Wednesday, February 1st, 2017

Dinner- Palisades Restaurant

Every week, the Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston, VA has wine pairings of four different wines with four small plate meals.  Each week is a different theme of wine, this week's theme was Old World (France) versus New World (United States).  I have been to the Palisades once before and was super excited to hear about this opportunity to try their wines and pair those wines with their amazing food!  Another cool part of this opportunity was being able to hear Greg White, a former Geography of Wine student, talk about how he became interested in becoming a Sommelier and the differences between Old World and New World styles. 

Wine and Small Dish Menu

Pork Loin with Cranberry Chutney

The wines I had in order were: Domaine Jean Touzot, White Burgundy, Michael Pozzan, Chardonnay, Bourgogne, Red Burgundy, and Ballard Lane, Pinot Noir.  The food served with the wines included Apple Fennel Salad, Roasted Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce and Sautéed Vegetables, Sliced Beef with Ratatouille Sauce and Caramelized Onions, Pork Loin with Cranberry Chutney. 

Domaine Jean Touzet,

White Burgundy

The first wine I tasted was the Domaine Jean Touzot, White Burgundy which paired with the Apple Fennel Salad.  At first scent, I definitely smelled apple and some other light ruits. One of the first things I tasted was a little bit of apple cider vinegar with an aftertaste of yeast.  The wine really brought out the small pieces of apple in the salad and the salad brought out a stronger taste of apple in the wine.  I really enjoyed this light, sweet wine and I think that it paired extremely well with the apple fennel salad. 


The second wine I tasted was Michael Pozzan, Chardonnay which paired with the Roasted Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce and Sautéed Vegetables.  I initially smelled some citrus with some floral aromas.  When paired with the chicken, some sweeter tastes came out of the wine.  The chicken meal was very tasty, but I did not think that the wine brought out much from the dish.  I enjoyed this wine, and thought that it had some stronger flavors compared to the White Burgundy. 

Bourgogne, Red Burgundy

Next, I tried the Bourgogne, Red Burgundy which paired with the Sliced Beef with Ratatouille Sauce and Caramelized Onions.  I could really smell the red berries and fruit smells.  The wine tasted of darker berries and definitely oaky.  It had a very strong taste and paired really well with the red meat.  I thought that the wine brought out the spices in the beef dish.  I overall was not a huge fan of this wine, but I really enjoyed the dish! 

Finally, I had the Ballard Lane, Pinot Noir paired with the Pork Loin with Cranberry Chutney. This wine smelled a bit sweeter compared to the Red Burgundy with some sweet floral scents.  The initial taste was of some dark red berries and spice.  The spice I tasted the most was pepper which really complemented the pepper spices on the pork loin.  The sweetness of the wine paired very nicely with the cranberry on the pork loin.  I thought that this was the best wine and dish pairing because they both really complemented each other and brought out different flavors. 

I really enjoyed this experience at The Palisades!  I think that the roasted chicken dish was my favorite, however I think that the Red Burgundy was the strongest and best wine during the meal.  I thought that the whole presentation was amazing and they really laid out the small plates with the wine well.  I am looking forward to coming back here again!