Drinking windows

[Jason_Holzer]

So - whose drinking windows do you trust?

[Roberto_Rogness]

The real problem is that this question is not really any different than “How ripe do you like your bananas?” or “How do you like your steak cooked?”:

I CRAVE what Vin de Garde turns into after 10-15-20 years and find blowing $100 on a Barolo or Vintage Porto and then opening it when it is 5 years old a serious waste of money. Other people can’t stand what many of us consider “vinous” flavors and pretty much want the primary blast.

[alan_weinberg]

@Roberto Rogness

The real problem is that this question is not really any different than “How ripe do you like your bananas?” or “How do you like your steak cooked?”

well-stated, Roberto.
alan

[Chris_Seiber]

@alan weinberg

@Roberto Rogness

The real problem is that this question is not really any different than “How ripe do you like your bananas?” or “How do you like your steak cooked?”

well-stated, Roberto.
alan

Well said. I served a 1969 BV pinot noir at a 40th birthday party for me and my wife last November. The reactions from our guests varied from “dump it, the wine has gone bad” to absolute elation. I liked it a lot, myself, but I can see how someone else would hate it.

I think it’s a cross between this issue and the forecasting issue. And even if you taste the wine young yourself, you’re still having to guess what the wine is going to be like at what age, and whether you’re going to like how it is then, so maybe it’s a little better than using critics’ suggested windows, but it’s still highly speculative.

But I also find this to be a lot of the fun of wine. It’s one of the big reasons wine is so much more interesting than spirits and beer. Seeing how a wine changes, having wines of different maturities to go with different food, company, mood, etc., trying to figure out when is a good time to open a bottle. Sure, it’s frustrating sometimes when you hit it wrong, but it’s also quite an interesting process.

[Jason_Holzer]

@Roberto Rogness

The real problem is that this question is not really any different than “How ripe do you like your bananas?” or “How do you like your steak cooked?”:

That’s a fair point! Let me restate…certain critics have been criticized for supplying inaccurate poor drinking windows, so that leaves others who aren’t off the mark as often. Who do the folks here rate highly?

[GregT]

What Roberto said is true - some people prefer older to younger or vice versa. Of course that’s not the whole story either. If you take a wine with a track record, say one of those Barolos or Bordeaux that’s been around for at least 40 years or more, and you have a consistency in the winemaking, you may be able to hazard a guess as to the drinking window or lifespan of the wine.

But if you find a new wine made in a style that’s not quite so established, you have a different story. I really don’t want to turn this into a referendum on him, but Jay doesn’t have all that much experience with most Spanish wine and he may have less experience with wines like the one in question than other people have. The wine doesn’t have a track record like Vega Sicilia. So his call as to the drinking window has to be based on his assessment of what’s in the bottle, his experience with wines he considers similar, and what other people have told him. At that point, it’s a judgment call as to whether you’d even suggest a drinking window at all, and if you do, whether you’d be conservative or not. He’s an optimistic guy so he gives it a generous prediction. And then you overlay all the stuff Roberto mentioned, and you know how much to value the drinking window prediction.

I only pay any attention to someone’s suggested drinking window for curiosity like the instant case. If I see a bottle of wine in the cellar, I have no idea what someone suggested as a drinking window, nor do I particularly care. Those go into the same category as color - of no imaginable use.

[Chris_Seiber]

This is one of the most useful thing about Cellartracker and these bulletin boards, being able to see what others’ experiences have been in recent experiences with a bottle that is not a recent release.

Granted that you don’t know who most of the tasters are or how much their opinion should mean to you, but you can often get a general sense of maturity, decanting needs, etc. particularly when there are a number of recent reviews out there, and at least factor that into your decision.

[Keith_Levenberg]

@Roberto Rogness

The real problem is that this question is not really any different than “How ripe do you like your bananas?” or “How do you like your steak cooked?”:

Well, yeah, but the people who say “well done” are philistines.

[Patrick_C]

I think a past vintage of Purple Angel had WS saying drink now through 2012 and WA saying wait till 2012 and drink through 2022.

I saw an 04 Malescot St. Expurey at Costco and looked up some notes n it and found this blog, not as extreme but still Chateau Malescot St.Exupery 2004 | Wine Reviews & Comments" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Patrick_C]

@Roberto Rogness

The real problem is that this question is not really any different than “How ripe do you like your bananas?” or “How do you like your steak cooked?”:

For a while I have known some people like aged wine and some don’t, but seeing something put so well