Wine palate is changing....

WINE TALK
1

I’ve done my fair share of buying/drinking all kinds of wine from grocery store stuff to hard to come by mailing list wine and everything in between.

It’s kind of strange to see my palate changing before my eyes. I find that stuff I used to really enjoy simply does nothing for me and stuff that I just didn’t see the allure in, I now find myself going to.

This is the part that really excites me about the wine journey. Knowing that in a couple more years, I might be saying the same thing about stuff I’m enjoying now (or maybe I won’t, who knows)…

2

What did you used to like? And what do you like now?

3

That phenomenon begs the question as to why we all cellar so much wine when there’s so much readily available out there, both new and old. [scratch.gif]

4

It’s just an observation that I’ve had over the past year or so.

I created the thread tonight because of another example of this. I went through the wine fridge tonight as I was looking for a decent California Cab. I saw a bottle of Stags Leap Artemis that has been collecting dust for a few years. I decided to give it a go and it was just completely flat. Nothing special about the bottle whatsoever. I’m still drinking it a few hours later and its showing a bit better, but just a complete let down. I can think of a ton of wine that I’ve purchased for less than $50 (Which from memory is the price point for the bottle) that I enjoy so much more, yet I used to think this was a really good drink. That said, I’m still a HUGE fan of California Cab, but this particular label, just didn’t impress me.

5

Because it’s an addiction!
[head-bang.gif]

6

Eric, don’t lose hope. I’ve never been overly impressed with Artemis, or any Stag’s Leap wine of any recent vintage. I’m frankly surprised at how overpriced they are for what you get.

7

I hear you. I feel fortunate that I still really like 95+% of the stuff in my modest cellar, but I’m glad I wasn’t “going deep” on half the stuff I was into just a few years ago.
And if I’m being honest with myself, I have many bottles that I like but I’m not all that excited about opening and would not have bought in hindsight.
Ah, well. You drink and you learn and you sharpen your focus.

8

My advice for someone who is relatively new to wine, say 10 years or less. Start buying Burgundy now. Buy the best you can afford and put them away for later. It doesn’t matter if you don’t particularly get Burgundy and think they all lack fruit and are overly acidic. Buy them anyway. Still buy stuff you like to drink now of course, but save some serious cellar space for Burgundy. Chances are one day you will thank me. If not, you will be able to sell or trade easily.

9

That’s the way life is. It could be a quest. It could be a saga. It could be embarrassing. The Trek: Red Mountain; Spinada; Annie Green Springs; Mateus, Blue Nun; Silver Oak; Leonetti, Gaja; Marquis Philips; Penfolds Grange; then the discovery it was okay to enjoy white wines; then the discovery of Pinot Noir that had fruit flavors instead of tart barnyard; then the discovery of the whole world of wine to appreciate when properly paired, shared and aged.

You cellar is safe and you can return to its enjoyment once you are into and done with craft beers and specialty bourbon.

10

I don’t know. I’ve been enjoying quality wines for over 20 years. I loved California reds 20 years ago and I love them even more today. Syrah, Zins and Cabs. I am not going to buy something that someone else likes because of a “maybe”.

11

Don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of my cellar is stuff I love - expensive or not. The point was just that like everything else in life, evolution is inevitable and keeps things interesting.

12

I can’t answer the OP’s question (well I can, but not without starting a huge flame war), but I can help Scott with the fact that this topic raises the question, but does not beg it [berserker.gif]

13

The Spiritual Evolution of a Wine Geek:

Stage 1 “Genesis” - Have an epiphany wine that makes you want to get more serious about wine
Stage 2 “Confusion” - Realize that there are so many bewildering choices that its difficult to decide what to buy
Stage 3 “Discipleship” - Start following the ratings of a respected wine critic as a guide to what to buy
Stage 4 “Cognitive Dissonance” - Do your best to tell yourself that you are actually enjoying all the highly rated wines you are drinking
Stage 5 “Awakening” - Realize that taste in wine is subjective and you need to determine for yourself what you like
Stage 6 “Rage” - What the f*ck am I going to do with all this wine I bought that i don’t actually like?
Stage 7 “Dinner Parties” - Unload the wine on friends at non-wine-geek dinner parties. They will likely be impressed as the wines are highly rated.
Stage 8 “The Quest” - Taste, taste and taste some more to see what regions, producers and vintages you like
Stage 9 “Enlightenment” - OMFG! Burgundy!
Stage 10 “Dark Night of the Soul” - OMFG! These things are expensive!
Stage 11 “Inner Peace” - German Riesling! And cheap too!
Stage 12 “True Enlightenment” - Jura

14

[welldone.gif]

I haven’t quite gone down the road leading to door #9, but when I do…

15

In between steps 2 and 3 after one tastes Caymus and Silver Oak they think they know everything about wine and realize they’re above talking to the staff in a wine shop.

16

I’m going through somewhat of a palate shift and like Eric I still enjoy most of the wine in my cellar. I started out with CA pinot and played around on the fringes of Burgundy. Now I realize OR pinot and Burgundy are more to my liking. I have a LOAD of CA pinot and still like it but would rather drink a leaner/restrained pinot. And N. Rhone’s have just blown me away. Thankfully I still enjoy NAPA cabs as that’s where I initially began my journey.

17

Touché!

18

eric, I don’t know how much wine you’ve had or how much you taste, but grocery stores and mailing lists sounds like mostly California. I think the problem was the Artemis. It was never a very good wine. Just taste widely, CA and elsewhere, and keep tasting and you’ll find plenty of wines to like. I’ve been drinking wine for a long time and still find stuff every year that I want to know better, but I haven’t kicked anything out of bed that I used to like.

I think you’re just tasting more widely and the more you learn, the more things there are to love. It’s a good thing. As far as buying Burgundy - I get to taste a lot of them every year. I’m happy to leave them for everyone else.

19

Thirty plus years in and the red Burgundy devils have yet to posses me. But I definitely have seen a few palate shifts. Not so much to the point of no longer liking things, but more along the lines of being in the mood for them less or more frequently.

I’d say my evolution with respect to how much age I like on different wine types has had a bigger impact than falling out of love with a style or region. I’ve had to rebalance the cellar as a consequence. I sold a bunch of culty Cali Cabs when I realized they didn’t benefit from 10+ years of age, so there was no need to stock so many. I also sold some Chateauneufs when I realized I liked most of them best at 10-15 years of age, but I had bought in quantities assuming, wrongly, that I’d like them best with even more age.

20

The bad news - you are doomed. Many of us traveled the same path.
The good news - you will have a ton of fun for a doomed fellow!