Organoleptic decline and Burgundy

M

MLipton

Mark Lipton
Over the weekend, I began to ruminate over the apparent paradox of my tastes in wine. As I've grown older, I've found myself drawn to lighter bodied wines that have more aromatic complexity. As a winegeek friend of mine once quipped, "as time goes on, we all head to Burgundy" and this does indeed seem to be the case for me, though I also value the tertiary characteristics of many aged wines.

The paradox arises from the parallel realization that my sense of smell is diminished compared to its sensitivity in my youth. Foods that were formerly too strongly flavored to eat are now mild enough to be enjoyed. Monterey Jack cheese, which in my youth had a delightfully nutty flavor, now seems bland. This observation is consistent with what medical science tells us: as we age, our senses in general diminish in sensitivity.

So, with a less acute sense of smell, why wouldn't I gravitate to more bold and intense wines? In fact, this is exactly what people ascribe to "palate fatigue," isn't it? So, what's going on? One possible explanation I was able to concoct was that, in my youth, I had no access to aged wine so had nothing to contrast with the young red wines I was drinking then (I also drank far less white wine then). Is the experience of someone whose parents had a wine cellar different? I dunno.

Thoughts?
Mark Lipton
 
My (completely unsubstantiated) hypothesis is that improvements in the brain-end of things (you could call it learning) completely overwhelm any degradations on the nose-end.
 
I share the same plight (if that it is) and Arjun's hypothesis makes sense. Boldly flavored wines seem more objectionable than ever.
 
Mark, I've seen some older people gravitate to wines with more of a Burgundy profile and others turn to very large wines e.g. Australian Syrahs/Shirazs (Mollydooker) and the like. These are people who have had respected palates and knowledge.

Perhaps the direction one turns depends more on personal health/circumstances/etc.

. . . . . Pete
 
Don't overlook the 'boredom' factor: Whatever you drink a lot of you will become insensitive (in general, while picking out its details more quickly and certainly) and drift towards something else.
 
Perish the thought....I've got an ocean of Riesling, champagne and other favorites that I'd better not get bored with. otherwise I'll be drinking water, beer & cider in retirement.
 
Sounds like a project the master chemist could get funding for!

Oh, and I always found Monterey Jack cheese bland.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by MarkS:
Oh, and I always found Monterey Jack cheese bland.
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That's why they put bits of hot peppers in it.
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Well, even habanero only gives it a slight bite. The only jack cheese I've really ever liked is the aged kind you find in Sononma County, by Vella, I believe.
 
Alas, our noses, like our ears, get bigger with age, too bad the larger cavities are apparently offset by declining receptors.

So far we've been focusing on the nose, but what about the mouth? I have been finding wines to have a bitter finish that Marcia, who is 14 years younger, doesn't seem to experience, at least not as intensely. The perception of sweetness changes too, impacting the perception of acidity and bitterness...

If we need wines to be more and more aromatic as we grow older, perhaps this can point to semi or carbonic wines in general, rather than southern Rhone.
 
originally posted by Filippo Mattia Ginanni:
The influences of age on olfaction: a review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3916729/
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Here's a maker of test kits: click. Prices for 1 aren't bad but they make you buy 7 or 10 at a time.

There are about a zillion scientific articles on this. All with the same conclusion: It will be Southern Rhone for all of us in our 80s.
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I thought the old saying about what men drink ended: "...cognac in his 60s, armagnac in his 70s, and marc in his 80s."
 
I thought the old saying about what men drink ended: "...cognac in his 60s, armagnac in his 70s, and marc in his 80s."
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According to my father-in-law, "It's all about the action."
 
Burgundy's about harmony and grace, imho, not drama and sensation. As your judgement increasingly refines with the passage of time, it therefore naturally exercises more appeal, whatever the hell is happening with your taste buds. It's just better wine.
 
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