I very much feel the same way. I really like Pinot but these days it rarely excites me. The answer, so far, has been Syrah.
I went from Pinot to Grenache to Mourvedre to Cabernet, to… It is far more interesting.
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You raise a wonderful point.
"They’re all so “winemaker-y” and perfect and good/engineered. Nothing sticks out, it’s like they all blend. "
I think ultra-sorting has created a bit of sameness.
I suppose there is a platonic ideal people may be chasing, or chasing points from reviewers, but we do seem to be trending toward the mean. I don’t mind the flaws of wines made by hand, or that may have had some less than perfect grapes survive the sorting. Vintage to vintage variation was always a fun thing, now there is a bit of homogeneity.
I think what happened to you with pinot can happen with other grapes, as well.
My suggestion would be to ‘leave America’ and compare with Burgundy for the variety you may be wanting.
So, best wishes on your wine journey from someone who agrees with your thinking.
I understand this, but the only wines I never get sick of are Riesling, Pinot Noir and Syrah. And of course Champagne. The rest are pretty much mood and food dependent.
Happy Summer y’all!
Is this specific to CA? I can see that. While I think there is some level of “darker and softer” happening up here in Oregon I think it is more a matter of greater quantities of wine being produced from young and/or not great vineyard sites by people who have not terribly much experience cast into a world where climate change is likely impacting the biology of plants in subtle ways.
Are there new Pinot regions you can explore? Maybe you’re bored with Pinot from CA, but could get excited by Pinot from Burgundy, Oregon, Patagonia, Tasmania, Germany, New Zealand, etc. I don’t know, I have a hard time finding pinot I really enjoy, but I still have a ton to learn.
Yes, how about the Loire Valley?
The biggest holding in my cellar is American Pinot, but then I’ll get bored and venture off to Zins, or Rhone varietals, or some Cab, but then swing back to Pinots. And then it repeats. What hasn’t repeated, is I’ve whittled most of my Pinot purchases to only a couple of producers, as I began to find that so many of the Pinots tasted too much alike. So I figured out who I liked and trusted, and settled with a couple of Pinot producers.
Interesting thread! I am usually like, “Chardonnay, Yuck!” I have really been enjoying some of them lately. My tastes always ebb and flow, but almost always from Riesling, to Pinot Noir, to Champagne, with a little Rhone dropped in from time to time…
California Pinot is like if every region of France made Pinot. Plus amateurism and cynicism. But, out of that massive sea of over-hyped mediocrity are quite a few excellent ones. The suggestion of (mostly Spanish 
) “Rhone” grapes hits me sort of like “So, you’re tired of American cheese? Have you tried stale toast?” There are so many exciting, wonderfully unique grapes and wine regions out there. Look for producers who understand the grapes and sites they work with and genuinely strive to make the best wines, by their own metrics, they can.
I started having the same experience as the OP many years ago, so I cycled out all US pinot. I’ve tried here and there again over the years and have never been drawn back in. After 15 years, I’m starting to think the change is permanent. I have, however, become fatigued of certain producers or particular wines, which I’ve consequently forgotten in the cellar for a few years, and which I’ve revisited with astonished joy. Sometimes things ebb and flow. Sometimes they only ebb or flow.
Try some Burgundy.
But, also, are you drinking young wines or wines with age? With young wines, you get fruit flavors and after a while they can all taste the same. Even if you want to stick with California Pinot, see if you can find some wines with some age on them from a wineries with a reputation for aging well. The best pinots become much more magical with age on them.
Then, try some Burgundy with age on them.
Happens to me too. Love my German riesling and OR chardonnay, but eventually you need a break to recalibrate. I’m drinking a Bordeaux right now and I never, ever, thought I’d have a real interest.
How dare you.
Kidding aside, I’m the opposite right now I keep drinking (and buying) Pinot at perhaps 75% of my consumption. You can call it a rut, but I’m still loving it!
I oddly was very into Chardonnay first, then Pinot second and am not interested in drinking as much Chardonnay unless it pairs very well with a meal. I have tried maybe 10 rieslings (none German) and don’t see it as a wine I would drink regularly - although I plan on keeping an open mind!
My wine drinking style might be based on the fact we have young children and mostly imbibe after the children are asleep or on the weekends during the day. Not much time for fancy dinners out, but when I do have them I enjoy the same wine with them.
nothing wrong with a pinot-cation.
i am sure it’ll still be there for you when you want to come back!
If anything it just teaches us that we shouldn’t pigeonhole ourselves (and our cellars) into just one or two varietals/regions.
Over the years, whenever I got bored of wine or palate fatigue, I’d go out and get a plate of carne asada tacos with face searingly spicy salsa (preferably king taco, for nostalgia’s sake) and a really hoppy IPA. Those flavors are so big and they clash so much that it effectively works as a hard reset for my palate. After a couple of days, I’d be back to normal—or I’d find something new to fancy.
Are you in Southern California? My wife would eat at King Taco when working in Long Beach during her residency.
Yes. When I was in school, I had many a night at the library punctuated with king taco runs (all puns intended). Unfortunately now, the closest one to me is a good hour’s drive.