hi.
all of those wines should be served at about room temperature. try them at the optimum temp before passing judgement, they should be decent bottles.
my guess, and a guess it is, is that the wines were very cold and you could not properly taste the size of the wine. those wines really develop with temperature into what they are supposed to be. When cold, they would be very smooth and easy to drink, but the acids and staining would indeed catch up with you. also, the aftertaste of the cabs (the finish) will be longer and bigger than the pinot noir, by style and definition. the pinot is usually a much lighter tasting red. even the "biggest" of the big reds tastes light and easy to drink when it is cold, but is much more robust at the proper temp. If you prefer lighter wines, start with reislings and guwurtzraminer and move into pinot gris and chenin blancs. once you are ok with a little dryness in your wine, try the reds again.
erik. |