Pinot Noir Wine Tasting - quick notes

1. Sebastiani, Sonoma Coast, 2007 13.5%, $18. California style. Fruity. Not as much Barnyard. Purple, Black Cherry, Plum, Violet. Chicken, Salmon. 
2. Domain Chandon, Carneros, 2006, 14.3%, $24. Lighter, Wet Earth, Tanin medium. Turkey, pork, slightly spicy. 
3. Felton Road, Central Otago, New Zealand, 14.0%, $30. Violet, Medium, Soft, Silky, smooth. Enough acidity to lay down. 
4. Argyle, Reserve, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2006, 14.5%, $40. Oregon style sits between California and Burgundy style. Not much nose, spicy, more powerful.
5. Nicolas Potel, Vieilles Vignes ("-" means Village wine), Savigny-les_beaune, 2006, 13.0%, $38. Sage, Anise, Tea.
   
6. Louis Latour, Marsannay (Village level wine), 2006, 13.0%, $18.  Barnyard, Bret = Onion. Burguny all about the land, less about the vinyeard.
   
7. Dominique Laurent, Gevrey-Chambertin, Les Corbeaux, 1er Cru, 2006 13.0%, $55. Gorgeous. Floats. Delicate. Violet. Jasmine. Gets in your nose. Smooth. Perfume.
   
8. Jean Grivot, Eschezeaux (vineyard didn't name the village), Grand Cru, 2004, 13.5% $135 (yeeeehah). Earth, Mushroom, Barnyard, Wet. Depth.
   

Things Learned
- Tannin and acidity can feel similar. The difference is that tannins dry the mouth. Acidity makes you salivate. One is in the front of the mouth, the other is in back.
- One strategy - pair to the structure of the wine first, not the flavor.
- The taste of the wine shouldn't change when you eat something. Adjust the food with salt and acidity (lemon, lime, vinegar).

- Fruity and acidity -- California style
- Earthy - French
- In between - Oregon -- Why? Because land in France is expensive, so they're going to Oregon.
- Global warming - going north in France, and it's changing their understanding - what has worked for hundreds of years.
- A deep color doesn't mean that its going to be a deep big wine.
- Tip - Beaujolais Cru (not Nouveau) one of the few value French wines. Everything else is a couple dollars more -- it's a land thing. The wine guy said that Australian wines are also good values.

- Note to self: don't brush teeth before wine tasting, and take the allergy pill. Hello.

To do:
- I can see French wines going with French food, braised stuff, coq au vin. But realistically how often am I eating French food, let alone cooking it or anything close for that matter. So need to figure out what goes well with an earthy, barnyardy French style Pinot.

- On the flip side -- fruity Pinots. Turkey? That's what they say -- but I have a feeling it's more about what-the-hell-do-we-do-this-hunk-of-meat, rather than this a great pairing. So also need to figure out what to pair a fruity Pinot.