Three Pinot Noirs from Baker & Brain

We recently had a motley crew of friends over (Lisa, Amy, and Mark) to do a little drinking and eating…because that’s what Paso Roblans do. Well, other people do that too, not just Paso Roblans. The reason for the gathering was the vertical of Baker & Brain Pinot Noirs. A 2011, 2012, and 2013.

It was informal, just wanted to taste and eat good food. There was no formal judging, especially on my part. I will say though, that my favorite was the 2011 but the 2012 was a close second. The 2013 was good but I felt the other two had more traditional Pinot Noir characteristics, which I happen to love.

I’ve been a big fan of Baker & Brain for years so when the opportunity came up to get this vertical I jumped at it. I will let Annie take you through the food we had that night. She’s better at that than I am. It was a tasty evening with friends. You can see photos of the wines we had that night, the food, and the tasting notes from Baker & Brain in the slideshow below.

To learn more about them click here: http://www.bakerandbrain.com/

Thanks again to Lisa, Amy, and Mark for joining us. Always a good time.

Now, Annie’s turn.

Hi, it’s Annie 🙂

We started off the evening (afternoon, really) with a bottle of PS Cellars Arneis because it’s a great, light, crisp white that is a great start to any evening (thank you, Lisa).

We then moved to the Remi Leroy Champagne (thank you, Amy) that was loosely paired with Shrimp Salad on Cucumber with yogurt blue cheese dressing, celery, and lots of pepper. (This was my creation)

Now it’s time to crack the Pinots! Our starter for this round was an amazing Pheasant Paté in Endive with Dried Cherries and Pistachios. It paired wonderfully with the Pinots, especially the 2011 and 2012 because of the fruitiness. (Pheasant from my dad and preparation by Amy!)

Dinner was Rockfish over Oven Roasted Golden Beets with Blistered Grape Tomatoes, Garlic, and Green Onion. (Another one of mine). This was good with the Pinots for sure, but especially the 2013 because of its more savory notes. We also had Roasted Eggplant with Balsamic Glaze (thanks to Lisa), which was a great side dish for the Pinots because of its earthiness.

Overall, it was a really fun evening. I think the most interesting part to me was how different 3 vintages of the same fruit from the same vineyard can vary. Also, seeing how they complimented the different foods in different ways. Cheers!!!