My friends Brad and Vicky found themselves in a situation that will be familiar to many wine enthusiasts — in addition to wine for every day drinking their wine refrigerator contained a few odd bottles of special 
wines that they had been given or otherwise acquired over the years, and that they were saving for that Special Occasion. The trouble being, of course, no occasion ever seemed quite special enough to open these oh-so-special bottles, so they continued to just sit there.
Well, I have seen this state of affairs before and know that all too often it ends unhappily. So I persuaded them that we should have a dinner, pull a few corks and try these venerable wines. I even offered to contribute a few bottles of my own to demonstrate that my advice was not entirely motivated by self interest, and a date was set.
As you have probably guessed, the wines were, at best, a mixed bag, but that did not prevent us from enjoying a thoroughly convivial time. Of the three great bottles we tried that evening, Châteaux Montrose 1989, Mouton Rothschild 1985 and Lynch-Bages 1987 only one of them, the Montrose, was in peak condition. The other two, the Mouton and Lynch-Bages were not undrinkable, they were just flat and lifeless. This often happens to great wine that has not been stored properly, and is no reflection on the quality of these great properties.
The Chateau Montrose 1989 ($245-$285 on wine-searcher.com) however was at it’s absolute peak, and quite wonderful. Soft, mellow and dusty it still retained glowing dark berry fruit flavors along with a robust acidity. Then there were all those wonderful forest floor elements you get in great old Bordeaux; wet leaves, leather, cinnamon and cedar. But the best part of the experience was watching how the wine changed and evolved with time – each glass, each sip even, revealed new layers of nuanced, beguiling complexity.
This is the wonder of great wine for me – the combination in one glass of both sensual and intellectual pleasures.
There is also a salutary lesson here – there are some wines for which no occasion seems special enough, so follow Brad and Vicky’s example, not to mention Miles in the movie Sideways, and drink it now. However, like Brad and Vicky, but unlike Miles, be sure to drink it with appreciative friends and so create your own memorable occasion.
Bravo!
What it is all about.
I’m a great believer in the “carpe diem” school of thought.
The problem here is storage! Keeping wine in a fridge is not a good idea!!! Mouton 1985 is the best of the First Growths that vintage which was itself a good 5 star year and the wine should be at its best until 2015. The Lynch Bages 1987 was from a poor 2 star year and had passed its best by 2000. The Montrose 1989 was from another 5 star vintage which needs ageing probably until 2030!!!!
In reference to Ronnie’s comment above I need to clarify one point. The wines were stored in a WINE refrigerator in the recent past, not a normal kitchen fridge, but how they were stored before they got there is probably the root of the problem.
Nick
Ref N.P above:- a fridge is a fridge–probably too cold!!!! I have never heard of a WINE fridge here in the U.K.
Wine kept too cold is nearly always “flat and lifeless” as N.P. found……see commentary above.
Hmm, dear Ronnie. I have lived in NYC and in London (and Paris), and I can say that Eurocaves and Vinotecs are quite common on both sides of the “great pond.” Moreover, they are remarkably good at keeping fine wines fine. I haven’t invested in one myself as I have the good fortune to have friends with better cellars and reasons for a wine fridge than me.
Dear Penelope. Of course I know about Eurocaves etc. but they ain’t called “fridges” on this side of the pond! They are called “wine storage units” and are very good provided they are well maintained in regard to temperature control. A pity that N.P. had such poor results from the three bottles he tasted recently as the producers work hard in search of quality.