Admittedly, I am a novice when it comes to wine knowledge. Everything I have learned has come from 'on the job' training, not that I am complaining. Drinking wine is hardly a chore. Pinot Noir is one of my favorite wines and I am always on the look out for a good bottle. The 2008 Talbott 'Sleepy Hollow' Pinot is a great bottle of wine, I mean it is a 'I am still thinking about it the next morning' bottle. Bob, my wine loving friend, was coming to dinner and I was excited to open a bottle and get his opinion. As it happened, he had a bottle of 2005 Andre Ziltener Burgundy in his hands when he walked in the kitchen. This was the perfect opportunity to taste a California Pinot against a French Burgundy.
The verdict? Talbott is a smooth, kind of flashy and relatively full-bodied Pinot— kind of like a really nice Lexus. The Andre Ziltener is a more nuanced Pinot with a depth and patina that reminded me of a classic old Mercedes in mint condition. The French have made wine for centuries and it makes sense I would taste the 'terrior' in the Ziltener wine. Maybe terrior tastes like a beautiful old Mercedes?? Regardless, I enjoyed both wines and hope to meet them again some day.