30th Birthday at Palena

Tim and my wife planned a wonderful dinner for my 30th Birthday at Palena, a resturant I have wanted to try for a while as I have missed the other wine dinners at this location. Needless to say it did not disappoint. I picked out the wines from my cellar.

Champagne and Fritto Misto, aka battered and fried, asparagus, lemon, scallops, shrimp = awesome

• NV Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé 88 Points

  France, Champagne

  (6/3/2011)

  N: Little strawberry, forest floor, and some mineral, but light overall.
  P: tart strawberry, light raspberry, a little citrus, and forest floor, yeast
  F: was average in length and decent mouthfeel
  Overall the wine was outclassed by the other two bottles even thought it got better with extended air. 87-88

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• 1998 Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  (6/3/2011)

  N: Stronger nose of Cream, yeast, brioche, green apple
  P: Strong lemon, some nuttiness, a touch of honey showing, cream, brioche, yeast.
  F: The finish was above average to long in length with really nice acidty and cut showing.
  Overall I thought this a really solid champagne for the price. 91-92

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• 2004 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier Rubis 94 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  (6/3/2011)

  N: Strong nose of red cherry, fall leaves, barnyard, red raspberry, a little strawberry as well
  P: Strawberry, red raspberry, a little burnt cinnamon, leaves, barnyard.
  F: Long finish, lots of acidty and some tannin noted, bugt really nice cut as well.
  Overall this was one of my favorite bottles of the tasting and right down my alley as I love rose bubbles, really started to show with some extended air. 93-94

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Seviche: sea trout, a cream type sauce, pickled ruhbarb, some micro greens
very nice with the wines

• 2001 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  (6/3/2011)

  N: Almond, white flowers, lemon rind, sea salt
  P: Lemon rind, white grapefruit, lots of almonds, and minerals.
  F: Long finish, with really great acidity and freshness for its age and nice mouthfeel.
  Overall this wine was amazing, so glad it wasn't showing any preox notes. 93-94

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• 2005 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  (6/3/2011)

  N: Sea shell, sea mist, seaweed, white grapefruit.
  P: Sea shell, lemon, seaweed, concentrated sea salt, spice
  F: AA to long in length, good concentration and acidity as well.
  Overall this wine was much too young to show anything great, tons of acid though, would like to see in a decade or so. 91-92

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• 2008 Cameron Blanc Clos Electrique 94 Points

  USA, Oregon

  (6/3/2011)

  N: Strong nose of tropical fruit, pineapple, floral, wet fur cameron funk, lemon cream.
  P: A little dried pineapple, lemon lime, cream, lots of minerals.
  F: The finish was long and there was tons of minerality and typical excellent Cameron mouthfeel from the neutral barrel aging.
  Overall this wine was as good as I expected it to be, tons of acidity and needs a few more years to really show its stuff. 94-95, can't wait for the next time I get to try this wine.

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Tonnato: veal and some green sauce and some other stuff

• 2006 Celler Escoda-Sanahuja Conca de Barberà Els Bassots 90 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Conca de Barberà

  (6/3/2011)

  N: tons of petrol, burnt lanolin, lemon, minerals and musk
  P: lemon, petrol, minerals, little honey, spice
  F: AA to long in length, great acidity and a nice mouthfeel.
  Overall this wine showed well, tons of petrol which i love, nice and odd.

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• 2000 Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulée de Serrant 92 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières-Coulée de Serrant

  (6/3/2011)

  N: Green apple, tons of petrol, white licorice.
  P: Petrol, minerals, a touch of honey, red apple core.
  F: Finish was long, lots of minerals, very tight overall, good mouthfeel as well.
  Overall this wine was probably too young as the nose was amazing, but the palate was closed down at this point in time. Will hold my last bottle for a few years. 91-92
  
  Had a small taste of this on day 2 and it has started open up more on the palate with more tea notes showing, more honey as well, and nice nuttiness and chalkiness that I didn't notice last night. Still a great nose, man I love these wines.

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• 1981 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  (6/3/2011)

  N: Candy apply, carmel, honey, wax
  P: Candy apple, carmel, honey, beeswax, pears, still some acidity.
  F: The finish was long and the wine was excellent considering the age.
  Overall this wine was fantastic, so much of a change of pace between the other two wines. Love it. 91-92

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Poussin: Game hen, greens, lemon sauce, potatoes excellent stuff
Probably my favorite pairing of the night

• 2004 Cameron Rouge Clos Electrique 93 Points

  USA, Oregon

  (6/4/2011)

  N: Red raspberry, cranberry, forest floor, spice, and cameron funk.
  P: Red raspberry, cranberry, asian spice, barnyard, earth, funk.
  F: Was AA to long with a great mouthfeel.
  Overall the wine was fantastic, will leave my other couple of bottles for quite a few more years. 93-94

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• 2005 Cameron Rouge Clos Electrique 94 Points

  USA, Oregon

  (6/4/2011)

  N: Dark nose with black raspberry, black cherry, a little funk, herb.
  P: Black cherry, mixed raspberries, with a little cranberry as well, a little funk, and asian spice.
  F: Long finish with great mouthfeel.
  Overall this wine was amazing, my favorite of the flight. Will be looking to source more if the opportunity presents itself. 94-95

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• 2006 Cameron Rouge Clos Electrique 91 Points

  USA, Oregon

  (6/4/2011)

  N: Red cherry, raspberry, burnt cinnamon, and a little funk.
  P: black and red cherries, earth, cinnamon, light funk.
  F: AA length of finish, good finish, weaker acidity due to vintage.
  Overall the wine was great, but outclassed by the other two better vintages, still one of my favorite wines of the vintage. JP is the man. 91-92

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Braised Lamb Vermicelli: Lamb, tomato sauce some other stuff
Great dish

• 1981 Domaine Tempier Bandol

  France, Provence, Bandol

  (6/4/2011)

  N. a little black cherry, tomato
  P. red cherry, cedar, tomato
  F. short
  Overall way past its prime, but so was the palate at this point.

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• 1999 Chateau Musar 92 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  (6/4/2011)

  N. red raspberry, red cherry, leather, spice
  P. red cherry, pomegranite, worn leather, cinnamon
  F. was AA to long in length and the mouthfeel was excellent
  Overall the wine was great, but still needs time if not decanted as was the case tonight. 91-92

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• 1981 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia 94 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  (6/4/2011)

  N: was expressive with red cherry, high quality leather, spice.
  P: Red cherry fruit, red raspberry, leather,earth and chocolate
  F: Finsh was long with great acidity to boot, awesome bottle.
  Overall the wine was amazing, glad to have another for a few years down the road. 93-94

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A kind gift to finish out the reds prior to the desert wines.

• 2007 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah The Contender In the Rocks 94 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  (6/4/2011)

  N: Toasted marshmellows, white florals,funk, blueberry for days, one of my friends being the first time with this wine thought he would guess it was a white just based on smell if it was a blacked out glass.
  P: Blueberry, funk, seared meat, spice, minerals.
  F: The finish was long, tons of acidity to boot, with a great mouthfeel as always.
  Overall this wine was just as great as before, love this stuff. Big props to Matt for supplying these nice gifts.

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Cheese

• 2005 Linden Vidal Late Harvest 90 Points

  USA, Virginia, Northern Virginia

  (6/4/2011)

  N: Lychee, a little funk, and honeysuckle.
  P: Persimmon, lychee, honeysuckle, little spice and chalk???
  F: Long finish and nice mouthfeel
  Overall this wine was a little outclassed by the HL which made it seem weightier and lacking aciidty that I haven't noticed prior.

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• 2006 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain 92 Points

  France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

  (6/4/2011)

  N: honey on the nose and then orange and some petrol
  P: Loads of oranges, spices, petrol, and minerals on this wine.
  F: AA to long in length, good mouthfeel.
  Overall this was a shame as I meant to grab my VT bottle instead so it seemed out of place with the desert wines as one could imagine. Needs time, by far my favorite ZH I have had in a long time. 91-92

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• 2007 Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein Winninger Röttgen Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 95 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  (6/4/2011)

  N: White flowers, honey,lemon candy, minerality.
  P: Apricot, honey covered flowers, boytris, citrus rind, spice, minerals
  F: Was long, the mouthfeel fantastic, and the acidity huge.
  Overall this wine was fantastic, expressive in all phases right now and I can't wait for it to really show its stuff in couple of decades. 95 for right now but could be low balling it, because my palate was fried at this point, but the sky is the limit with this one.

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The food was fantastic and the company was exceptional as always, oh and as you could tell I loved the wines. Only downfall was there being almost too much wine and food if that is ever a bad thing. Thanks everyone so much for helping us celebrate.