Are we drinking our wines too young?
Lack of storage, our ‘want it now’ culture and the expense of purchasing alreadymature wines mean that fewer wine lovers are enjoying well-cellared bottles. And that’s a shame, says Anne Krebiehl MW
Anne Krebiehl MW argues the case for maturing wine, and explores how to buy wines when they’re ready to drink
ARE YOU MISSING out on the most fascinating aspect of wine? Most drinkers are abundantly familiar with the primary, varietal aromas of young wine; say the blackcurrant notes of Cabernet Sauvignon or the peachy perfume of Viognier. Likewise, they recognise secondary winemaking aromas such as vanilla from new oak or the creaminess associated with malolactic fermentation. Tertiary aromas, however, which only develop with time, slowly unfolding as a wine matures – and possibly the most arresting scents – are lost on so many.
There are clear reasons for this. Few of us have the luxury of a real cellar, or the space to lay down wines. Even if one has a wine fridge, it never seems big enough. It is also tempting to drink rather than wait. Those who pay for expert storage, say at a bonded warehouse, usually only go to that expense for blue-chip wines. Then there is cost: drinking mature wines either means bidding at auction, paying for aged wines or attending formal vertical tastings. Again, usually only wines considered top-notch are offered in their mature state – at the commensurate premium, of course.
All of this means that most wine, even good and fine wine, is drunk far too young. Unless
you are lucky enough to own a well-stocked, mature cellar, or have friends with one, then a whole universe of wine flavours will remain unexplored to you.
More people than ever enjoy wine and most of it is made for ready consumption. To a degree, this has also changed expectations: wine is meant to be drinkable at the moment of purchase. The wine world has obliged by making wines that won’t need a decade in a damp cellar to become palatable. However, earlier approachability doesn’t mean that a wine is not capable of ageing and developing. Many drinkers also lack the confidence to decide which wines will improve, so they play safe with younger vintages.
While we live in an unprecedentedly vibrant and diverse world of wine, it is sad that many wine lovers rarely have the opportunity to appreciate the more complex hues of age. They miss out on the ethereal scent of a mature Nebbiolo, the oak-leaf earthiness of evolved Pinot Noir, the tobacco savouriness of aged Cabernet; likewise the heady camomile lift of seasoned Riesling, or even the softest mousse and honeyed languor of long-aged Champagne.
Aged before release
This throws up many questions. What happens as a wine matures? Which wines age? When is a wine mature? And, most importantly, do I like these flavours which, admittedly, are an acquired taste?
Luckily for curious drinkers, there are appellations with in-built ageing mechanisms and numerous wineries who, with increasing regularity, are giving us a taste of time with releases of so-called museum or library stock. Both give drinkers the opportunity to see, smell and taste what happens when wine is allowed to reach its full potential.
Cathy Corison, one of Napa Valley’s most thoughtful winemakers, planned it from the start: ‘I’ve held wines back for re-release since the very beginning, 30 years ago,’ she says. ‘I knew the wines would age because of the long, distinguished history of the Cabernets grown on benchland between Rutherford and St Helena. My aim was to make structured wines for ageing with good, snappy natural acidity, moderate alcohol and bright flavours.’
She remembers: ‘It took a while for people to get used to the idea of a winery selling
‘It would be great to release more wines with bottle age, but economically that is difficult’ Kevin Glastonbury, Yalumba (above)
older vintages. Not because inventory had backed up, but because the wines were at a very good stage in their development. After a while, restaurateurs began to count on these re-releases and distributors got used to working with older wines.’
Late releases have gained currency in the US and Australia. ‘It appears that the everyday drinker is now bombarded with younger and younger wines for immediate drinking,’ says Kevin Glastonbury, head winemaker for Yalumba in South Australia’s Barossa Valley. ‘Many of the premium wines from the 2014 and 2015 vintages are a long way off their best drinkability now. Museum wines are released at a time when they are closer to the optimum drinking window.’ He confesses: ‘It would be great to release more wines with bottle age, but economically that is difficult.’
Nonetheless, he says: ‘We have always had the ability to bottle small premium parcels of wine without necessarily having a release date in mind, other than “some time in the future”.’ Among these is Yalumba’s FDR1A – which, in straightforward Australian fashion, stands for Fine Dry Red. Glastonbury says: ‘The key with the FDR1A Museum Release is that Yalumba has not just held back a portion and reserved it for later release, they are specifically different blends.’ (See p32 for tasting notes)
Regional tradition
While the release of library or museum stock is not widespread, it certainly is no longer uncommon. Villa Maria and Neudorf in New Zealand have made such releases, as have Jim Barry and Henschke in Australia, the latter with its famous Hill of Grace. In California, Silver Oak Cellars continually offers mature vintages for sale, as does the understated Spring Mountain Vineyard. Its mature Elivette bottlings are a rare bargain.
Some appellations have anchored prerelease ageing in law. In Italy’s Piedmont and Tuscany, ‘riserva’ is a legally defined term that prescribes barrel- and/or bottle-maturation before release. In the Spanish regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero the same goes for the terms ‘reserva’ and ‘gran reserva’. Considering that wineries have had to age these wines, some represent fantastic value, effectively saving you the cost of cellaring.
Appellation rules prescribe minimum
‘Wine is like a kaleidoscope: the same elements constantly form new and often beguiling images’