Article: To Have or to Hold
France continues to benefit from some excellent vintages this decade. It is unusual that vintages like 2005 and 2009 and, to some extent 2010 as well, are universally good across the board. Perhaps this is down to global warming or perhaps it is down to greater wisdom, knowledge and technical expertise on the part of the vignerons.
As I’ve commented on previous occasions, wines are delivered from the vine to our door in increasingly ‘user-friendly’ styles. Gone are the days where we were advised to cellar the wine for a decade or more before getting the corkscrew out with some trepidation.
Better viticulture, grape maturity and gentler and more sophisticated handling in the cellar have resulted in wines that can be fruity, supple and are attractive young. However, it would be untrue to say that all French wines have become ‘New World’ in style.
There is more fruit for sure and a better management of the tannins, but also many of the wines we choose for Partners illustrate very clearly a sense of place. Their particular story can be magnified and elaborated with time. Anyone who has tasted an older vintage of Gilles Sorin’s Coteaux du Layon, Pierre Baur’s Grand Cru Riesling or the Caslot’s Bourgeuil Vieilles Vignes for example, will know exactly what I mean. The French call it terroir.
The downside of the more modern, approachable style is that many of these wines tend not to age so well. The answer isn’t completely clear yet, but has something to do with less use of sulphur than once was the case (SO2 is used in winemaking as an antioxidant and helps prevent bacterial problems.) It may also be due to the ‘minimal handling’ philosophy of winemakers which is very à la mode today. Less human intervention and very gentle, aneorobic handling in the winery means freshness, fruitiness and flavour is preserved, but can lead to some wines ageing less well; white burgundies in particular.
Our vintage chart provided to Partners each year is a guide for optimum drinking time, however it doesn’t take into account your personal preferences. It presumes the wine is kept and stored in good conditions. Remember, the wine prefers laying on its side in reasonably cool temperatures (10-12 degrees is ideal) with a little bit of humidity and as little natural light as possible. It is fine if you store your wine at higher temperatures, but it will age quicker. The most important thing is to avoid extremes of temperature.
In general, most whites are best drunk young and fresh. Many of the reds will keep, but again most can be enjoyed young and fresh. Sometimes, it is worth double decanting red wines prior to serving; even relatively humble wines may benefit. This simply involves pouring into a jug, and then back into bottle again, carefully capturing any deposit. It can be surprising how this simple task can open up a relatively stubborn wine.
Concerning wine serving temperature (I get asked about this a lot) … as a general rule, don’t serve the whites too cold and do resist the temptation to serve your reds warm. In general the lighter the red, the cooler it can be served. If served warm, it can taste flabby and lose some of its aromatic appeal.
Finally, it is worth remembering that wines rarely evolve linearly. In other words, they can go through phases during their cellaring when they might taste rather backward and unattractive. This might be particularly relevant for age worthy wines from Bordeaux or Burgundy from great vintages. For example, there are many 2005s from these regions which are not showing at their best just now. However, as long as there is fruit, colour and structure, then it is likely that the wine will evolve into something complex and delightful at some stage in the future. Knowing just when can be tricky, but I do hope that our chart will help.
