Zinfandel springs to mind. Always associated it with grocery stores and moms…and my grandmother with her daily glass(es) of Sutter Home White Zinfandel from the jug. Discovered Ridge a few years ago, and have since enjoyed many bottles of Ridge/Bedrock/Carlisle Zinfandel based blends to name a few.
I find this is a common wine that people scoff at, and I think more people should drink it or would at least enjoy it. It doesn’t have the cachet of drinking Cabernet or Syrah, but wine drinkers that lean towards new world examples would probably do well to try a few zinfandels.
I had that same surprise when someone served a bottle recently from the late 90s. I can’t say it was the most archetypical Burgundy, but the oak was pretty much entirely absorbed.
Sauvignon Blanc has gone from once a year to more like a couple of times a month for me.
Caveat: If it tastes even remotely like grapefruit juice (bye-bye New Zealand) I am still 100% out.
I am also more and more of a fan of white Bordeaux, whether pure SB or blended with Semillon and/or Muscadelle and even some examples with Sauvignon Gris.
My white consumption is still centered around Chardonnay (I know, how boring), but having taken on an agency for northern Rhone wines I now find Marsanne comes into play. I always considered it on a lower level than Roussanne, but not any more (although I’m not sure it does really well anywhere except in the Northern Rhone).
I used to drink a lot of the QPR-winners Casa de la Ermita Crianza and the Monastrell (w/Garnarcha) from Bodegas Oliveres “Altos de la Hoya”. Neither were soupy, gloppy jam-bombs. I strongly recommend them, if you have not tried them yet.
• After Fife closed its doors, I pretty much gave up on Mendocino County red wines. It was the amazing Idlewild “Testa Vineyard” Carignan that brought me back around. Wow! What a wine!
• I steered clear of still rosé wines for most of my wine-drinking life, aside from the occasional Rosé d’Anjou, I think it was the Domaine de Terrebrune Bandol rosé that helped me overcome my prejudice.
I’ll seek those out. Definitely check out this Finca Luzon Verde bottling if you’re looking for a balanced wine that completely masks its alcohol with a kiss of floral and mineral notes.
When I first got into the wine business in the late 70s, I adored big, oaky Chardonnay. Fisher, Chalone, David Bruce, Kistler etc - I couldn’t get enough of them. I eventually grew tired of them as I discovered European whites, and outside of tasting them at trade shows (just so I knew what they tasted like), I hadn’t opened a bottle of oaky California Chardonnay since the mid 1980s.
Then, earlier this year, for some damn reason, I started thinking about those old Chardonnays, and mixed up a case of assorted “oaky” Chardonnays. The '14 Ridge was the first one I popped, and will wonders never cease, I’m popping an oaky California Chardonnay about once a month.
Have tried both of those, and still hate the grape.
Mine is California Chardonnay. I have been served a lot of Ramey, and the Hyde just works for me. Have had several others I like as well, including D&R, Littorai and Rhys.
I have never really liked CA chardonnay, but haven’t paid much attention to it either so it could just be ignorance of the “right” ones. I had a glass of an Aubert at a wine dinner some years ago that was very fine.
For me, Champagne. I used to dislike Champagnes, thinking them thin and acidic. But, over the years i have tasted ones from better producers and now like it a good bit.
I convinced myself that I didn’t like any Chardonnay having only really tried CA oak monsters. I’m only a recent convert to white Burgs, particularly Chablis.
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