Palates change. I have seen my own appreciation for different varietals evolve over time with the wines that I drink. When I was young, we had Liebfraumilch at the table – also know as “The Little Blue Nun.” My father was German; and this, in his mind, was appropriate for a young palate. I then fell in love with Kendall Jackson Chardonnay – which, by the way, is the number one selling Chardonnay in the U.S. No, it is not Rombauer, as popular as that wine is. Then I moved on to Merlot, Zinfandel, and so on up the ‘tannin scale’. By the way, there is a great blog written by Tim Gaiser, Master Sommelier, summarizing how he describes the journey of the palate. It’s called The Evolution of a Palate.

As of late, I have been on a Pinot tear. It has captivated my palate, and I am looking to explore and taste as many as possible. This exploration of Pinot is what led me to Failla Wines, near Saint Helena in Napa Valley. Failla is a small, boutique winery that flies a little under the radar. I had become aware of Ehren Jordan, the owner and winemaker at Failla, through his work at Turley. He led the winemaking team for several years and took the opportunity to shift gears and direction. His first vintage under the Failla label was back in 1998.