Last week, I drank a bottle of 2004 Cooper Garrod Cabernet Franc. This week, I’m drinking a bottle of 2013 WineShop At Home Cabernet. Both wines were great. Let’s explore the beauty of older wines in this article.
Cleaning Up My Wine Cellar
Three weeks ago, I cleaned up my wine cellar. I found many old wines. In fact, one night, I poured four older wines down the sink before finding a good wine.
I was excited to find the 2004 Cooper Garrod Cabernet Franc, because Cooper Garrod produces incredible Cabernet Franc. But could it last 20 years? It did! With virtually no tannin and a rich, rustic taste. I was also excited to try the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from WineShop At Home, the Napa winery I’m affiliated with. This one aged even more beautifully, perhaps because it’s not as old. The wine was rich and complex and wonderful.
I found about 15 other old wines I will be getting through in the next few months. We’ll see how each of those is.
Ageability of Red Wines
Wine Folly provides a great list of how long various red wines can age.
I see from this chart that I was pushing it with the 2004 Cabernet Franc, but that I was within the limits on the Cabernet Sauvignon. I was surprised to learn that Monastrell (the Spanish name for Mourvedre) and Merlot are as ageable as a Cabernet Sauvignon and that Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Tannat age even better than Cabernet Sauvignon. Sangiovese surprised me. Nebbiolo is the clear winner, being ageable for 30+ years, providing you store it properly.
What to Look for in Older Wines
Montefioralle offers great advice for tasting older wines:
- Every bottle is different: I learned from this winery that bottles that are aging begin to differ slightly from bottle to bottle. So, when you have a 20-year-old bottle, it would be good to have two or three of those bottles, so you can taste the differences.
- Pairings: They advise us not to pair old wines with heavy food, “as the wine is fairly delicate in this phase. The body of the wine is certainly not that of a young one, and very structured or intense food can easily overpower the wine.”
- Don’t use a decanter: They start by warning us that old corks are very delicate. I use an Ah So corkscrew for all my older wines. Why not use a decanter? They warn that the wine “has been in a reduced environment with a lack of oxygen for 23 years, so imagine the shock it would be on a chemical level to pour it in a decanter and risk spoiling it.”
- Tasting experience: The color of the wine will be different. No more bright red. Perhaps some orange tones. On the aroma front, you’re not going to get anything fresh. Marmalade instead of fruit. Dried flowers instead of fresh flowers. “On the palate, the wine will have less body than a young wine, a reduced acidity, and the tannins will be very delicate.”
I would love to hear about your experiences with older wines.
Cheers!
