Dinner at Alinea

This was the wine pairing at Alinea. Save for the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (substituted at my request), all the wines were chosen by the sommelier.

• 2009 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d'Or 88 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Medium-light gold color. Ample mousse with pert effervescence throughout. This had a somewhat mute nose, with a faint aroma of toasted brioche. The palate was more full-bodied, with flavors of ripe stone fruit and crushed mint, all kept fresh by tingly bubbles and solid acidity. This has enough structure to age for another 10-15 years. Paired with surf clam soup, roasted sunchoke, mini cucumber sandwich and lilac salad.

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• 2013 von Winning Reiterpfad Riesling 85 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  Light straw color with glints of green. This had a faint nose, starting to show a whiff of classic Riesling petrol. Palate had a little bit of citrus fruit, some modest acidity, and not a whole lot else. On the whole, pretty forgettable. Paired with skate wing in brown butter, lemon and herbs.

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• 2013 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner 1ÖTW Reserve Ried Renner 87 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal

  Pale straw color. This had a lovely nose of fresh flower petals and citrus peel. Not much follow-through on the palate, which was rather thin. Paired with a mixed vegetable salad in a carrot dressing, along with a black truffle biscuit concoction that completely overwhelmed the wine.

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• 2013 Cantina Tramin Gewürztraminer Alto Adige - Südtirol Nussbaumer 90 Points

  Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Alto Adige - Südtirol

  A northern Italian Gewürztraminer- who knew? This had the color of mature white Burgundy, a beautiful medium-light gold. Both the nose and the palate had rich aromas and flavors of meyer lemon, almonds, and toast. This came off as oxidized, but in a delicious way. With elegant acidity, this stood up well to a rich Asian-flavored dish of eggplant, banana, cocoa and curry.

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• NV Mantensei Junmai Ginjo "Star Filled Sky" Tottori Prefecture 94 Points

  Japan, Chūgoku, Tottori

  Clear, with a faint yellow hue. This had an incredible nose- meaty smells, freshly cut flowers, and very pure saline all dancing together in an arresting aromatic melange. On the palate this is similarly full-bodied, but still crisp and clean on the finish. Paired with hamachi and shishito served on a pine branch skewer, this was simply delicious. My favorite wine of the flight.

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• 2012 Zepaltas Pinot Noir DeVoto Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Beatiful light ruby/garnet color, appearing almost lumiscent at times. This deftly straddled the line between old world elegance and new world exuberance. Nose of ripe raspberries, baking spice and freshly-planed pine. On the palate, the succulent and juicy red fruit flavors were balanced with exotic herbal and spicy flavors, with the whole thing underpinned with firm, tart acidity. This can go another decade at least. Substituted (at my request) for some heavier California wines, this paired splendidly both with the pork belly with parsnip and black trumpet mushroom, as well as with the rabbit with morel and ramp.

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• NV Malvira' Brachetto d'Acqui Birbét 84 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG

  Medium raspberry color, with a foamy pink mousse. This had a nose of cotton candy and ripe red berries. On the palate, this was all cloying sweetness, with only the faintest tartness on the finish. Paired with a rich dish of cheesecake and berries, this seemed like sugary overkill to me.

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• NV Bodegas Los Bermejos Malvasía Volcánica Naturalmente Dulce 91 Points

  Spain, Canary Islands, Lanzarote

  A medium-dark yellow-gold color with some orange glints. This had a nose of honey, bitter almonds and orange peel. On the palate, this was a rich but balanced mix of sweet and bitter flavors, coating the mouth and finishing long and smooth. Paired with a variety of fruits in a rum-based sauce, this was a perfect finish to a delicious meal.

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Some nice wines, but I don't feel like I got my $150 worth. Using retail prices ($325 in total, assuming a $5 bottle of beer) and 6 glasses to a bottle, this selection would retail for roughly $55, implying twice that again in markup. More disappointing than the value was the inconsistency, with some of the whites being completely overwhelmed by the rich flavors of the dishes. They also try to be a bit too clever- sake is fine, but a completely undistinguished Thai lager? I expected better.