Blind pinots - de Vogue, Rochioli, Faiveley, Kosta Brown, Cristom

Six of us (including Jay Selman, Youndy Hung, my wife Priscilla, and another couple) met at a local restaurant (Black Sheep Bistro - the food was outstanding and they treated us great, even with our brown bagged bottles and boxes of Riedel) to blind taste pinots. Pinot was the only theme - they could be from anywhere.

Jay was nice enough to bring a really nice Champagne to start off the festivities.

• 1978 Drappier Champagne Carte d'Or Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Jay brought this champagne to start us off. Nice warm up! Second time I've had this wine, and was great each time. Very youthful - nice focus to the wine - lots of citrus fruit balanced with yeast and acidity. Smooth, focused finish. Great way to start off the night.

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We tried to use the "Youndy Scale" to give some order to the flights - putting a number between 1 (a very elegant, old pinot) and 10 (a big, modern bruiser). Then we put them in order from lowest to highest and consumed the bottles over the next three hours with our meal.

• 2001 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Tasted blind. First wine of the night. What an incredibly great wine. Everything you'd ever want in a wine - silky mouthfeel, perfect fruit, incredible balance, long, delicious finish. Probably underscored it, but have to leave room for the remaining 6 wines. A great experience.

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• 1996 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Tasted blind. Wine #2. Very ripe fruit - leaning almost to the pruny side. A lot of power to the wine. Big finish. Maybe still needs time? Probably unfair to judge - after the first wine, I think anything would taste out of balance. I'd like to try this again in a different setting.

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• 1999 Cristom Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

  Tasted blind. Wine #3 of 7. Big, ripe, open nose. On the palate, lots of dark fruit, brown sugar and spice. Nicely balanced through the long finish. Excellent wine.

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• 2001 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Tasted blind. Wine #4 of 7. A little shy on the nose. On the palate, lots of spicy, red fruit - I like the complexity. Nice balance and feel to the wine. Long, smooth finish.

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• 2001 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir West Block 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Tasted blind. Wine #5 of 7. Very big wine. Dark color. Dark fruit on the palate - a streak of licorice. Almost a little too much. I like the "big" pinot style, but this one isn't in balance to me tonight. Maybe needs time to settle down.

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• 2003 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Tasted blind. Wine #6 of 7. Gotta be KB. Beautiful, full nose - the fruit just gushes out. On the palate, more huge fruit. Really big, rich wine, but somehow still manages to not go over the top. Very long finish.

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• 2003 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Cohn 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Tasted blind. Wine #7 of 7. Nose and palate very similar to wine #6. All of the big, fruity characteristics, but has an ever richer, fuller feel to it. A little more complexity than the last one. Beautiful, long finish. Excellent wine.

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As if seven bottles for the six of us wasn't enough, Youndy busted out an '03 Sauternes, which we proceeded to drink without a problem.

• 2003 Château Coutet Barsac 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  Not tasted blind. Consumed from 375. Love the nose - petroleum and pineapple. On the palate, a little on the sweet side, but still stays in balance. Long, smooth finish. Lots of life ahead.

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This was a really fun event. I liked the size, with only six of us. All of the wines were great - everyone was really generous. Thanks to Youndy for organizing. Even with all that, the Musigny will stay with me for a long time.