Wine tasting at CRU Restaurant in NYC – Part 2

Wine tasting at CRU Restaurant in NYC – Part 2 – Episode #638

March 7, 2009

CRU’s Robert Bohr and Gary Vaynerchuk get philosophical about Rosso di Montalcino and Burgundy, and even taste a 1980 vintage red from the great Domaine Dujac.

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Comments on this episode(250) Leave a comment ›

“QOTD: Tradition…” by ulu ulu ulu ulu
“I would rather have the tradition, if it doesn’t taste good well so be…” by Alos
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Wines tasted in this episode:

2006 Casanuove delle Cerbaie Rosso di Montalcino
1980 Dujac Clos de la Roche

250 Responses

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September 19, 2009

ulu ulu ulu ulu
QOTD: Tradition
May 26, 2009

Alos
I would rather have the tradition, if it doesn’t taste good well so be it, it’s about adventure and learning.
Great episode thanks for sharing!
May 17, 2009

looper
Loved it. I may plan a trip to NY just to go to Cru. I just hope that Robert opens incredible wine for all of his guests there…. My favorite 2 parter ever.
QOTD: What would be the point of making all wine taste the same? I am the type of consumer that wants to hear the story of a wine. Tell me the story of the year, region, winemaker, etc. Then tell me why the wine tastes the way it does. This is what draws me to wine. That and the taste!
April 18, 2009

old man
Hi Robert,
We love Terroir for we respect vine should be grown there and show it’s real characters,just like people to have their own characters from the place they live,we dranks so many years until we finally know that.
The juicy oaky stuff are for marketing to dumbies for them do not have the experience to know real wines.But sooner or later they will turn from it.
April 5, 2009

Pat Mc
Great couple of episodes – finally catching up. I did a 25 person dinner at Cru about a year ago in the basement private room and it was great. I didn’t know about their wine “chops” and asked for an old school Rhone at the bar and was truly HAPPY. to answer the question – regional wines and specific tastes over homongeneous pleasant, every time.
March 29, 2009

yowens
You guys seemed to connect really well and I thought the shows were great; mroe at Cru wouldn’t be a bad idea! QOTD: I totally want wines that are true to their land but i also occasionally enjoy the juice bomb. A mix of expressions is ideal to me.
March 25, 2009

Russ J
QOTD: Delicious is great but I love the variety that the different areas yield in their wines. I think that there is room and reason for both. Now, how to label??
March 24, 2009

malliemcg
QOTD: Honestly I like both. I know it’s a bit of a cop out answer, but as someone who really does not have much experience in wine, I first started with the juicy easy drinkers that were too big for food. Now days I look for more interesting things in my wines. I’m just starting to get into “terroir” driven wines at present and enjoying the journey. I would be devastated to see a homogenisation of wines produced as they all have their places I think. Of course there are wines/places that I do not enjoy as I am sure that there is stuff other people don’t like that I love. I still love my big bold Aussie Shiraz’s wines to enjoy by themselves, but I also love the Latour (not the hugely expensive ones – $130aud @ Restaurant) with fantastic food. So I say preserve traditions, but don’t stick to a tradition in all cases for traditions sake – play around and make wines!

Loved these two episodes and now it’s got me thinking of 1980’s to hunt down for my BDay next year – curses!
March 23, 2009

Mari
It would be so so sad if all wines just tasted friendly and easy to like. Just like if all people were good in the same way. Sure, it’s great for all people to be good and nice and all — but each in their own way. Otherwise, what’s the point of getting to know different people or having friends at all?
March 23, 2009

Dorothy
I think this might have been the all time most interesting question of the day. I want the regional differences to remain but I suspect as bad winemaking gets less and less due to better education and better understanding of what is contributing to taste (not to mention competition for quality) we will see wines becoming more similar on some level. I found the discussion on the “poopiness” interesting. I’ve long suspected that this was due to some kind of sloppiness in winemaking even though I’ve heard it described as “terroir”. I think this trait is becoming less common over the past few years–and one could argue that is making some of the old world wines taste more new world.
March 22, 2009

Dessert Wine Nerd
Good interaction between you two. I think these episodes that have guests seem to run a little smoother if you know the person. I enjoy all the guest episodes though. QOTD: I prefer wines to speak from the region they are from. No tinkering allowed! Let the land speak for the wine!!!!
March 20, 2009

Marc Mc
Best episode ever………………..

Two wine “Super Freaks” and we get listen in, a real treat.

i want the best traditional wine that can be had perfectly paired with my meal. its abouth the total experience.
March 17, 2009

BlueFrank
Haven’t been to Cru -raising the brood takes president over massaging taste buds (and empting the wallet!), But I will make an reservation there.
QotD: What did Chairman Mao say -Let a thousand lights twinkle (something like that). Let a thousand wines shine! This little bubble of sweet pulp expresses itself with the help of a microbe into incredible flavor and smell that should differ from place to place and from year to year. Viva la difference!
March 17, 2009

kathyintex ( kathyd )
I LOVE CRU!!!
Fantastic place to go and be surrounded by those who share your passion, sort of like – Listen up GARY – going to the stadium, or ballpark – everyone is there for the same singular purpose, to participate in a moving experience TOGETHER. Wish I could have tried those wines, but having you there to describe it to us was as close as we’ll get!

QOTD – I agree with botrytis9 – I think a wine w/o typicity is like a winemaker without grapes. I enjoy they differences; wines are like people, we are all different, but similar in many ways. I enjoy trying different styles, regions, terroirs – and then once in a while I enjoy having a glass of wine that is just that – a glass of wine, not to evaluate or critique, or to add it to my “experience”, just to sit and enjoy a nice, everyday, glass of “wine” – so, that said – “wine” has it’s place, along with the “wine-experience” wines that we all LIVE to sniffy-sniff, swirl, and sip and evaluate.
xoxokathydxoxo
March 17, 2009

Jake in NC
Great episode. I definitely enjoy it when the guests aren’t there to talk about their specific product or organization or whatever. Yes, we know that this cat Robert is the main man over at Cru. No, he didn’t spend the entire hour talking about it.

Having guests that are willing to share their information and passion, is what the whole game’s about.

QOTD- I agree with an earlier post, that as consumers we should be allowed to have both. Do what big actors do- knock out the crowd pleasing fluff, which allows you to concentrate on the projects you’re passionate about. Diversity is both a cause and effect of evolution.
March 16, 2009

Dan-o
GV – really enjoyed the episode. It felt a bit like you guys were simply rapping and that the audience was not part of the focus (hey, it is about me, man!).

QOTD – Perhaps one of the better QOTDs since I have been watching. I am a big believer in variety and I would personally dislike it if all wines were made to taste similar. A Syrah from the Cote Rotie should be different than a Shiraz from Aussie. I like getting a sense of place and, dare I say, terroir from the wines I drink. A Cabernet from Chile should taste different than one from Napa.
March 16, 2009

Kim
Just want to verify … did he say they were selling that rosso for $22 a glass? We were in Montalcino in November, and I’ll have to double check my notes but I’m pretty sure we were drinking their 2003 brunello for €28 a bottle! That’s some incredible mark-up.

Gotta say though, a friend turned me on to you over the weekend and I do not know how I am going to find time to watch it all – you’ve created something totally amazing here!
March 15, 2009

botrytis9
qtod
without typicity there is no reason to make wine.
with that said, i truly believe it takes a consumer time to explore wine and genuinely understand these nuances before answering the question…and i think facilitating ppl getiing to that point should be addressed before campaigning against the winemakers who create what is purchased most.
March 14, 2009

Glenn
great part 2!

QotD: the curmudgeon in me wants strict typicity and wines produced under exisiting rules of regional winemaking. the realist enjoys a high delicious factor from time-to-time as not every glass needs to provoke deep philosophy.

i’d be as disappointed if purist wines disappeared as i would be if pleasing wines from either end of the bell curve vanished. a time & a place i feel.

i will dine @ Cru if our economy doesn’t completely implode. thank you for appearing here.
March 14, 2009

Steven L
QOTD- great question- I want wine makers to have the freedom to do as they please, rather than simply having to obey Laws. The market will sort out the right and wrongs. Live free or die.
March 14, 2009

wannaBconnoisseur
Q- I can only hope that wines will keep their sense of place in the future, although some of the current trends concern me. I think more and more producers are feeling the pressure to produce more “easy drinking” wines for the masses.
March 14, 2009

SoCal
It would be nice to expand upon the Bret issues discussed in this episode.
March 14, 2009

Ollie
hey gary great show!
would love to see some education from these top somms about their idea of great restaurant wine service and procedure.
Keep up the good work, love the pace and intensity!
March 13, 2009

RonD
QOTD: I want as many options as possible and like the traditional approach. I enjoy wines that are a puzzle and rarely have the same wine more than once a month. I like complexity with elegance but get a huge kick out of finding that diamond in the rough for $20 or less.
March 13, 2009

Ryan D
QotD: You are not going to like my answer. As a wine drinking I want the best of both worlds. I think there is room for both.

Basically I think that a producer of Brunello di Montalcino should produce a Brunello that is not only 100% Sangiovese, but also indicative of the terroir and style of the area. I also think that same winery should produce other more experimental wines, pushing the envelope as far as blends and techniques are concerned.

I want to taste everything. I am equally eager to taste a sweet probably not fantastically made wine from the mountains of Tennessee, as an expertly crafted Champagne.