My Taste Profile
Built from CellarTracker purchase and consumption history. User note: “recent purchases (2024–present) are more accurate” about current preferences. See also My Profile for full buyer context and My Stores for sourcing.
The Big Picture
A cellar built around elegance over extraction — wines of terroir transparency, high acidity, and longevity rather than power or hedonistic fruit. The majority is Burgundy (47% of cellar), with a deep classical Rhône collection that pre-dates the current Burgundy focus.
The 2022 Portfolio Reset
In January 2022, a large tranche of wines was sold via Flickinger Auctioneers:
- All Kosta Browne (California Pinot, modern/hedonistic style)
- All Cayuse (Walla Walla, high-alcohol/extracted)
- Dominio Pingus (Spanish, international style)
- Multiple Château d’Issan and other Bordeaux
This represents a definitive pivot away from extracted, high-alcohol, and internationally-styled wines. What remained — and what has been built since — is entirely classical: Burgundy, Northern Rhône, Champagne, Barolo, a handful of terroir-driven California/Oregon producers.
Current Taste Profile (2024–present as primary signal)
Preferred Styles
- White Burgundy — PYCM is the favorite: Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey is the favorite white wine producer outright — #2 most-purchased producer in the last 2.5 years (219 btls). Mineral, reductive, precise. Buy across the entire PYCM range. Style reference for all white Burgundy evaluation.
- Red Burgundy: High-acid, mineral, site-transparent. Village-level and 1er cru over grand cru. Côte de Nuits focus (Fixin, Marsannay, Gevrey-Chambertin, NSG, Vosne) with meaningful Côte de Beaune (Volnay above all).
- Northern Rhône Syrah: Classical granite-based Cornas and Hermitage — structured, not jammy. Côte-Rôtie for perfume. Domaine de la Grange des Pères belongs here — it is Northern Rhône in spirit despite its Languedoc address (Laurent Vaillé’s Syrah-dominant blend). Not a Languedoc preference; purely a producer preference.
- Champagne: Grower Champagne. Chartogne-Taillet (dominant), Alexandre Filaine (Blanc de Blancs specialist), Bollinger (for Pinot-driven richness).
- Barolo: Old-school producers (Brovia, Burlotto, Accomasso, Cappellano) — traditional style with Nebbiolo’s grip.
- Oregon Pinot/Chardonnay: Terroir-focused (Antica Terra, 00 Wines). Not fruit-forward.
- California Chardonnay: Ceritas (mineral, Sonoma Coast focus) — nothing opulent.
What’s Not Here
- Extracted California Pinot (sold off entirely)
- Heavy Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Henri Bonneau is the exception — traditional style, long cellaring)
- International-style Bordeaux châteaux (Beychevelle, d’Issan sold off)
- High-alcohol anything: tasting notes flag heat as a negative consistently
Aromatic Preferences (from tasting notes)
- Positive triggers: mineral, petrol/Riesling-style, chalk, sour cherry, red fruit, flowers, earthiness, elegance
- Negative: high alcohol, too much new oak, over-extraction, brett (inconsistent — loves some earthy character, dislikes heavy brett)
- Fond of “punches above its weight” wines (Sylvain Cathiard HCdN, Glantenay Bourgogne Blanc)
Top Producers by Recent Commitment (2022+ purchases)
Tier 1 — Core Cellar, Ongoing Deep Buys
| Producer | Bottles (recent) | Style |
|---|---|---|
| Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet | 175 recent / 239 total | Fixin, Vosne, Chambolle — elegant, precise |
| Domaine Jean-Louis Chave | 27 recent / 205 total | Hermitage + St-Joseph — the benchmark |
| Domaine Henri Boillot | 48 recent / 79 total | Volnay + white Burgundy |
| Henri Boillot | 32 recent / 67 total | Négociant arm: Meursault, Puligny, Bonnes Mares |
| Domaine Denis Bachelet | 27 recent / 94 total | Gevrey old-vines — earthy, powerful, long |
| Sylvain Cathiard | 37 recent / 67 total | Vosne + Bourgogne HCdN |
| Thomas Bouley | 42 recent / 61 total | Volnay — silky |
| Domaine Charles Audoin | 30 recent / 62 total | Marsannay specialist |
Tier 2 — Significant Positions
| Producer | Bottles (recent) | Style |
|---|---|---|
| Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) | 14 recent / 32 total | Chambolle — fragrant |
| Domaine Bruno Clair | 19 recent / 54 total | Gevrey + Clos de Bèze + Bonnes Mares |
| Simon Bize et Fils | 12 recent / 34 total | Savigny — elegant Côte de Beaune |
| Domaine Chicotot | 31 recent / 31 total | NSG 1er Cru — new addition |
| Daniel & Julien Barraud | 31 recent / 33 total | Pouilly-Fuissé, Mâcon |
| Benoit Moreau | 23 recent / 23 total | Chassagne + Meursault — new |
| Franck Balthazar | 3 recent / 68 total | Cornas — classical, site-specific |
| Thierry Allemand | 9 recent / 49 total | Cornas — benchmark |
Tier 3 — Established Older Positions
| Producer | Notes |
|---|---|
| Domaine Marquis d’Angerville | 131 total / 8 recent — large older-vintage Volnay library |
| Marie et Pierre Bénetière | 44 pending / 49 total — Côte-Rôtie, mostly awaiting delivery |
| Henri Bonneau | 48 total — Châteauneuf traditional; older vintages |
| Fratelli Brovia | 71 total / 0 recent — Barolo library, no new purchases |
| Antica Terra | 54 total / 12 recent — Oregon Pinot |
| Ceritas | 42 total / 21 recent — Sonoma Coast Chardonnay/Pinot |
2024-Vintage Purchases (strongest recency signal)
The most recent vintage purchases made (presumably in 2025/early 2026 futures or releases):
| Producer | 2024-vintage bottles | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Domaine Henri Boillot | 19 | Burgundy (Volnay, Meursault, Puligny) |
| Ceritas | 15 | California (Chardonnay) |
| Daniel & Julien Barraud | 12 | Mâconnais (Pouilly-Fuissé) |
| Domaine Chicotot | 12 | Burgundy (NSG) |
| Henri Boillot | 8 | Burgundy (Meursault, Puligny) |
| Château Beau-Séjour Bécot | 6 | Bordeaux (Saint-Émilion) |
| Comm. G.B. Burlotto | 6 | Piedmont (Barolo) |
| Domaine de l’Anglore | 2 | Tavel (Rhône rosé) |
Note: 2024 Burgundy was a microscopic-yield vintage — buying 2024 Henri Boillot (19 bottles) represents a significant commitment. See 2024 Burgundy Vintage for context.
Consumption Patterns & Notes
Highlights from Tasting Notes
- “Buy more”: Henri Boillot Pommard 2013, Nervi-Conterno Gattinara 2017, AR.PE.PE. Valtellina Inferno 2013, Littorai One Acre Pinot 2013, Ceritas Chardonnay Zephyr 2019
- “Get more of this producer”: Domaine Amiot-Servelle, Domaine Michel Mallard Ladoix 1er Cru
- Loved: Domaine L’Octavin Brutal, Sylvain Cathiard HCdN 2019, Domaine A.-F. Gros Pommard 1er Cru Chanlins 2012, Domaine Chandon de Briailles Ile des Vergelesses 2010, Domaine Duroché Gevrey Le Clos 2019
- Disliked: High-alcohol wines (Alban Syrah 16.2%, Colgin Syrah 2008), heavy extract (La Grande Colline Cornas 2012), over-oaked (Laurent Boussey Meursault), Mikulski Meursault (“not good”)
- Sold/passed on: Cayuse, Kosta Browne (all sold Jan 2022 via Flickinger)
Peak Consumption Years
- 2023: ~490 bottles consumed (peak)
- 2024: ~737 bottles consumed (another major year)
- Pattern: drinks actively and broadly across the cellar
Key Appellations (where attention is concentrated)
Reds (current focus):
- Volnay 1er Cru (189 btls) — d’Angerville dominant; the spiritual home of the cellar
- Gevrey-Chambertin + 1er Cru (190 btls combined) — Bachelet, Arnaud Mortet, Bruno Clair
- Fixin + Fixin 1er Cru (132 btls) — Berthaut-Gerbet is 98% of this
- NSG 1er Cru (70 btls) — Chevillon, Chicotot
- Marsannay (58 btls) — Charles Audoin
- Hermitage (160 btls) — Chave monopoly
- Cornas (137 btls) — Balthazar + Allemand
Whites (current focus):
- Meursault (83 btls across villages + 1er cru) — Henri Boillot, Domaine Henri Boillot, Pierre Boisson
- Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (24 btls) — Domaine Henri Boillot
- Bourgogne Blanc (33 btls) — Henri Boillot