meow

One of the first things that struck me about wine a couple of years ago while still in college was just how much letting wine breathe changes it.  This 2006 Big House Petit Sirah from Bonny Doon was like a new feral kitten (excuse the domesticated animal metaphor - I've been craving a pet) when I opened it 5 hours ago.  Clawing and scratching with all that acidity and alcohol.  Now it's gently purring next to me on my desk.  Now it's showing more of the fruit that was hiding behind the tannins.  I pointed out so many different fruits while drinking it that I'm starting to think that it's mostly marketers who make up the labels on wine.  Each palate will taste different fruit, so it's really learning to connect the sensations you feel to past experiences and taste memories.  Wine is so chemically complex and varied that each person has an enormous playground of flavor molecules from which to choose from in each bottle.