Aging: Helen Mirren or Keith Richards?

"Like a fine wine, I get better with age." It's an old adage that sounds nice, but we all know examples to the contrary. So how do you know if your wine is a Helen Mirren – one for whom the years only serve to undress her subtle beauty, grace, and style – or a Keith Richards – one that you wish had kept his clothes on? The key is that not all wines are "fine." In fact most aren't.

The truth is that 85-90% of wines produced worldwide are at their peak upon release and are meant to be drunk when you purchase them. As tastes are more and more influenced by a "new world" style of wine, that percentage may be growing. Life is uncertain, and people want good wine now, not in 20 years when we'll all be refugees in Antarctica. Yes, these non-fine wines can hang around for a year or two, and sometimes longer, but it's not going to make them taste any better. And depending on how you store them, that extra time may actually make them taste worse.

Pinot Noir tends to have very little tannic structure, the element that allows other bolder red wines like Cabs to age, so they are generally even less likely to improve with age. Even the most austere Pinot from Burgundy peaks at around 10 to 15 years... far from the 25+ years of aging needed to mature a good Bordeaux first growth (which are made with Cabernet Sauvingnon, Merlot, Cab Franc, and other more muscular grapes).

So how do you know if you have a bottle from the other 10%, the kind that are designed to age? Here's a good rule of thumb: the more affordable it is, the more likely it is that you should go ahead and enjoy it now. Those "fine" wines tend to be on the high end of the price scale.

Special Note: When you buy a Pinot Noir online it's a good idea to let it "settle" after delivery for at least a week or so before opening and drinking. In general Oregon Pinots may benefit from a few months, or even years, of aging, while California Pinots are less likely to need it. I'll be sure to let you know if I recommend something that you should sit on for a while.

Here's another adage: "Wine does improve with age. The older I get, the better I like it."