Would your new car salesman reject the trade-in of the car he sold you two years ago?
I’m asking the questions here, buddy 
Yes, something like that Frank, for sure. Todd and you know about my WineFest/MEOW events that I’ve held every 4 years. I haven’t yet gone so far as to ask for donations, though I may institute that next time. Mostly, I end up being honoured and grateful that people would spend the time and effort to travel to be with me for the day…and it does help relieve the cellar of 120 wines or so at once! 
I’m two years into this hobby and am running into a similar problem. Just had a wine from a producer I used to adore and found myself pushing the glass away…
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Wow, only two years in! Maybe your palate just hasn’t centered around its preferred varietals/producers/regions quite yet
I’ve gone through several phases, though I, in general, like a LOT of variety in my wines - that’s narrowing now!
So this has been settled, right Todd? Mike and Frank are to plan a ‘pour off’ party at your place.
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The inaugural “Drink the Wines Todd Doesn’t Like Anymore” tasting.
Todd can keep a bottle of Cornas discreetly in the pantry to drink himself during the party.
I think you’re right. I used to love big red wines turned up to 11. Now I find these same wines to be flabby and without structure. Now I seek out a more “ethereal” or “elegant” style. This has led me to Italy (Chianti, certain Brunello, Langhe Nebbiolo). Ripeness is ok, but I need balance and structure, particularly acid.
Problem is I would say half my cellar is the ripe stuff I’m not crazy about anymore. On the plus side, my family crushes those wines over the holidays!
guess so! They made this so much easier for me, thanks!!!
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damn, so now I’m a cynical asshole?
my wife has been right all along!
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I think this is a very common trajectory. I also got enamored with he biggest stuff when I started - Amarone. Somehow never hear of people starting with the ethereal elegant stuff and then moving to ripe. But maybe it happens.
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Seems to happen with people whose taste dims over time due to aging. Kind of like old people craning up the treble to max.
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Wow, I’m getting all KINDS of love in this thread - Frank and Mike are giving my wine away, Josh says I have cynical asshole syndrome, and Joe says I’m old!
To Joe’s point, however, wouldn’t taste ‘dimming’ push one toward bigger, bolder wines, not the opposite?
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I think it means your taste buds don’t pick up flavors as well so stronger and bolder flavors are better than delicate ones.
Like if your hearing gets worse so you need to turn the TV up louder.
While this trajectory seems to be decently common in my limited experience, the older collectors I taste with at my offsite looove things like SQN, Andremily, Carter, Schrader, Maybach, etc. They’ve tasted pretty much everything over the last 45-50 or however many years (and still drink old world wines as well), but this seems to be their go to these days, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see others end up back in CA.
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It happens. I started with ethereal and elegant reds and never moved even as I tried other wines more broadly. I didn’t have a grand plan in that regard though. Burgundy just sounded appealing, I enjoyed the complexity and history as well, and I had access. I was also buying from more elegant or terroir-focused (I guess you could say) California producers then at first - e.g., ESJ, Ojai, Qupe, Havens. And the overly big or roasted or fruity wines I tried didn’t appeal as much.
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Just a practical reminder that bottles that hammer at $40 or less (or around $52 with buyer’s premium and tax) will be subject to minimum $8 commission (leaving you with $32 or less). Given that, you may want to do the leg work of selling those on CC.
ready for drafting/conscription/service 