A couple who are longtime friends invited us for dinner. Each couple brought a Norton to the table to pair with a Korean-inspired beef dish that was mildly spicy (tangy, not hot). They offered a bottle of 2008 Norton from Cooper's Oak in Boonville, Mo. Ours actually was a Cynthiana, a 2006 from the esteemed Heinrich Grohe of Heinrichshaus Winery near St. James, Mo. We were hoping for a great paring, and we got it.
The two guys started with a blind tasting. I thought it would be easy because of the differences in the wine's ages and Cooper Oak's emphasis on oak aging. However, both of us failed to identify the wines. Once the identities were revealed, we kept tasting in hope of understanding the differences. I thought I detected a little more spice in the Heinrichshaus, a little more smoke in the Cooper Oak. Later in the meal, I got a refill but did not from which bottle. So, I had another chance to identify the wine.
"It's Heinrich's," I said.
"No, it's the Cooper's Oak," my friend said.
That provoked another round of comparative sipping, which yielded no further knowledge. We agreed that we had two fine representatives from the state's Norton/Cynthiana complex, and that was that.
Out of this confusion, one thing is clear: the Cooper's Oak held its own with one of the most revered winemakers in the state. During our recent visit to Boonville, I heard one or two critical voices asserting that Cooper's Oak is all about the oak, not about the wine. I have always thought that this winery used oak carefully, and the dinner of dueling wines confirms my belief.
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