I’ve written a bit about our recent trip to Oregon for IPNC and I want to tell one more tale.  On our first day, at Coeur de Terre, the five winemakers talking about Earth, Wind and Sky: Ingredients of a Great Site for Pinot Noir, were asked several questions from the audience.  The final question, came from a woman who had attended every single IPNC since inception – a feat matched only by one other — her husband.

Earth, Wind and Sky: Ingredients of a Great Site for Pinot Noir

Her question was technical, but not too technical for this crowd of connoisseurs.  She wanted to know which Pinot clones were used in each of the wines we tasted.  Each panelist answered with 777, Pommard, 115, 114, etc.  There was a Frenchman on the panel who begrudgingly answered the question.  He wasn’t rude, but he was a bit miffed.  He answered, but then asked if the wine gave her pleasure.

It did.

He continued his answer by saying so much happens between the time the grapes are harvested, blended (blending various clones, estates, etc), aged, bottled then consumed.  His belief was that people were putting to much stock into an individual clone.  Again, he was gracious and accommodating.

We had dinner with this panelist our first night at the Grand Dinner and I asked him about the clone question.  He was very excited to continue the conversation, starting off by saying he hates questions like that.  He believed they are stupid questions where one asks the question just so they look like they are very knowledgeable about the subject.  How is she going to use this information ever again in the future?

He reiterated that he wants to make wine that gives the drinkers pleasure.  He continued with an analogy, which while I find very amusing, I disagree with.  The following paragraph is a bit off color, so if you are easily offended, you probably shouldn’t read further, or read anything else I write.  The analogy goes:

Imagine the pleasure you get from drinking a great wine. You don’t need to know what grape clone is in that wine for you to get pleasure from drinking that wine.  Now imagine you are getting a blow job in a dark room.  The blow job is amazing – you are really digging it. It’s the best blow job you’ve gotten in years.  After you finish, you turn the lights on and you find out it was a goat blowing you.  Does the fact that it was a goat giving you head diminish the pleasure?  Does the fact that I used mostly 777 Pinot change how much you enjoy the wine?  NO!

Does knowing it was a goat provide you less pleasure? Does knowing the clone provide you more pleasure?

Like I said, I don’t actually agree with the goat analogy, but I do agree with the clone comments.

I’ve always said that IPNC isn’t a snobby event.  It is full of down to Earth people who aren’t trying to show off.  That being said, you do get the people who ask a question solely designed to show how smart they are, but then you get other side of the coin – an approachable Frenchman who will tell a goat blow job story at dinner.

Who do you agree with in regards to the goat blow job?  Me or our French friend?  What about wine – does the clone impact the pleasure you get from the wine itself?