Saturday April 24th, 2010
11am -8pm
All Day Long (or as long as they last!)
Tasting at SOUTHPARK:
1987 Domaine Tempier Bandol
1992 Signorello Napa Valley Cabernet
1994 Coto de Imaz Rioja Reserva
1985 Talosa Riserva Vino Nobile de Montepulciano
Tasting at BLAKENEY:
| 1987 Domaine Tempier Bandol 1989 Stag's Leap Winery Merlot 1989 Saintsbury Piont Noir Carneros 1989 Ridge Geyserville 1997 Ridge Mazzoni Home Ranch
Once I reached a certain age (I'm going to be purposefully vague about the exact number), I began to appreciate others persons of a certain age. Where once I might have chuckled cynically about a starlet's return to the screen after a decade or two of absence, or I might have done some eye rolling over a nostalgic song, now I am more attentive. The charms of Sophia Loren may be hard for the young to grasp, but she is no less charming to me. Who knows; I might even care that Demi Moore is coming back to the cinema. Or not. You kids may not know who Demi is, but some of her charms are on display on YouTube. But if an actor's worth can be measured by his or her ability to stir something inside us, and I believe that to be truer than that she is simply "hot", then age could help. Meryl Streep's abilities have grown with time; they've not diminished. I guess that's not a great comparison; she was never really hot. She was way more interesting than that. But more to the point, wine, at least the best among wines, is supposed to get better with age. It drops its painted color, its boldly theatrical fruits, its spicy barrel character, and its dramatic and gritty textures, and develops a subtler persona. Where loud emoting was its mode; whispered gentility now should hold the audience spellbound. Truth be told, that's the ideal. Most wines never make it that far. Most are consumed a few hours after purchase, and indeed, they should be. Only the best improve with time (and therein lies my best advice to collectors – only buy the best), and even that can be hard to predict. Some people believe that power and intensity offer the best indication as to which wines will best age. I prefer to think of balance as the leading indicator; power alone says nothing about balance. And perhaps more importantly, few wine consumers today have experience with aged wines. More's the pity. Those of us who love mature wines feel the same disconnection that Turner Classic Movie channel devotees must feel when someone doffs 3-D glasses to view the latest vapid but kaleidoscopic sci-fi thriller. Sure, it's showy and loud, but what's it actually saying? Of course, there's visceral enjoyment to these extravaganzas, but variety is the spice and so forth. And just as there are other, quieter movies, there are other attributes to older wines. This weekend, I've dragged a few old actors out of the cellar, just so we can see if any have blossomed into something interesting, maybe even seeming to say something, even if only in a whisper.
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