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Enjoying Older Cabernet SauvignonWhy keep your Cabernet Sauvignons for years when they are so tasty when they're first released?
We look at the rationale for cellaring red wines — Cabernet Sauvignon, in particular.
How long do red wines last? And at what age should Cabernet Sauvignon, in particular, be enjoyed? As you might expect, there's no simple answer to the question of enjoying older Cabernets. Every wine has a development profile. Each varietal is quite distinct in this regard. Zinfandels, for example, do not develop in the way Cabernet Sauvignons do and are best enjoyed within five years of the vintage. This could change in the years ahead as Zinfandel producers are beginning to offer wines in a greater variety of styles than in past years. California Merlot has had a miserable track record until fairly recently, older Merlots tending to pick up weedy and unpleasant characteristics after even six or seven years. New World Pinot Noir has shown little cellaring potential so far, but we think the jury is still out on that one. When it comes to aging potential, Cabernet Sauvignon is still king, at least with respect to New World red wine varietals. This varietal alone has shown the kind of development we associate with red Bordeaux. We recently tasted a 20 year old Opus 1 and found it to be splendid and close to its peak of flavor and aroma. And what do we mean by peak? Young Cabernets exhibit deep, rich fruit flavors and often hard tannins, except in inexpensive bottlings. The finer the wine, the more this is likely to be the case. After time, typically around ten years in the case of top grade Cabernets, the fresh aspects begin to develop the spectrum of alluring flavors and aromas we read about in wine reviews such as the one below. Aromas intensify with bottle age. Compare the aging process with fresh vs. cooked sauces. In the case of fresh sauces, the components retain their separate identities. Cooking blends the distinct flavors together to make a whole that is tastier then its component parts. But here's the rub. Not every Cabernet Sauvignon improves with age. As a matter of fact, perhaps 90% will not. This is because red wines made for cellaring are generally unpleasantly tannic in their youth. This has always been true of red Bordeaux, whose general aging profile suggests a peak around 20 years and a very long fall off, often an additional ten years or more. They can remain quite viable even after that, provided they have received proper storage. Storage becomes critical after about five years. Temperatures above 60° will cause the wine to develop much faster and many subtle flavor characteristics and aromas will be lost. Wines intended for the long haul must remain at constant temperature over the entire period, preferable 55°. TWO OLDER CABERNET SAUVIGNONS COMPARED We compared an older California Cabernet, 1996 Paradigm, with an older red Bordeaux, 1979 Ch. Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Both wines in the $80-100 price bracket. The '79 Pichon Lalande was at its peak of development, this after 27 years! The tannins hadn't completely softened, suggesting that it could easily continue developing for many more years. Clean drinking, exquisite balance. Light garnet in color. Aromas of black cherry, cigar box, smoke, toast, pepper and orange peel. Very complex. Warm, plumy flavors are light on the palate with lingering sweet fruit. A superb Bordeaux. The '96 Paradigm was made by Heidi Barrett, the winemaker who also makes cult Cabenet Screaming Eagle. We found a Zinfandel-like nose, very luscious, plummy fruit with prominent tannins, even after ten years. Slightly hot finish. For the same money, the Bordeaux was a clear winner, although it had the advantage of an additional 17 years of cellaring!
The copyright of the article Enjoying Older Cabernet Sauvignon in New World Wine is owned by Alan Boehmer. Permission to republish Enjoying Older Cabernet Sauvignon in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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