Am I Pinot'd out?

Recently my quarterly arrivals from producers I really enjoy, like Failla and Lioco, have met with less and less enthusiasm. The wines haven’t changed, I think I have. Every time I open a PN recently, I just fail to get enthused. They’re all so “winemaker-y” and perfect and good/engineered. Nothing sticks out, it’s like they all blend. Many PN specialists producers make about a million PN’s from various vineyards, but if I’m honest, can’t really detect a huge difference between the sites in most cases.

I might need a break.

Time to get yourself a mister/mistress. I know one that goes by the name of Syrah.

Actually, I think it’s time to dig deep into Rhone varieties - both domestic and from France, Spain, Australia, Italy, etc. Start with Grenache and go from there. Done . . .

Terroir is overrated.

That happened to me last year. I spent more time with Syrah, Cabernet and Mourvedre, then went back. Pinot is a good friend again. We just are not so exclusive.

Adam, I see you’ve used Alicante Bouschet in your winemaking. Have you tried many examples from the Alentejo? The grape was adopted by the region much like Malbec in Argentina or Primitivo in California, with vines dating back to the 19th century, and the macacauba tasting Alicantes are one of the flagships of Alentejo, along with their fresher, more rustic cousins, the talha (terracotta/amphora) wines.

My impression of Pinot Noirs is that they’re like the global distribution of income: you’ve got a precious/priceless few which are God’s vinous apostles on Earth, and the 99% are pretty cherry juice. I would love to be corrected on this.

I definitely go through periods where certain wines seem boring or even barely palatable. This happened a little over a year ago with my favorite producer. I haven’t come back to the wines yet and have instead found myself focusing on Italian wines in the broadest sense. It’s quite exciting and the more traditional versions are great food wines.

That’s perfect! [cheers.gif]

Many years ago I was hanging out with some guys from Indianapolis, including a Mentsa type and a member of the Wine Envy Elite (whatever happened to Wine Envy?-I tried going to their site and I gather they are gone) who saw several bottles of pinot from the likes of ABC, Talley, and Brewer-Clifton on the counter open and said, “I have never cared for a single pinot made in California”.
This guy bought 80% to 90% of his wine from Louis/Dressner and it had to be French as near as I could tell without demanding to see his cellar.
I thought it was the most ridiculous statement I had ever heard regarding wine at the time.
I still think it is a ridiculous statement, but not nearly as far from the truth as subjective truths go.
IMHO, it is damned hard to get away from a certain flavor profile in pinot that is unique to California.
Even super rich/ripe efforts from Oregon such as Dusty Goose and Penner-Ash don’t share the same flavor profile.
I can’t remember the last time I bought a Calif pinot other than a BD release three years ago that I found nearly undrinkable despite having many fans on this Board.
That said, I have ABC Isabelle and Knox Alexander and some Littorai left in my cellar. Somewhere.
To each their own. I used to love many and now can only handle a few.

Pinot was my first geek out wine. Drank a lot foreign and domestic. Then my taste ventured off to other varietals. Quality Pinot is always great to go back to.

Cab Franc…the Pinot Noir of the Cab world :slight_smile:

I’ll never understand why people limit themselves to certain favourites, apart from the obvious taste preference - they miss so many opportunities globally. I’m always trying new things and making new discoveries. The key for me is don’t drink the same thing all the time, with only one possible exemption in the world - great German Riesling!

This happened to me after working harvest at a Californian Pinot house last year. I’m with Larry on this one: Rhône varietals are your friend. I think regions and producers that specialize in a wider variety of grapes are less prone to this kind of fatigue. I crave novelty and difference and agree with some of the posters here that there is a little too much monotony among Californian Pinot producers, too much of a specific ideal being worked towards. The grape may be a victim of its own success. I find the same thing with Napa cabs. Syrah doesn’t show the same problems I don’t think.

I’m biased as a Pinot Noir producer, though I will say, I hit the reset button all the time. We make Syrah and Chardonnay as well, and I do the same for those varietals. I’ll go deep on exploring wines of a particular varietal, and it’s as if the chain comes off the bike at some point. I have a hard time admitting that the same thing happens with pizza for me. :slight_smile:
As others mention, I head for other regions or varietals that help reset. Champagne, Cava, Nebbiolo, Riesling* and Sherry come to mind for me, and it is a lot of fun looking for characteristics I am drawn to in other varietals or styles, or have my senses opened to new ideas. This is not to say that anyone has to keep attempting to like something, it’s just that most of us will need an invigorating shift from time to time.
*I love Riesling, and spent a harvest in Germany, and while there, having been lucky to drink so many glasses of wonderful Rieslings from different cellars, it was at our harvest dinner, and what I remember most was how exhilarating a glass of red burgundy was.

This is such great advice/wisdom. It kills me when people preach that all wine journeys lead to exclusively drinking Burgundy or some such logic. I really love to switch up what I am drinking, I’ll go on a run with one grape for a while but then it inevitably fades and I start into something else. I never cast off entire regions or grapes, to exclusively drink one thing vs. the next.

TW

Varietal is the spice of life?

Dit-oh.

I drink burgundy almost 100% of the time (Except for occasional champagne) and don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere nearly limited by variety. Even in a given varietal there are so many choices, unless it’s something super obscure like canary island Malvasia.

Right now 'tis the Summer of Riesling!

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I adore Pinot but never let myself become too obsessive, with one exception…‘a man who is tired of Riesling is tired of life!’ champagne.gif