Help me with a recent discussion with a sommlier

This past Thursday I was in a celebrity chef steakhouse in a casino and looked very much the part of a guy who really did not know much about wine. Dressed in my normal summer casino uniform of shorts, short sleave button down shirt and flip flops and sitting at the bar by myself may have given the impression of someone without much knowledge of wine but I would think that they are use to that in this place. The wine list is as expected, way overpriced with most bottles at 3X retail but some there appear to be some offerings closer to 2X if willing to pass on the Cabernet and spend over $100 per bottle. I find two california PN of interest but both are 2009 so wanted to discuss with the Somm to ensure they are drinking fine currently and to see if he has any other suggestions for either a different wine on his list he would recommend or as a better pairing with the veal chop I planned to order. The answers I got seemed odd to me but maybe its just my preferences.

Q: Is the 2009 Brewer-Clifton "Clos Pepe vineyard" PN drinking fine now or is it too young and should I look for something else?
A: It's pinot noir, there no reason to be concerned

Q: Is there anything you think is really drinking well right now that you would recommend?
A: He did not respond to this question.

Q: Is there any reason why it would not pair well with the veal chop?
A: I prefer something bigger with veal like a Zinfandel or Australian Shiraz.

So am I wrong and do his answers make sense?

Considering that the mark ups on the wine go part of the way to paying his salary then you were not getting valuefor money. Neither was his employer: here was his chance to upsell, or at least get that sale of a more expensive wine that you'd shown interest in.

Unless .......unless he wanted to say "Avoid that PN, it is undrinkable and we don't list a single PN I could recommend; the least worst is the Zin & Shiraz" but his boss was listening in....

I don't think your dress mattered one way or another in the situation.

[Robin Garr]

So am I wrong and do his answers make sense?

I think his answers were ignorant, and suggest that he may be a wine guy, but I doubt seriously whether he is a "sommelier" in terms of any earned certification. I don't think you were the problem.

I would say he was evasive in his first 2 replies. And personally I would think PN goes better with a veal chop then Zin or Syrah, but tastes differ and I suppose it might be common to drink bigger wines with veal on your side of the Atlantic.

If he can't knowledgely discuss the wines on his list, the he isn't a sommelier -- no matter what the restaurant designate him.

I would say he was evasive in his first 2 replies. And personally I would think PN goes better with a veal chop then Zin or Syrah, but tastes differ and I suppose it might be common to drink bigger wines with veal on your side of the Atlantic.

I agree, but from my scant knowledge of Brewer Clifton, maybe he was saying Zin or Syrah as a lighter wine.
In any case, poor excuse for a sommelier

He's not the kind of somm I'd expect in a fairly nice place or want to be myself.

Thanks All. That's what I thought but not sure if it was just me. I have had veal all of 3-4 times in my life so was not sure about the Zinfandel/Shiraz comment but it seemed wrong. I prefer PN some years on it but have only just started to explore SRH but I knew that the generalization of not worring about young PN was way off after a very bad experience with some young Burgundy. Ignoring my invitation for him to direct me to anything else was just an annoyance.

For the record the Brewer-Clifton worked well with the veal but was definetly not ready for prime time. I would guess it could use a couple of years. And yes it is big.

As with most things, I think it depends - on the wine and on personal preference.. I have had young Burgundies that have been very enjoyable young, and doubtless many other PNs are good young too. Unlike many other better quality red wines, PN is not always too astringent when young. Having said that, in general terms I'd probably prefer them older

After that exchange I would have said: "I think I'll have a beer...."

After that exchange I would have said: "I think I'll have a beer...."

Yes indeed.

what Joe said +1..In fact, that is what I did Friday night after looking at an underwhelming wine list

A good "wine guy" can be very helpful as long as he will admit that he doesn't know it all. We have run into more than one sommelier who as a condscending a-hole. Wine guy playing sommelier can be the worst of both worlds.

Personally, if me I'd probably pass my experience along to the parent company (if this is typical celebrity chef conglomerate). Most of them do strive to have good service, they'd be interested.

[Jenise]

So am I wrong and do his answers make sense?

I think his answers were ignorant, and suggest that he may be a wine guy, but I doubt seriously whether he is a "sommelier" in terms of any earned certification. I don't think you were the problem.

Certification schmertification! I don't have any and I'd make a better sommelier than that guy!

Brian,
I sometimes wonder about answers I get from folks who are selling me wine. But I have become more and more interested in what other people's (regardless of whether they are selling or not) preferences are.

As to the first question; the answer he gave is not responsive to the question asked.
The second, is a flip off.
And the third, merely a display of his preference.

Under such circumstances, I probably would not ask a fourth.
Best, Jim

In Germany a lot of veal dishes are paired with Riesling. In the United States I would go for a Pinot Noir most of the time--certainly not Zinfandel or Australian Shiraz.