A16 and Pinot Noir

I'm not really a fan of Pinot Noir. In fact, I've only tried a few, and they've all be pretty bland/boring (as opposed to "subtle," "elegant" etc). Sure I get the earthy, soft smokiness, but I don't really see what the big deal is. Plus I feel like Sideways with all its pro-Pinot anti-Merlot banter really has a lot to do with it.

That said, I am never going to reject a wine or continually turn it down when I obviously don't even know much about it. Plus many of my friends and colleagues really love it. So there must be something going on that I'm missing.

A few weeks ago I asked my pinot-loving friend to take me to a winery that has quintessential pinots, and she took me to J Winery which has some of her favorites. We tried their 2005 and 2006, and I enjoyed them both. I think I actually prefered the '06 because it was more tart and had more going on. The 05 had definitely mellowed, and had softer flavors. I'm a cab/zin lover. I like flavor. Maybe my palate can't recognize gentler flavors. Regardless, I did enjoy them, and I think they'd pair well with lighter foods.

NOW: A16 restaurant on Chestnut. Delicious. The service was great, the food was great, and teh pinot noirs were GREAT! We had steamed clams and a beet/ricotta salad to start. For a main course I had rock cod with mussels and scallops. It was in a light yet flavorful tomato/wine broth.

Wine: My friend chose the wine, and she wanted Pinot (test my palate!) so the sommelier brought us a 2007 Capiaux pinot noir from the Russian River Valley. IT WAS DELICIOUS! It was rich, fruity, earthy, and very flavorful. It paired perfectly with everything we were eating. Next the sommelier brought us a 2007 Peay pinot noir from the Sonoma Coast. ALSO DELICIOUS. 2/4 liked us, 2/4 didn't like it as much as the first. I think it was actually a nice transition. The Capiaux was fruitier and more saturating, the Peay was more earthy which was nice with my fish.

In conclusion: Capiaux gets 94 points, the Peay gets 92 points and A16 gets 5 stars!