First off, I want to thank all that responed to my query on cassoulet/wine pairing. I learned that I should have paid more attention to you than the local wine guy. If you don't know his taste, you can be lead astray. And, even if you are in a hurry, you need to slow down and pay attention when purchasing wine.
On the wine stewards advice, I ended up purchasing a Cote du Ventoux Chateau Pesquie Quintessence 2004. It could have been a Calif. syrah! Big fruit, and when did the French start making wines with 15% alcohol? A bit to hot for me. It opened up nicely as the evening wore on, but still retained its heat which to me was a little off putting. It did do its job as a palete cleanser though. As a counterpoint, we also opened a 85 Beringer cab. Past its prime, but not by much and still drinkable. Fruit was fading but it had some nice earthy notes. Still enough tannin to clean the palate.
My favorite pairing of the evening though was an 04 JJ Prum kabinett with an Umami carrot soup. The acidity of the wine worked well against the sweetness of the carrots, but still alowed the fruit to show through.
Lets see, other wines opened that evening, a David Caffaro estate cuvee to start and a New Zealinand sav. blanc with the salad. Finished with a St. Amant port with a chocolet desert. A fun evening sharing food and wine with friends.