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49 replies

Changing tastes - Losing love of Cab?

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G grossieMember
I might go 2 weeks without a cab based wine (10-14 bottles), but inevitably I come back to them and usually get on a streak again. I've been told that eventually burgundy, brunello, and barolo take over, but I'm not convinced yet.

I remember being younger and not liking certain foods, figuring I never would (tomatoes, avacado). I've learned to love them since then, but I can't help but wonder if the problem is that my taste buds have dulled over time. Maybe this is what happens with cab-based wines and why some people learn to seek out the more subtle tastes of pinot noir, or sangiovese, maybe even nebbiolo?
G grunhauserMember
What's a "cab" anyway?

How can we even discuss unrelated issues like "cabs" vs. "bordeaux"?
And why do they have to exclude one another?

There is nothing like a good "cab" to spank some fruity sensibility into a "bordeaux" drinker AND there are few things that come close to a good Canon-Frosac, that can stop merlot fans (if there are some left) dead in their tracks. When it's good, it's all good.
D dbw4Member
Webm - good one - Wink

Tangle - I have been paying attention. Lately, I have had a series of more brambly and stalky wines from Guilliams, St. Francis, Hanna, and the like. It seems that certain mountain flavor profiles hit me just right, and others don't. Also, I bet that decanter and aging time will change these wines and make them worth another shot. It's not like they are bad, or I don't like them, I just think I'm off that flavor profile, for now.

One of those little "streaks".....


DBW
S stevebodyMember
Jeez, I'm dumbfounded but...GA, here, here!

It seems fundamental that, if you drink one grape to the virtual exclusion of the others, you'll eventually get tired of it. This ISN'T a crisis. This is life. Even those of us who like ruts eventually go looking for a different rut. My ideal day is lunch at a good Mediterranean cafe, hit three bookstores, tour the seven wine shops in downtown Bellevue, and have a drink at the Taphouse around 5:30. I do that for weeks on end. Then, one fine day, I drive over to Seattle and do something completely different. I love that Bellevue rut but I'm human and I need a LITTLE variety. So will you. Drink something else for a while. You WILL get back to the Cabs and they'll have some lovely cellar age on them to treat your palate. These threads keep popping up and it mystifies me. Do people really only drink one or two things? I can't fathom that.
C cdrMember
If you've had one ooey-gooey 14% - 15% alcohol, "lavishly oaked," low acid Napa Cabernet, you've had them all. I lost interest in Cabernet years ago and have never come back. There are a few producers whose wines I find interesting (Laurel Glen, Verite, for example), but for the most part, I am not at all inspired by California Cabernet Sauvignon.

Give me a Barolo or a Chateauneuf-du-Pape and I'm happy.
D drdarkrichandboldMember
I agree with Stevebody....

The great thing about wine and us "married guys" is that we can do here what we can't do at home. Cheat around a little!

If you want a dark Italian with long legs and a nice nose, maybe you go with a Super Tuscan. If you want a sexy and seductive Californian you can't stop smacking your lips with, maybe you go with a Neal? In any case....enjoy the diversity! Cheat around a little. In the end, you'll probably end up coming back to the first wife anyway.... Wink

-DRAB
D dbw4Member
SteveB and the wonderful DRAB,

You're right, of course, we do have to "spread it around". Also, what was once comfy is now ordinary. I am sure that when I pop open a Neal, I will be revived. In the mean time, Bordeaux, Malbec from S. America et al, will be my darlings....

Tangle: I favor mountain cabs, too. I did a stint with Spring Mtn., some with Howell and also Mt. Veeder. I like Chappellet (Pritchard Hill area?), for its depth. I also have 2 Arrowood Sonoma 97's sleeping. I am sure I will be back, wiser and more worldly.

Thanks, guys,

DBW
B budmanMember
dbw4...

I suspect that, over time, your palate will change, and maybe even mellow. Two years ago, you couldn't even get me to taste a Cali pinot. Now, I'm scraping for space for the 50 or so bottles I need to cram into the cellar. Two years ago, my favorite was zin, last year, it moved to shiraz/syrah. Next year, who knows??? Just make sure your cellar has enough room to hold all the permutations and combinations that your 'current palate' cooks up.

Oh, and don't get rid of the cab yet!!! Wink
K ksyrahMember
Absolutly streaks! I would imagine that all/most wine geeks find themselves eventually in a love/hate relationship with a particular variety. When I first started drinking wines it was only reds, a few years later, only whites, now it is predominatly red but selective whites too, say about 80/20

About cabs, I too like another poster on a previous thread had drifted from California Cabs for about 18 months and was enamoured with other "darlings". Then one day outta the blue I had a CaliCab, I felt like "ahhhh, I'm home".

I really don't have a favorite wine, maybe just a few favorite labels amongst various varietals. Or you might say that my favorite is the wine in my glass at the moment.

Stevebody and Drab, funny! Big Grin


ks
C carriedcaMember
Baird: when that day comes, we'll be more than happy to drink up your wine to make room for all that pinot you will buy.

Personnaly, I doubt this day will ever come for me, since I am so varied. I don't drink any grape exclusively.Shiraz, Cab, Merlot,Bordeaux, Pinot Noir, Malbec (although don't have much of this), nebbiolo, sangiovese, valpolicella/amarone, barbera...I won't even go into the whites.
D dabMember
Interesting post...

Just about the time that GZN (aka GPNN) started on Pinot I noticed that I had "tired??" of Cali Cab and was looking at other wines. Specifically, I started looking at Pinot Noir, too. First it was Cali Pinot (Santa Barabara area) then a few 2002 Burg's that trickled into the area, and eventually the Cali Syrah's. It was very refreshing to try something totally different for a change as most of my wine drinking was Cali Cab/Merlot and Bordeaux.

This was over a month ago and I haven't had any Cabs since. I will eventually try some again, but for now... no. Someone mentioned that variety is the way to go... true enough.
P pinotdonMember
Started my love affair with the classic Napa Cabs, Mondavi, Silver Oak, Caymus and Ridge Zin. Still am partial to the Zin but have a true love affair with Pinot. My wallet has not allowed me a foray into Burgundy so my experience has been Sonoma Pinots which I love. I also have fallen hard for Brunello, Barolo and the occasional Syrah. The Cab profile seems too generic and overdone. Possible to please Robert Parkers palet? I did purchase some 2000 Bordeaux that I'm looking forward to.
thelostversethelostverseMember

Chardonnay recently passed Pinot Noir in our cellar, but I was surprised that Cab/Bordeaux blend has also passed Pinot Noir in the cellar.  Many of the purchases are driven by Mrs. TLV's wishes and the last few years she has been reaching for Cabs more and more.  It really depends on what we're eating though, and she would eat steak everyday if she had her way. 

irwinirwinMember

In the current print issue, a Cabernet from Washington state, Horse Heaven Hills (a/k/a 3H) is rated 90 and said to cost $14.  I've had this a number of times.  90 is a pretty generous rating, but it is a really nice QPR.

In general, we don't drink much Cabernet either.  Interesting to see all of you indicating that Chardonnay is making a comeback.

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