I hate to wait!

[hhhanson]

I've been infatuated with wine now for a year and a half. One big frustration is reading about supposed great wines, buying some, then having to wait who knows how long before they reach maturity. The problem is spending $70 or so for something that I'm not sure I'll like as well as "the people that know" (magazines). I'd consider purchasing more of these but I don't want to end up with a bunch of $70 bottles of wine I think are just OK. The 3 examples I have in my basement are:
97 Brunello
98 Quilceda Creek Cab
99 Leonetti Cab
So the real question is. What characteristics of a good wine change while aging? If I drink a young wine, will the potential greatness be evident, just with a lot of tannins?

Thanks,
Harry