Red wine ageing potential

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How long can I keep a bottle of red wine? Which wine should I buy to lay down? Questions we often ask ourselves.

Some wine improve with age but contrarily to popular belief, around 90 % of red wine are meant to be drunk fairly young (2 to 3 years). There are also many influencing factors including: location, production and weather! 
Here is a very simplified overview (this does not include all cepage) of red-wine aging potential. 

  • Nebbiolo ~20 years
  • Aglianico ~20 years
  • Cabernet Sauvignon ~10–20 years
  • Tempranillo ~10–20 years
  • Sangiovese ~7–17 years
  • Merlot ~7–17 years
  • Syrah ~5–15 years
  • Pinot Noir ~10 years (longer for Bourgogne)
  • Malbec ~10 years
Let's focus on a variety of cepage, some of them fairly unknown: 
  • Cabernet Sauvignon: highly variable because there is a wide range of quality levels and regions. Look for wines with deep colour, moderately low pH (e.g. higher acidity), balanced alcohol levels, and noticeable tannins.
  • Merlot: become softer and often more smoky (think tobacco) with age. Right-bank Bordeaux is a great place to start with ageing Merlot.
  • Monastrell: (also known as Mourvèdre) has extremely high tannin and colour. Usually used as a part of a blend. In the Bandol region of Provence, this grape doesn’t usually does not deliver exceptional taste until after at least 10 years of aging when it becomes rich, peppery, rustic flavours.
  • Tempranillo: one of the best varieties to age long-term. Rioja has a classification system built around ageing.
  • Sangiovese: can age long-term because Sangiovese has such spicy acidity. Over time, this wine mellows out and produces sweet figgy notes. 
  • Nebbiolo: from the regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, wines with incredibly high tannin that softens and seems to sweeten over time.
  • Xinomavro: up-and-coming collectible option from Greece, Xinomavro is reminiscent of Nebbiolo, with the best age-worthy examples delivering exceptionally high tannin.
  • Aglianico almost undrinkable until it aged for at least a decade. These wines reveal extremely savoury and compelling flavours of cured meats and tobacco.
Source of information from Wine Folly


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