Cabernet Sauvignon help!

Posted:
in AppleOutsider edited January 2014
I've cleared out my cellar completely now and after moving the ancient racing bike (must be as old as the Penny Farthing MkII?) was surprised to find a crate of Cabernet Sauvignon behind the dead bodies (kidding - no really I am).



Here's the list:



1. Pargua 2000 (Chile)

2. Oracle 2001 South Africa)

3. Volnay 1999 Nicolas Potel (France)



There's a dozen bottles there, all unopened 750cl.



I know nothing about wine, drinking beer only.



Are any of the above drinkable? How do I know which ones have kept well and which have turned to vinegar? They're all made within the same year +/- 1.



It's the last cellar question - honest! (For this year at least).



Justin

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Justin View Post


    I've cleared out my cellar completely now and after moving the ancient racing bike (must be as old as the Penny Farthing MkII?) was surprised to find a crate of Cabernet Sauvignon behind the dead bodies (kidding - no really I am).



    Here's the list:



    1. Pargua 2000 (Chile)

    2. Oracle 2001 South Africa)

    3. Volnay 1999 Nicolas Potel (France)



    There's a dozen bottles there, all unopened 750cl.



    I know nothing about wine, drinking beer only.



    Are any of the above drinkable? How do I know which ones have kept well and which have turned to vinegar? They're all made within the same year +/- 1.



    It's the last cellar question - honest! (For this year at least).



    Justin



    I think you should be fine drinking any of them. That doesn't sound like a long time for wine as long as they weren't kept in extreme tempatures.
  • Reply 2 of 13
    You will not know their condition until uncorked, but 7 years old is not a long time at all. If you do some online research -- looking for reviews, etc -- some of them might just be drinkable now.
  • Reply 3 of 13
    hirohiro Posts: 2,663member
    Yes, reds keep exceptionally well as long as the cork does not dry out. As in decades well. but all you can do is open it up and give a sip top tell for sure.
  • Reply 4 of 13
    snoopysnoopy Posts: 1,901member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Justin View Post




    There's a dozen bottles there, all unopened 750cl.




    Hiro is correct. Red wine keeps a long time at cool temperatures. Corked wine should be stored on its side, not standing upright. In this position the cork will stay wet. Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the better, or at least more popular, dry red dinner wines. Enjoy it with red meat, not fish or poultry.



  • Reply 5 of 13
    mydomydo Posts: 1,888member
    I think #3 may be worth something. Google tells me the others cost less than $10 a bottle if I understand it. I think I was told that 14 years is the right aging time for wine. The price goes up as you reach the perfect age.



    Enjoy it.
  • Reply 6 of 13
    Jesus Christ, man!



    Did you suddenly remember you had a basement?
  • Reply 7 of 13
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hardeeharhar View Post


    Jesus Christ, man!



    Did you suddenly remember you had a basement?



    There's also a pot of gold, the Holy Grail, and slewis' sense of humor down there as well...
  • Reply 8 of 13
    If you stored them on their sides (to keep the cork moist), they are for sure in fine shape.



    I just drank a bunch of cabernets over Christmas. I had a Chilean one that was decent (forget the name), a French that was less than decent (Margaux), and a Californian that I liked a lot (Beaulieu Vineyards). All 2001. I also had a few other assorted cabs that I didn't remember.
  • Reply 9 of 13
    justinjustin Posts: 403member
    I'm not a huge red wine drinker (nor red meat) so it's a bit of a surprise to find all this in the cellar.



    Quote:

    Did you suddenly remember you had a basement?





    Well, kind of. I was travelling overseas for most of this year. It was a revelation to discover how little (materially) people live on. I came back to England and resolved to clear out the excess accumulating in the cellar....



    Trying to line up the bottles side-ways is really tricky. I got them balanced, and then suddenly they slipped and almost crashed, risking bottle-breaks!
  • Reply 10 of 13
    Just plug your nose and drink up... if it doesn't kill you, it must have been a good year.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    snoopysnoopy Posts: 1,901member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Justin View Post




    Trying to line up the bottles side-ways is really tricky. I got them balanced, and then suddenly they slipped and almost crashed, risking bottle-breaks!




    You should put them on the shelf with the cork facing toward you, so they role sideways. Put something on each side, to act as bookends to keep them in place. Or buy a wine rack where each bottle is held in place.



  • Reply 12 of 13
    You should give it to your mother-in-law...
  • Reply 13 of 13
    justinjustin Posts: 403member
    I was saving up the Baileys Cream for that occasion.



    Christmas dinner went down well though. I suspect the Baileys wouldn't have tasted out of place with the strange Bucks Fizz everyone else decided to have instead.



    Never mind! There's New Year celebrations http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/n...f_the_year.php



    and in the dark, no one will notice the sell-by-date! This one goes out to Ken Livingstone, our ego-obese mayor...
Sign In or Register to comment.