Brutocao - 2007 Pinot Noir vs. Zinfandel

Sounds impossible, but I think wine tastes different depending on where you drink it and who you drink it with.

Tonight, I did a little taste-testing experiment with my sister. She's off living the big city life now that she's living and working in Kansas City, and she's loving it. She stopped by this evening to pick up some mail, and I roped her into staying to try out some wines with me.

Awhile back, Cork and Barrel had a clearance sale. They were rearranging their wine, and decided to sell what wasn't moving. I bought two bottles from the same company and decided to do a back to back tasting to truly discover what the difference in grapes was like.

I bought the Pinot Noir and the Zinfandel from Brutocao. The vintage was 2007 for both, although the Pinot was grown at Anderson Valley (Mendocino) while that Zinfandel was grown at Hopeland Ranch (also Mendocino).

Our overall impression was that the Pinot Noir was a little yummier. Both were very delicious, but whereas the Zin was spicy (verging on dusty), with a slight taste of fruit before the dry bite and a complex finish, the Pinot seemed warmer, much more fruity, and didn't have as strong as a finish.

The Sister and I both liked the Pinot Noir better.

We had quite a lot of fun trying both bottles and using Kroger Swiss cheese as a pallet cleanser between glasses. I love drinking wine with my sister. She has this amazing, contagious laugh that sets me off, even when she's laughing at me, and wine makes her giggle all the more freely.

She is one of my favorite people to hang out with.

Castle Rock Mendocino County - 2006 Zinfandel

My 31st birthday back in December was a mixture of happy and mournful. Mournful because, dear God, I am now not just 30, I am IN MY 30s.

But the day itself was filled with love and family and fun. We partook in our traditional New Years Even bowling and fireworks down in Aggie Ville, where more people than ever before joined us. I was also coming down from the high from my first date with the Scotch Man the night before.

Overall it was one of my more memorable birthdays.

And on that night, this bottle of Zinfandel was gifted to me by my best friend Luigi. All parts of the gifts she got me were wine-themed, which was great. Thanks, lady!

This was excellent sit and chill wine. I drank this bottle over a few nights of just relaxing and decompressing while watching movies or TV. It made splendid wine to dash of writing blog posts for the Confabulator Cafe. The Scotch man drank Scotch on these evenings instead, of course.

I enjoyed this wine enough that I'd definitely get it again. It was mild on the tongue but still flavorful. I'm quite excited, because Scotch Man purchased another bottle of Castle Rock on our last wine purchasing spree. I'm excited to try it and see if it matches up to this lovely bottle.


For those interested, here's a picture from my birthday at the bowling alley. Fun times were had by all! Although this was before my Daddy-o and his girlfriend arrived, so imagine one more happy couple making silly faces. It is also sadly lacking my new beau, who would eventually become the Scotch Man. I may have been an 11th wheel that night, but never again!