I remember the day I purchased this wine. The tasting room associate poured a vertical of the 2016 and 2017 side by side and maybe even another year. The 2016 was tasty: big, rich, and decently high in alcohol, and the tasting room associate waxed poetic about how popular it was and how it was his favorite. He kind of poured the 2017 apologetically; however, the ‘17 had an elegance and balance that I loved, with more tension and restraint than the 2016. It was “quieter” than the 2016 but much more appealing to my palate and I mentioned that during the tasting. When I went to check out, I asked for a few bottles of the 2017. The tasting room associate asked, “You mean the 2016, right?” and started bagging up some 2016s. And I said, “Nope! Definitely the 2017, please.” He kind of shook his head and said, “Really?! Okayyyy…” Moral of the story: Don’t assume that clients’ palates are aligned with yours, tasting room folks, and don’t make them feel weird about what they like! You could be missing a lot of opportunities by making those assumptions. He was a very nice man but could not believe I wanted the 2017 (which was weird, because the goal is to sell ALL the wine, right?). This is also not at all a knock on Keswick Vineyards , run by very nice people and with delicious wines—could’ve happened (and has!) anywhere. Cheers to #vawine ! #cabsauv #monticelloava #wine
