To many on this board, who regularly drink ‘older’ wines, the use of this term will be totally different than say, a newbie, that is not used to drinking older wines.
And I agree that the term ‘Over the Hill’ and ‘DOA’ are really two different things. To me, over the hill implies that it is ‘past its prime’ but that does not necessarily mean the wine offers no pleasure. DOA on the other hand implies that the wine offers zero pleasure - other than the fact that there is some ‘pleasure’ in knowing that you are drinking something crafted years/decades ago . . .
Cheers.
That’s pretty much it to me, Larry.
I used to enjoy the more mature taste of Napa Cabernets more than I do now. I drank them with regularity (thank you, to my mentor) but have since focused more and more on newer wines (particularly my own, as a producer…kind of have to do that).
It is difficult to “call it” when something is at its peak - much easier to say when it is in a good/prime drinking zone. How do we know when they will slide off? We don’t. At least I don’t. But if it is knocking you out, and you only have one more bottle, then drink up! For those who can afford a 6 or 12 pack of something, it is a great learning experience to watch the evolution of a wine. But you can get fooled by the “cha-cha” that vintages can do. 6 years ago my 2004 tasted fully mature, and from a number of storage sources. Now, for the last 2 years, its expression is younger. Again, from a number of storage facilities.
Fascinating stuff.
over the hill
old and past one’s prime
Doesn’t add much to the mix…as it still begs the question of what “prime” is…
Some of us think “prime” starts for some wines (RB) at 20…others think that most wines are shot by then…
All semantics and personal taste, it seems.
To me, it is mostly an excuse for poor cleaning and handling when a wine doesn’t show well (understandably)…and cleaning of old wines is crucial to a good showing, no matter how you do it. (which is another reason “slow ox”, to me, is pop and pour essentially: you then get to “play with” the sediment from aging…and try to keep it from marring the drinking experience.)