OT (Oenophile Today)
Sorry, didn't mean to post again until I do my Lynch write-up later tonight, but I couldn't let this one pass. Um, just as most people tend to sell their winners too soon (and their losers too late), so most people tend to drink their best wines too soon (and their lesser wines too late). To drink, say, the '89 Haut-Brion now is simply cradle-robbing. The '86 might be getting into range, but I'd still hold off, and personally--altho here there can be some disagreement--I'd even wait on the '82 first growths as well, since they'll be even better in a few more years.
The vast majority of wine is meant for, and can give, immediate pleasure. Even most good wine, including California Cabs, can and should be drunk within a few years. But for a tiny slice of the best stuff--i.e., great red Bordeaux (like Haut-Brion), great Sauternes, a few others--the payoff in waiting until they are fully mature is well worth it. Trick is knowing when that should be, and in storing it properly until then, but some basic DD can go a long way there.
sorry for the digression,
tekboy/Ares@wino.com |
