WITHSTAND

[Thomas]

But WC, you did not explain why you couldn't finish that Primitivo. I'd like to think it was the second bottle for the night--the first having been completely emptied of its nectar (or sap if it was wooded!).

To be serious for a moment--I promise only for a moment--I wonder why anyone would want to overwhelm the palate in the first place. It seems to me elegance is expressed through simplicity, austerity and refinement. The American palate has been sensitized to a barrage of fats, salts and sugars and, in my opinion, that is why many need to bombard it to wake it up. I like to tickle and entice the palate with elegant flavors and structures in my wine; too much oak hides those attributes (not to mention the "bad" attributes that oak hides).

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 04-20-2001).]