme for this evening was Italian food and wine, and our waiter told us that this is the wonderful chef's favorite style of cuisine.  Here's the menu:

Potato Gnocci (potato dumplings with browned butter) paired with La Carraia Orvieto Classico (2013 - This classic Italian wine is pale yellow in color and offers elegant, intense aromas of Mediterranean flowers, citrus fruit, and apples.  Fresh and full bodied with good acidity.  Excellent balance with a long and pleasing finish.)

Braised Chicken (tomato and olive braised chicken over polenta) paired with Tiamo Chianti (2013 - This is a medium-bodied red wine that is superbly balanced with aromas of red fruits and violets.  Fruit forward, soft, and very elegant flavors.)

Taste of Italy Pizza (tomato, mozzarella, parmesan, kalamata olives, and pepperoni) paired with Bonaventura Rosso Toscano (2009 - ruby red color, smooth and elegant in the mouth and medium bodied.  Aromas of rose petals and dark cherry with hints of flavor from dark cherry fruit and some red licorice with a finish of earthy tones.)

Swirl and Sniff

And here are our reviews:

La Carraia
This wine was SO beautifully fragrant!  The nose was composed of ripe apples, honey, and what could have been papaya or mango.  It tasted like you were biting into the center of a ripe, juicy pear that had just been rinsed off with really cold water.  This was an easy drinking wine with a crisp finish.  With the gnocci, the acidity was mellowed out a little bit, but some of the fruitiness was also hidden.  I think I prefer the two separately!

Tiama Chianti
Our noses may have been a little corrupted by the delicious smells of our foods, but this second wine smelled like raw meat and rotten cherries.  It tasted earthy with super jammy notes and high tannins.  With the braised chicken, the tannin structure calmed right down and this turned into a very drinkable wine!  The fruit notes were brought out to play by the tomato seasoning and the butter-iness of the polenta really brought out the nice body of the wine.

Bonaventura Rosso Toscano
The Toscano had a TOTALLY different smell and taste than the Chianti.  On the nose, it was herbal and fresh, like you accidentally fell into your mother's herb garden and released a bouquet of smells.  It tasted just like the description above says: like dark fruits and licorice.  Because I am not a fan of anything remotely close to sassafras (including licorice and root beer), I really didn't like this wine on its own.  Will, however, loves that flavor and this was his favorite wine!  With the pizza, specifically with a bite of the pizza containing an olive, the licorice flavor was toned down allowing the fruit flavors to come out to play.  This really was a delightful pairing which turned an overwhelmingly one dimensional wine into something special.

Thank you, Palisades team, for a wonderful night and fantastic food!  This was the best gnocci I've
ever had!  We rounded off our meal with one of the legendary pizzas, a havarti and pear beauty.

Sad because the wine and food are gone :(

PIZZA!!!