How do you tell if a Bordeaux is fit for ageing? What qualities in a young wine give it away?

Question

I'm looking to build a cellar and I have access to almost any French wine I want while living in Brussels.

Answer 1

Track record -- look for tasting notes and drinkability dates on www.cellartracker.com or use Hugh Johnsons annual pocket wine book to see which old wines he is recommending for drinking now.

Traditionally Bordeaux reds needed to be aged to make them drinkable, but in the past few years there have been major changes in winemaking practices in Bordeaux -- influenced by Robert Parker's tastes, and (as they say in financial adverts) past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. Anyone who recommends a drinking window for young wines is guessing, and as a long time buyer of Bordeaux Iam aware of how often opinion changes. Vintages that are supposed to be good keepers just fade, others which are written down at the time turn out to be pretty good.

Basically -- the more serious, i.e. expensive the wine is, the better it will age.

I am speaking from an English view point -- the Britsih are reckoned to like their Bordeaux a lot older then teh French. It all comes down to personal taste.

Suggest you get a good book on Bordeaux and start studying form.

Answer 2

i think some of these answers are very pompous. When i was in the military putting my life on the line for you and this country i went more than a year without. Right now there are hundreds and thousands of men and women over seas going without every day. Knowing that there country and there loved ones wait for them at home. So i think the only answer is yes for your freedom, the answer is yes and every damn bit of the real men can.

Answer 3

Pop a bottle, or trust somebody else who has. The primary purpose for the ageing is to soften the tannins to your taste, so you can get a good guess.