Dinner- Palisades: Old world, New world

 This Thursday night, I went to the Palisades for an "Old World, New World" style wine dinner with Michelle, Rachel, Joe, Laura, Justine, Steve, and Caroline. The Palisades gave us three wines: Barnard Griffin Rose of Sangiovese 2010, Tiamo Organic Chianti 2009, and Ingleside Sangiovese 2008. They also gave us Parmagianno Reggiano with olive oil & crostini, Chicken and Mushroom Ragou't, and cauliflower in Bagna Cauda to accompany the wines.
The first wine I tried was the Barnard Griffin Rose. This rose was  made by the Barnard Griffin Winery in Washington state. It "boasts of gorgeous melon, pomegranate, and cherry fruit with hints of pineapple and rose petal. Dry and flavorful with a pleasant underlying minerality."  This wine was a very pretty dark pink color, and very clear. On the nose, I could smell strawberries and cranberries. Without food, it was crisp, dry, and tasted of cranberry and pomegranate.With the cauliflower, which one its own reminded me of crab and seafood, the wine tasted still of berries, like blackberry, and it tasted like cherry, but it was more toned down, and almost felt calming. It was made the food taste sweeter and fruitier. With the bread and cheese, the wine burned a little more, but still tasted of strawberries and cranberries. Finally, with the chicken and mushrooms, the wine was a little sharper, but not as dry as it was on its own.

The second wine I tried Thursday night was the Tiamo Organic Chianti 2009. In Italian, "tiamo" means "I love you." The Palisades described this wine as "intense and fruity" on the nose “with persistent aromas of spices and licorice. On the palate, it is full-bodied, with great acidity and balanced tannins.” I thought the chianti smelled spicy and woody, and I could taste a hint of the licorice.
The wine without food was dry, and astringent, but still very full bodied. It definitely smelled stronger than it tasted, but I could taste the woody flavors the most. I think this wine smelled a lot stronger than it tasted. The wine was a dark purple color, and was a little cloudy. In Steve’s glass we could see some of the cloudy, organic wine material. The garlic in the cauliflower toned down the spiciness of the wine, and the alcohol was sharper and more noticeable. The berry flavors were more prominent and the wine felt fuller. With the bread, the wine was not as dry and tannic, and not as spicy. I could taste dark berries like blackberries, and cherry. With the chicken, the wine was a lot smoother, and spicier, and again, not as dry as it is on its own, and the cherry flavors were significantly more noticeable.
The final wine I tried was the Ingleside Sangiovese. This wine was actually made inf Virginia which is was a pretty interesting wine for us to try at the dinner. This wine “exhibits wonderful aromas of dried fruit such as prunes and dark cherries” with “soft tannins and good depth on the finish.” This wine smelled fruity, like strawberries, and had a little bit of a metallic, coppery smell. It was redder than that chianti, and more clear, but still a very dark color. Without food it was dry, fruity, smooth, and full bodied. It tasted like cherries, blackberry, and vanilla, with noticeable oak flavors. With the cauliflower, there was not much change in the taste of the wine. It made the cauliflower much more pungent and the wine was a little fruitier. With the bread, the wine felt “deeper.” It was full, and very woody, and almost tasted like meat in a way.
With the chicken, it reminded me of chicken soup and was very smooth. It wasn’t as dry and it was fruitier.
This wine dinner was fantastic. I had an awesome time hanging out on our mini-study abroad reunion. The wines were a lot better than the wines from the South Africa themed dinner and the bread was such a great complement to the wines. All of the wines paired with the food very well and it was just a great time!