What have I done to my palate?

Have all these years of rustic Italian reds spoiled my ability to to enjoy a nice wine with resolved tannins? We opened a 2002 Henry’s Drive Cab for dinner on Sunday. To pair with a couple of grilled New York Strips. The wine was medium to heavy bodied. Silky, smooth and fleshy on the palate w/ beautiful fruit and a great nose. Noticeable but well done oak.

Except, during the meal, I found myself wishing for the acidic bite of a Chianti…or the grippy tannins of a Sagrantino. The Cab was ….boring. Too smooth across a tongue and palate that, apparently, has grown used to being savaged by acid and tannins.

Parker would have loved this one….which probably explains why I hated it.

Richard

What have I done to my palate?

You mean you had one? I can relate with white wines, Richard -- if they don't have an acidic bite, I lose interest quickly.

[David M. Bueker]

You wanted structure? How dare you not enjoy pure unadulterated hedonism.

Richard,
Your palate is fine. Acid is our friend.

It just sounds like you have the Italian "curse", Richard. This is also why I keep going back to Italy - again and again!!!

Maybe, too, you have come to the realization that wine is best enjoyed with food. When I drink wines like the one you described I can't even lift the glass to take a sip, just from the thought of putting something dull and boring in my mouth, let alone enjoy it with food. Wines with a good acidity balance are just more FUN!

I can trace my love for wine to a whole few months ago to my honeymoon in Italy, and it's definitely affected my tastes. I've had several decent wines, but by far my favorites are the Italians. The wife and I blazed through an entire bottle of Poliziano rosso last night.

So far the wines that stick out in my head are the Poliziano rosso, the Vignabaldo Sagrantino, and a cheap Sangiovese I got for like $6.

Richard,
I feel your pain. May I offer another solution. You drink wine with food and that is why, like me, you require some acidity. The cab may be a good wine but not a good food wine. Bet if you tried it with some cheese and a baguette at a picnic you would not miss the Italian wines. I am finding it more and more difficult to drink full bodied robust wines since they just do not seem to go with food. I save them for tastings or a drink before dinner.

To expand this further my favorite wine store with a very knowledgable manager never gives me recommendations for Italialn or like minded wines with acidity without saying "you will probably like this wine." This guy knows wines but samples them all between 10:00 and 12:00 when distributores come by and there is never any food served. He is a west coast and Rhone guy. It think the reason is how he tastes. If he tasted with food he may become an acid freak. I also attribute this situation to a certain reviewer that tastes 100's of wines in a day and then goes to dinner. He like OZ, Cabs, Rhones but does not review favorably Burgs, Rieslings or CC.

Walt

Well..my original post is pretty much tongue in cheek. Or maybe I should say acid savaged tongue in cheek. But still, I find my wine enjoyment being tied more and more to pairing with food.

Except for an occasional glass of NZ sauvignon blanc on a hot summer day? 95% or better of my wine consumption revolves around a meal or snack.

This wasn't the case 10 years or so ago where my palate wandered around in, mostly...Australia, Spain & Napa. Big Barossa Shiraz, Cabs etc.. every once in awhile I revisit older areas to check in on old favorites. But those old tastes have, apparently, changed over the years.

Richard