Wine Lovers

**Paul65K** · 10-20-2013, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by GRADS

Hopefully those cabs were stored properly or they could be garbage. I have this one from 1969 that I'm afraid to open....looks nice in the bottle though.

Attachment 22578

BTW......for the benefit of some others here (not directed at you GRADS) different wines age differently. I recently was able to try what was supposed to be one of the best wines/vintages of the 20th century a 1984 Chateau Lafitte Rothschild that a friend who collects wine purchased for well under $50 when it was first available in the late 80's......we were all so excited. A quick check on WineBid showed these bottles going for ~$4000 a bottle and reportedly selling for well over $10K a bottle at certain restaurants such as The French Laundry

We were having dinner at Press in Rutherford (I think). It all started when the sommelier went to open the wine when we arrived in order to decant it and let it open up before we were to drink it at dinner. We saw 6-7 people around the sommelier at a separate table taking a very long time opening the bottle making sure not to damage the cork.......it was a real scene with all these "wine people" all but paying homage to this wine bottle (Weird)

Fast forward an hour or so and the ritual begins....first the sommelier tastes it and provides his approval (not vinegar) then we all get a small taste as there were 6 of us at dinner.......bottom line was that this wine WAS NOT READY to be consumed.......it was still too "Young" believe it or not. Don't get me wrong the wine was OK but certainly nothing special that would be worth ~$1,000 a glass, at least not to me

. Think about it though......almost 30 years old and it was still "Too Tight" to enjoy, not many things in this world can say that

.

In any case different wine age differently.......very complex wines can take decades to be "Ready" to drink and can be in their prime for 20 or more years before they start to degrade......but even then can still be "Good" to drink for a while after that. Other red wines can we all but vinegar in 6-7 years.......even if stored properly if they are nothing more than fermented grape juice (wine snob slam here) so it really all "Just Depends" when it comes to wine and aging.

**CarolynandBob** · 10-20-2013, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by Eli

I want to do a side by side blind tasting of these two sets. I need some real wine drinkers to do it with...my sisters and BILs don't really drink. My mother won't let me have more than a sip bf jacking the bottles

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We drink a lot of this. That and my wife like one called Magistrate. It is pretty good for a blend.

**Eli** · 10-20-2013, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Paul65K

I wouldn't if I was you......high liklihood that you'll be disappointed at this point...................unfortunately!!

Is this a wine that has been aged too long or not enough?

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**Eli** · 10-20-2013, 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by cab_01

We drink a lot of this. That and my wife like one called Magistrate. It is pretty good for a blend.

I'm a big Mondavi fan.

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**Paul65K** · 10-20-2013, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by Eli

Is this a wine that has been aged too long or not enough?

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That wine was likely "Done" when you were still in 1st grade........and GRADS likely knows this is what I meant

**Eli** · 10-20-2013, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Paul65K

That wine was likely "Done" when you were still in 1st grade........and GRADS likely knows this is what I meant

Do you think my 1999 wines are vinegar now too? I'd be super disappointed! I've had them since 2001. Original owner

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**Paul65K** · 10-20-2013, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by Eli

Do you think my 1999 wines are vinegar now too? I'd be super disappointed! I've had them since 2001. Original owner

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It all depends on the wine. More complex wines and different varietals age differently and of course how a wine is stored make a huge difference in how a wine does over time.......unfortunately sotrage is only one of the factors in the ability of a wine to grow and flourish vs. degrade over time.

For instance your 1999 Mondavi Cabs the drinking window of the reserve (more complex wine) is fine and the wine may actually not even be ready yet as the drinkability is 2015-2030 so you are good there!!

On the regular Cab (less complex) it's drinking window was 2005-2010 and may be past it;s prime.....according to recent reviews on that wine it is suggested that it may be a little past it's prime but still drinkable. I would suggest that you need to drink this one right away.....this evening probably to avoid any further degradation

Note: These observations come from "Cellar Tracker" which is one of the most widely used cellar management Apps....it's shareware so anyone can get onboard for no cost and for a small contribution get even more functionality and reviews.....www.cellartracker.com

**Eli** · 10-20-2013, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by Paul65K

It all depends on the wine. More complex wines and different varietals age differently and of course how a wine is stored make a huge difference in how a wine does over time.......unfortunately sotrage is only one of the factors in the ability of a wine to grow and flourish vs. degrade over time.

For instance your 1999 Mondavi Cabs the drinking window of the reserve (more complex wine) is fine and the wine may actually not even be ready yet as the drinkability is 2015-2030 so you are good there!!

On the regular Cab (less complex) it's drinking window was 2005-2010 and may be past it;s prime.....according to recent reviews on that wine it is suggested that it may be a little past it's prime but still drinkable. I would suggest that you need to drink this one right away.....this evening probably to avoid any further degradation

Note: These observations come from "Cellar Tracker" which is one of the most widely used cellar management Apps....it's shareware so anyone can get onboard for no cost and for a small contribution get even more functionality and reviews.....www.cellartracker.com

Wow thanks!! I'll be using Cellar Tracker now...or Paul65k

So, what I've learned is a side by side blind tasting is NOT a good idea! Crap! Then how do I know if the reserve bottle is better than the regular bottle? Lol

Paul, I looked on cellar tracker and it has a "drinkability window" of 2006-2013 listed for the reserve. What am I doing wrong? Is that not the right wine or is that not the right info?

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**Paul65K** · 10-20-2013, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by Eli

Wow thanks!! I'll be using Cellar Tracker now...or Paul65k

So, what I've learned is a side by side blind tasting is NOT a good idea! Crap! Then how do I know if the reserve bottle is better than the regular bottle? Lol

Paul, I looked on cellar tracker and it has a "drinkability window" of 2006-2013 listed for the reserve. What am I doing wrong? Is that not the right wine or is that not the right info?

Sent from my Bat Cave...

I may have looked at the wrong one....lots of Mondavi cabs.....if that's the case then you better drink them both tonight