Hearty Burgundy vs Black Pinot
Zio Fraedos
Tasted June 10, 2011 by soyhead with 626 views
Introduction
This event, originally titled Princes of Pinot vs Barons of Burgundy, was supposed to be an old world/new world pinot taste off. Moving beyond our ordinary stomping ground, this took place at Zio Fraedos. To quote Jeff, 'Interesting choice of restaurants gents'. From the menus to the decor to the proprietor himself, the place wholeheartedly reminded me of many a restautant in the Bronx. Zio Fraedo, or whoever he is, is quite the character, and while apologizing that he couldnt spend much time with us (!) laid a barrage of jokes, that added to the already considerable ambiance. Sadly, this poor chap cant have any wine himself because of his diabetes, it seems. 'Oh we dont want to hear about your medical problems,' one of us boldly stated, to which came his immediate reply: 'neither does my doctor at Kaiser!'. And it turns out he's from Brooklyn, so I was off, but only by a borough.
Well, the reason for the length introductory ramble here is that the venue, and the newness of it all, really threw me off, leaving me with only a half of an attention span to devote to the wine. It addition we didnt blind the wines, and thus I think I took it a little less seriously than customary. But it's ok, i still have my day job.
Flight 1 (1 note)
2006 Toad Hall Cellars Pinot Noir Carneros - 'cocktail wine' as prefaced by Jeff. In which case, what were the three gin and tonics? Apparently this has Carneros written all over it.
mouth - slight bitter cherry fruit, true to varietal form. overall earthy.
Flight 2 (1 note)
2006 Domaine Dublère Volnay 1er Cru Pitures - long preface by John about how he couldn't get the d'Angerville, etc and so forth. I must say, each time I hope to be bowled over by a great Volnay, and time after time, it doesnt happen. The wines are good (and sometimes surprisingly tannic); perhaps I am inherently looking for the wrong type of experience from this commune.
mouth - focused bright red fruit, with a hint of caramel on the finish. nice
Flight 3 (1 note)
1996 Louis Jadot Clos St. Denis - the first bottle on the table that we kicked, and a full league ahead of all the rest in my humble opinion. My WOTN.
mouth - complex cranberry, beautiful wine. long finish, still with substantial tannins.
Flight 4 (1 note)
2001 Château de La Tour Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes - the wine got well talked up, and my first impression was very positive, but a more detailed analysis left me a bit let down. However, I believe for several others this was WOTN.
Flight 5 (1 note)
2001 La Pousse d'Or Corton-Clos du Roi - i recently managed to bag a few bottles of the 2009, and thus I was excited to see this make an appearance. This overall i think went the best with my food, the seared Ahi tuna, served in homestyle Bronx-like massive proportions. In the end when i was paying less attention to what i was drinking (as evidence by the notes below), it was the glass i kept coming back to.
Flight 6 (1 note)
2006 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Hyde Vineyard - my contribution, originally purchased after rave recommendations by the Connoisseurs' Guide to California wine. This is a fruit bomb, and frankly when i want a fruit bomb i reach for cabernet or something besides pinot. That having been said, i think the wine in general would be a real crowd pleaser. And perhaps it could morph into something more subtle and delicate with time, but I doubt it. Screams out New World, no need for the paperbags on this one.
mouth - fruit bomb. John gets black pepper. yummy, but over caramelized, and frankly this is not what i'm looking for in a pinot. But as victor pointed out, it's a perfectly made cuvee. Ii bet this would be loved by many as a stand alone drink. overpowering for my food.
Flight 7 (1 note)
2002 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Botella - more complex than the Paul Hobbs, but same general idea. Big forward fruit. Qualifes as a fruit bomb or no? It was debated at the table along with other topics such as the low priority of education in this country, flamenco dancing, dining in Orlando, etc & so forth...
Flight 8 (1 note)
2008 Roar Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard - it appears that i tasted this wine as well.
Closing
Well there you have it. Overall I think uncle Zio's place did fine. As for Burgundy vs domestic pinot, the topic will need to be revisited under more controlled conditions.
Then back to John's for a Nicaraguan (?!) cigar. What's the world coming to...