Guimaraens wrote:
I believe your 1985's were clearly in the 2nd stage when you first opened them, and they are now in their 3rd stage. I would have no problems with holding on to your 1985's for longer.
David
Dear David,
Thanks for the time for your thorough answer. I could see how the aguardiente quality could have affected this wine thorough its earlier stages (I've tasted it with consistent notes every four or five years, tasting the first time soon after its release, until I'd say about the year 2000).
I'm not alone in my assessment of the '1985 Taylor. After I purchased it I came across a tasting note from Robert Parker, who seemed to be describing the same midpalate sensation that I was getting. I'm also not alone in noting some slow but definite improvement in its more current performance, as I've read on this and other fora. When you think that I paid about $29 a bottle equivalent for the case I bought of this, I'm far from unhappy with the money spent.
Your doctrine about stages reminds me very much of what many of us over the years have worked out about aging of very old German white wine [my other area of first interest], which to me has some parallels in its own way to vintage Porto. Especially it's true that wines whose acid structure consists of a good measure of malic acid seem to have a very awkward adolescence, and it can be a real mistake to buy bottles of something, forget it for five or ten years, and then drink it up because you thiink it's going over the hill. Often it's just getting its breath for its display of characteristics that would be quite difficult to predict would be there earlier. A typical range of ages for late-harvested Riesling from all but the southernmost regions, for example, would be young up to three or four years, then about five through 13 to 15 years as adolescents, then 15 plus until a good old age--often fifty years or more for the best wines. Strange it is that this may be true when you think about the very different composition of port and, say, a Mosel Riesling Beerenauslese.
I'm now looking at about a half-case plus of the 2000 Taylor VP and will take what you said into consideration when trying to keep my hands off it for a few more years.
Thanks for taking the time to read and respond to my question.
If I'm allowed to make one other comment, I'd like to compliment you on this decade's Taylor LBVPs. I had found myself rather disappointed with the late-90s wines up to and including the 1999, but each I've had since has shown a real turnaround and improvement in quality, starting with the 2000, to talk in generalities. Congratulations!