98 Chat. St. Jean SB, La Petite Etoile, Foul or Fabulous?

[mrdutton]

What has convinced the American consumer that drinking oak is the right thing to do?

Otherwise, the winemakers would quit using so much new oak and start using old oak or (heaven forbid) stainless steel.

Quite frankly I'd rather drink wine where I can taste the fruit and the soil and the weather rather than wine infiltrated with trees where I can only taste the wood. Gads, if I wanted wood, I could eat a pencil.