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EP 943 Tasting with Sommelier Rajat Parr Part 2

Gary Vaynerchuk and Rajat Parr conclude their tasting with some grower’s Champagne and talk more about the wine business.

Wines tasted in this episode:

Chartogne Taillet Cuvee St AnneFrench Brut Nonvintage

Links mentioned in todays episode.


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luca bercelli

90/100

Really good guest – humble, knowledgeable and able to hold his own with GV – (not many can)

Tags: Champagne, review, sparkling, Video, white, wine, wines

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  • DaveAll

    Part tu, Brute? wonderful. 4000 cases in 2010? He’s his own micro-winery! wonderful. Great nerdy conversation about picking grapes effect, etc. loved it. (he was right on, too)
    High respect for not branding his name, but having a different name for wines. shows his inner self -and i like it.

    QotD: in general, poor. Mcdonalds needs a Sommelier (smile), and all “sit down order from menu” (real restaurant) type places. I agree with many comments below – most just seem to follow general guidelines – I see very little spark. And restaurants need to quit trying to make a killing on wine mark ups and have reasonable prices to what you can get retail.

  • DaveAll

    Great suggestions – especially flights!

  • We had some on the shelves and they sold out. But not to fear there are more on the way. Feel free to hit me up jparadise(at)winelibrary.com for the scoop.

  • Great stuff!

    1. Sparkling wine at a Sweet 16 party?!?
    2. lol @ “picking in Halloween costumes”. Great image.

  • Brad B

    Incredible episode and an incredible guest. Mr. Parr is one of the guys I hope to someday emulate, not necessarily in taste, but certainly in class, style, approachability, humility and knowledge.

    QOTD: Its kinda funny, as a poor grad student, I haven’t been to many restaurants that have a substantial wine list where I’d consider some expertise important on the part of the staff. The couple other times, I’ve had a couple very good servers who were able to answer my questions, or if they couldn’t, found someone on staff who could in quick order. That said, i’m amazed at the amount of wine lovers that work in tasting rooms who could certainly master a smaller (maybe 100 bottles) wine list at a restaurant and add a great deal to the service. I’m curious why most restaurants don’t try to have someone on busy nights offer expertise and shape up their wine lists part time. I’d love the job! (Disclosure, as I mentioned before, I’m a poor grad student, i’ll take any job!)

  • Enjoy it. I’ll turn into that cranky old lady on the porch with her cats and shotgun on a dime. 😛

  • I’m with you John…we may not be world class chefs, but we cook the vast majority of our meals from scratch, and the product is easily as good as the restaurants that we can only afford infrequently, and the markup on the wine is a lot less.
    Often, the wine service is adequate when going out, but not worth a 3-4X price increase over wholesale.

  • GV great question about the challenge of evaluating wine where there is an emotional attachment.
    Raj, great answer…
    …nice jacket too, BTW.

  • Jasonbcarey

    Gary you always say Room temprature.. But that can be 65-90 degrees.. what do you mean by Room temprature.. you will have people drinking 75 degree white wine.

  • so cool…I got to taste with Terry Theise a couple of weeks ago…a Gaston Chiquet, and a Vilmar et Cie…

  • Raj, thanks for the tip on the cru Beaujolais…we’ve got a truck…

  • Anonymous

    I totally agree with everything except you saying I’m not a world class chef
    🙂

    I have also wondered if restaurants would sell so much more wine at a 75%
    markup that the total profit dollars would actually be more than selling
    less wine at a 200% markup. The added benefit would be that the total dining
    experience would be superior for many more people.

  • John__J

    qotd: I think one thing that’s lacking is selection. You’ll see pages of Napa cab’s on a list and chard’s. It would be nice to see more wine lists feature a couple esoteric things, or explore the many lesser known regions, varietals, etc. that are out there. They’re usually screaming values too, due to their lack of notoriety.

  • The thing I don’t like about wine service in America (and Canada) is you can’t get white wine at room temperature. Nevermind the recommended serving temp, half the bottles seem like they come straight out of the freezer, and you have to warm it up for 10 minutes with your hands.

  • Amazing guest ! great back-to-back episodes – Thanks GV. Not only will I be buying the book…but I may “back-up the truck” (as Rajat said) for 09′ Beaujolais….I too love the Gamay grapes !

    QOTD: Not too impressed with the wine service in US restaurants. Knowledge and interest level seems lower than it should be….or maybe I’m just expecting too much from the staff at Bojangles’ (;o) just kidding). But seriously, I think there is room for improvement frankly.

  • “Class act” is exactly the right terminology here.
    Thanks guys for a great pair of episodes.

    QOTD: Up in this neck of the woods, we don’t see many sommeliers…usually the chef-owner, or house manager is doing the wine buying, and it is up to the wait staff to handle the situation. That said, I’m usually not too impressed… The wine lists can be really great, but the individual servers are not usually in a position to offer much assistance. Kind of blows my mind, when an otherwise capable server, just does not have a handle on what the cellar has to offer…especially given how far wine can go to bump the gratuity. Sometimes I think I ought to be waiting tables.

    The other procedural issue is that, the customer is always asked what they would like to drink, prior to ordering the meal. If I am looking to buy a bottle of wine, and have a long drive home, there may not be room for before-dinner drinks. I kind of need to know what we are having to eat before a wine selection can be made. No one ever makes a suggestion in that situation…

  • WineWoman

    A Favorite guest!! Glad to hear Mott gets along fine without a cell phone.

    Gary, make sure you carry some of Rajat’s wines.

    QOTD: Wine service has generally been good. Sometimes when ordering by the glass, you might not always get a fresh bottle. Can’t say I’ve asked for any recommendations, though a handful of restaurants will let you have a free pour to see if you like the wine you were thinking about ordering(by the glass) Of course bottle mark-ups are pretty steep in most places, but if you navigate around the list, usually you can find something fairly reasonable if it’s not a widely known region or varietal. We dine a lot at BYO’s.

  • Anonymous

    Great show, great guest. Mott, No cell phone?! All I can say is….CONGRATULATIONS!!! Keep up the good work, you are an example to us all. Wish I could do without one, I hate the things.
    QOTD: There have been some fine exceptions, but generally the situation is pretty sad. Wine has come a LONG way in America (yes, we ARE changing the wine world) but there is a long way to go. Outside of a few urban markets,things are still pretty limited. I can go to a few high end restaurants and pay way too much, or go to a few wine bars, some of which are too snooty for me to want to cross the threshold, but other choices can be pretty limited. I know of a number of otherwise very good restaurants that have wine lists limited to five or six mediocre California labels, and I know of a number of bars where I could get a good import beer or a well made martini, but whose wine selection is just horrible. Lately, I’ve taken to asking for a glass of cheap red wine in those places. At least I’m not disappointed with what I get.

  • QOTD: I’m not happy with the wine service in most restaurants. Overall, the servers lack the information about the wine and or varietal and seem awkward. Every time they present a bottle it’s like they’re on their first date. I haven’t been to Rajat’s places but would hope they are different. The role of the Sommelier should to know the customer more so than the wine. Great Show! Salute!

  • Kurtswa

    GREAT show and awesome guest GV!
    I do have to explore more Champagne and Sparkling.

  • Anonymous

    Another great two part episode. Well done GV and Raj.

    QOTD: I love a good som or at least a waiter with some knowledge of their wine list. However, like most of the other responders, all too often I feel like the staff really has no idea how to answer my questions and pair wine with food. I am usually recommended something that the restaurant is selling a lot of … this is usually less than helpful advice. A good som is worth his/her weight in gold!

  • Anonymous

    Enjoyable guest/episode. Appreciate champagne conversation and heartily concur with temperature preference also your 2009 cru Beaujolais recommendations.

    QOTD: Although I have had the opportunity to dine at a number of outstanding restaurants in this country and Europe I would much rather eat at home. Must be a sign of age but I find the noise fatiguing and I am a stickler about driving and drinking.

  • QOTD; important

  • Rajat: How about having a glass of wine with RP? Other than Gary, he would be my choice.

    QOTD: My experiences have been poor at best. One sommelier, a lady who just became a Grand Master Sommelier (I think that’s the title but there are only a handful of women worldwide) waited on our table and one must say she was pompous and not very helpful at all.

    Colts won last night. Yippee but boy are they beat up.

    Cheers!

  • To often the “sommelier” at a restaurant doesn’t seem to care about the customer enjoying the experience and are more concerned with other matters. I also agree with the red wine being served to warm at restaurants. I live in south florida… room temperature is 80 degrees so a lot of times it does need to be chilled slightly but it isn’t because that would require forethought and effort.

  • flavasauce

    Where’s the “I like button?” Oh wrong website 😉
    QOTD: I usually enjoy my interaction with the som (on those rare occasions I have them). I don’t order wine as much as i’d like to because of the markup. I am a frugal art student at the moment with fancy taste.

  • stoofy

    Nice Show,

    QOTD: Unfortunately, I don’t have the $ to go to restaurants with a sommelier. Most of the time, I cringe when someone I’m out with asks the waitstaff for a wine suggestion. Most wait staff (in my experience) either push a wine they are told to or don’t know their wine list very well. I prefer stick to the by the glass offerings since they are safe. I have only had two good suggestions in my dining experiences (once in Windsor ON…does that count?)…but, when I get a good suggestion that pairs well with the food, it makes the night transcendent and memorable. Waiters could make a lot more cash if they took the wine part of their job more seriously.

  • flavasauce

    I should mention that I’m lucky to live in San Francisco where the food and beverage sophistication is well above average.

  • Anonymous

    No..not snoozn… VOTING! :o)
    Watching now..I think Im 66th! lol

  • Anonymous

    John? Is he paying you? lol

  • Anonymous

    Enjoyed this 2 part episode. Good guest.
    QOTD: I think part of the role depends on the knowledge level of the customer. If the customer knows his/her stuff, then maybe point out a diamond in the rough that might work well with their meals. Something that might be a little nerdy. If the person is a more casual drinker, then maybe get an idea of what the typically like stylistically, and give them some options (maybe expand their pallate a little).

    Probably the most important thing is that the Som LISTENS to you. When you give the Som an idea on price and style, and he/she suggests something that is WAY more money than you were looking to spend, that really drives me nuts. This has happened to me at a few restaurants that are highly regarded and almost ruined the experience.

  • Great show and great guest. Love the bubbly and wish I knew more about all the small producers.

    QOTD – on the rare occasion that I am at a restaurant with one, it has always been a good experience. If they are great it is such a pleasure, as most tend to have smaller producers that I would not know much about. I wish I had the cash to do it more often.

  • Anonymous

    A great server can make a great meal incredible.

  • Wonderful show, thanks!

    QOTD: Wow, wine service is really wildly different. It is pretty much impossible to give one answer. My favorites are restaurants trying to introduce their customers to different types of wine, regions, or producers especially when they bring high QPR. These restaurants usually have accessible (both in size and cost) and somebody trying to engage you in a conversation (what flavor profiles to you prefer) as opposed to (appearing) to look down their noses at you if order something “cheap.”

    Not a big fan of the opposite: trophy lists that seem meant to intimidate, being left to choose something from a list of unfamiliar names without help, or perhaps worse, and uninspired list of only name brands.

  • Oh forgot to add I hate 3 times to 5 times price markup on wines, especially ones already “expensive.” Some of us know how much these wines cost retail and often feel bilked. I’d love for these bottles to be priced better, I would be much more inclined to try them!

  • Anonymous

    Very good couple of episodes!

    QOTD: I have had mostly poor experiences with wine waiters and one poor experience with a sommelier. Most so-called dedicated wine waiters have little to no training; they may happen to know more than the rest of the waiters and are thus defaulted to being the “wine expert.” Quite a few of even the nicest restaurants do not employ a full time sommelier. I live outside of LA and my neighborhood is not exactly low income but I have only found one with a sommelier that really knew his stuff, both choosing and serving. I have had one poor experience with a sommelier in Hawaii. We were in Waikiki at a very expensive restaurant and we ordered a bottle of Cuvaison Chardonnay. I had chosen and served this exact wine at my daughter’s wedding only a month before, so I knew what it should have tasted like. The bottle he brought was was not what I was expecting at all. It seemed to have suffered from exposure to heat at some point in its journey across the Pacific. I got a very disbelieving attitude that basically indicated that I didn’t know what I was talking about. Whether I was right or not, and I know the occasion makes a difference, I don’t believe that being a sommelier entitles you to show that kind of attitude, especially considering the bill we were running up. Just say sorry and get another wine! Sorry for the rant. I think the waiters in the restaurants in wine country seem to be have more knowledge than those in non-wine areas. Makes sense that there would be more emphasis in these areas.

  • Anonymous

    Hey Mott, I can’t believe you don’t have a cell phone! Your life must be sooo tranquil.

  • LUCYFUER

    QOD I BELIEVE IN MY WINE SERVICE HISTORY DEPENDING ON THE ESTABLISHMENT SNOOTY A PRETENTIOUS FORMALITY NOW SINCE YOU TOOK THE STICK OUT OF MANY WINE PRODUCERS ASSES YOU CAN GO TO A FAMILY RUN INTIMATE ESTABLISHMENT AND FIND THE BEST FOOD AND WINE DESPITE THE OVERALL DECOR OF THE PLACE, MANY PEOPLE BUY THE MARKETING TOOL OF FUFU 300.00$$A PLATE PLACES AND YOU ARE SERVED BY AN ALOOF FACE WITHOUT EXPRESSION , PEOPLE JUDGE BY THE COVER AND LOSE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIND A DIMOND OR A PEARL BECAUSE THEY JUDGE THE PACKAGE WITHOUT A FORMAL BACKGROUND OR USING PEER PRESSURE TO DEFINE A BRAND, IF IM TREATED WILL ILL RESPECT I WILL MIRROR THE BEHAVIOR AND NEVER SPEND A DIME, IF I RECEIVE A PLEASANT GREETING I WILL REMAIN LOYAL TO THE BRAND AND RECOMMEND THE BRAND, IM A STRAIGHT SHOOTER TOO, AND I RECENTLY VISITING PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND HAD A OVER PRICED BEER IN A JAZZY SNOOTIE CLUB LEFT WALKED A BLOCK AND FOUND MY HOME I WAS LIKE SHIT THEY INVITED ME IN FOR A AFTER HOURS PARTY HAHHA AND IT WAS AMAZING, I WAS DRESSED LIKE JONI MITCHELL NOT LIKE THE GOTH LEATHER AND SPIKES BUT THE OWNER WAS ALSO DRESSED LIKE ME AND THEY THE MAJORITY OF PATRONS WERE BILLY IDOL LEATHER AND SKULLS, MUSIC BLASTING MY KIND OF MUSIC AND THE PRICES WERE RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP, I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER MY NIGHT IN THE CITY AND I CANT WAIT TO GO BACK ,THE SNOOTIE JAZZ 6 DOLLAR FLAVORD BEER, WITH 4 PATRONS VS THE GOTH ROCK POOL TABLES LEATHER ROCKERS WHO HAD A CROWD STILL AT LAST CALL AND FOR ME TO BE INVITED TO AN AFTER HOUR PARTY AT A CLUB IN A TOWN IVE NEVER FREQUENTED WAS AMAZING, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THEY DIDNT JUDGE ME FOR LOOKING YUPPY 70;S JOHN LENNON SPECS, WHEN I USUALLY DRESS GOTH LIKE THE CLUBS THEME, SO WE FIND OUR HOME ,,, WHERE WE FIT IN, AUTHENTIC TRANSPARENT INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITY, NOT LIKED BY ALL BUT LOVED BY THE GENUINE GROUP, BLUE COLLAR WORKERS ALWAYS TIPPED BETTER THAN RICH BUISNESS SUIT TYPES, I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE,

  • LUCYFUER

    AMAZING THAT SAN FRANS HISTORY IS A HIPPIE ARTIST MUSICAL CITY THAT SPAWNED SOME OF THE GREATEST MUSIC IN HISTORY, NOW ITS ABOVE AVERAGE SOPHISTICATION TALK ABOUT POLAR SHIFTS, LEARN TO SWIM,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

  • Jrr64

    Very good show. Lots of interesting advice and you could see the passion about wine. You guys really like the bubbles and I will try more. Still hung up on the reds. Mott no cell phone, I don’t have one so good for you.

    QOTD: The best one was when a waiter recommend a red wine with my dinner that was perfect pairing. I still remember it and it has been awhile.

  • Anonymous

    please give punctuation, paragraphs, grammar and lower case letters a try. That’s a lot of typing done and nobody in their right mind is going to bleed their eyes to decode it.

  • jimmyutah

    Epic, simply epic.

  • It’s because we are a stone’s throw from Wine Country (North) and Silicon Valley (South).. Lots of foodies and winos willing to spend $$$ here. It had to happen at some point.
    🙂

  • Ha! Melba, You’re awesome.

  • Anonymous

    “Average” compared to where?

  • Anonymous

    Don’t they have air-conditioning in S. Florida?

  • Great job, Rajat (and Gary).. I liked the rapid-fire questions!
    Cheers!

  • Indeed!

  • Anonymous

    Those interested in a great book on the producers and the Champagne region in general should check out ‘The Finest Wines Of Champagne: A Guide to the Best Cuvees, Houses, and Growers’ by Michael Edwards.
    P.S. – I heard your guest mention that he noticed you stocked champagne from Cedric Bouchard. The Chartogne-Taillet IS a decent NV for the price, but Bouchard is on a whole different level. It probably won’t be cheap, but these are mind-blowing wines and well worth it for the serious collector. My favorite grower after Egly-Ouriet and the unobtainable Selosse.

  • Eirikpm

    Great show! Looking forward to part 2! 😀

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