Pinot Noir "Dance Off" at Cru

Last night was the much-anticipated pinot noir tasting at Cru. I can definitively say that I got my $295 worth. Naturally, the wine I liked best was the most expensive one, at $400 a bottle. Good taste is a curse.

It was a full five-course seated meal (with Krug grand cru champagne to start), with four different wines at each course, tasted blind--one from Copain (2006), one other California cult pinot noir, and two Burgundy premier crus (2002). Cru's grand sommelier and Wells Guthrie, the winemaker for Copain in Sonoma Valley, hosted the evening. They were tasting blind as well, and the comments after each course got pretty lively. The crowd was about what I expected--mostly male, mostly older, mostly wine snobs. Those that weren't professional wine geeks were lawyers or i-bankers. Compared to these people, I knew absolutely nothing about wine. And trust me, when I declared my exposure to French wines had been limited and that really I actually liked the California wines better, I got The Look. You know, the "I can't believe you're so uneducated and low-class as to admit that in public" look. Honestly, I didn't care. I got just as happily drunk as everyone else, and my favorite wine of the evening ended up being everyone's favorite wine of the evening, so no harm no foul.

I would have happily drunk a bottle of any of the wines, but it was interesting to compare them against each other and against the food. The ones that were best to drink alone, the ones that went best with the foie gras/lobster/cheese/whatever, the ones that opened up right away and the ones that took longer to open. My tasting notes got rather more prosaic the more wine I drank ("Awesome!!!").

The full menu, with wines tasted and my own tasting notes after each, was:

Amuse Bouche: Foie Gras

LOBSTER
Red Wine Braised Fennel / Brioche Foam / Pistachio
A1. Chambolle Musigny Amoureuses Mugnier 2002 (licorice)
A2. Copain Pinot Noir Kiser Bas 2006 (hints of strawberry)
A3. Aubert Pinot Noir Reuling 2005 (went surprising well with lobster)
A4. Chambolle Musigny Cras Roumier, G. 2002 (blueberry)

GNOCCHI
Oxtail Sauce / Smoked Pecorino / Truffle Butter
B1. Volnay Mitans Montille 2002
B2. Marcassin Pinot Noir Marcassin 2002 (big)
B3. Copain Pinot Noir Wentzel 2006 (big, spicier)
B4. Volnay Clos des Chenes Lafarge 2002

DUCK BREAST
Sunchoke / Farro / Arugula
C1. Copain Pinot Noir Monument Tree 2006 (hints of cherry)
C2. Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques Rousseau 2002 (yum, yum, yum)
C3. Gevrey Chambertin Corbeaux Bachelet 2002 (smoky)
C4. Michael, P. Pinot Noir Moulin Rouge 2004 (tasted like bourbon)

LAMB LOIN
Eggplant / Sweetbreads / Preserved Lemon
D1. Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River 2006
D2. Copain Pinot Noir Kiser Haut 2006 (fruity)
D3. Vusne Romanee Malconsorts Cathiard 2002 (best with cheese)
D4. Vosne Romanee Brulees Engel 2002

CHEESE

Bolded wines were my faves. My palate is decidedly "New World"; I like the dense, jammy fruit bombs that California and Australia do in spades, but which wine snobs tend to deride as lacking in finesse and structure. French and Old World European wines have great structure, but can taste thin and timid. The Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques was the crowd favorite, and my top pick of the night; it bridged the Old and New Worlds nicely--it had depth and polish, but plenty of fruit. It was lush, fruity, aromatic, and it just kept opening up. Unfortunately it retails for about $400--when you can find it. The Copains run about $60 a bottle. I'm starting a "Great Wines I Must Buy and Drink Someday" list, and the Clos St Jacques goes on it. Also on there are Chateau Valandraud, Penfolds Grange, Joseph Phelps Insignia, Chateau Y'quem, most of the wines I drank in Italy, and other $100+ bottles.