Are the Not Yet Ready to Drink Wines Really the Best?

I'll admit it; I'm one of those people. I think most exceptional wines are not anywhere near as good when very young as they are with some age on them. That doesn't mean you have to celler them for so long that even your kids won't be around to enjoy them, but I do think that they become far more complex and interesting when some of the fruit has dissipated and some of the dryer, earthier, savory tones have come through. 

I read an article recently suggesting how boorish I am and others are. In a nutshell, the article asked what in the world is wrong with drinking a fruit, tannin, and alcohol bomb, Why can't I enjoy a tannic enough to make me pucker for months, 17% alcohol by volume fruit forward, overripe Cabernet from an excessively hot vintage in Napa?

I can. And, I have. And, I've often enjoyed them. So, maybe I'm not entirely one of those people.

But, the more I learn about wine and the more I drink wine with food, the more that I like my wine to enhance my food experience and vice versa. It's a really rare wine (dessert wines might be an exception because I rarely eat dessert) that I would say is so good that it is difficult to find a food to enhance it. 

When we consider that high alcohol, ultra-tannic, fruit bomb, what exactly will it enhance? That's difficult to say. Lots of fat and lots of salt to calm the tannins would work. But, I am not a fan overly fatty, overly salty food (yes, there are exceptions such as the overly salty smoked salmon known as lox). For my tastes, as much as I might (or might not) like the wine I described, I just can't imagine drinking it with lean beef, most other meats, any vegetables, or seafood. It would be too overwhelming.

Age it some, however. 

The alcohol content will usually come down just a bit. Tannins will round and soften. The fruit bomb will turn into just fruit and some savory and earthy elements will come to the fore. Now, it's both more complex and more flexible. In my world, those are good things. And, that is why I like to give my ageworthy wines some time.

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