WHAT STYLE IS BETTER?

My recent trip to Napa, although mainly business, did include a few trips to wineries.
Look, you could spend a week tasting wine and not see everything.

Start your tasting day with sparkling wine.  It sets up your palate and is a lite & refreshing quaff.

There is no better place to start then the strategically located @DomaineCarneros.  On a picture postcard day sitting out on the classic veranda...it doesn't get better then that!  Kelvin Pye gave fabulous customer service and the wines where stunning!  I was picking up the '05 Brut which is now out of stock, but the '07 was toasty and smooth.  The Rose' was ripe with hints of strawberry.  And the Reve was sublime, with pear and almond flavors.  Finally the Demi-Sec was rich and creamy with a dash of honey.

I had been wanting to visit @PlumpjackWinery for a long time.  Part of the Plumpjack Group who's founder was former SF Mayor Gavin Newsom, the tasting room has more of a rustic Sonoma feel.  Jared Clevenger was a consummate professional; friendly, informative and attentive.

And now for my question, Is there a fundamental change in what wines should taste like? 

There has been criticism of overripe huge Napa Cabs and Australian Reds driven by Robert Parker's taste buds.  Plumpjack has such a wine.  The '08 Estate Cab is jammy, rich, yummy, and filled with a couple of baskets of blackberries.  It is classic Napa Cab that was wonderful!

On the other side was Plunpjack's sister label Cade '07 Howell Mountain Cab,  This Cab was complex, with minerality, more cola and cocoa with strong herbal essence.  It was a fascinating and interesting wine!

After talking with some folks from Aurora, IL I asked another one of the staff, "Do you sense a perception difference from your customers when they taste these two wines?"  He looked at me with a mix of disbelief and contempt.  Trying to restate the question, I said, "You know the big Cab vs the earthy Cab"
He said, "It's not true!"  I said, "No difference??!!"  "None!!"  was his response.

The worst thing Napa can do is get too defensive about their ripe style.

If you want to sit by the fire and sip an exceptionally rich wine and thoroughly enjoy an iconic wine growing region grab the Estate and be ready to be wowed!

Now, if you are dining next spring on a leg of lamb, asparagus in lime butter and rosemary infused potatoes grab the Cade and let the wine open it's complex character before your very tongue.

In the end the question is mute.
Both wines were excellent; not better or worse, just different.