Zinfandel

[wondersofwine]

WW is one of our Cabernet Sauvignon experts and he usually gives the California cabs ten years at least after vintage before consuming. He is drinking the '94 vintage now. (An off vintage such as 1998 might be consumed sooner.) It also depends on the style of the wine. Producers who use new oak barrels for storing the wine prior to bottling produce wines with more tannin that may take longer to integrate all elements of the wine. Wine stored in older barrels may have less tannin and be ready to drink earlier. Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve may indicate a wine that would develop and improve with some aging (although I don't think the US laws really regulate what is labeled "reserve." It's more up to the producer to decide if it's a regular or reserve wine.)
Some prefer Zinfandels within four years of vintage but others like the better zins with some age. I think since you don't intend to have a large cellar, you might as well consume them young for now. If you like Cab ernet Sauvignon or go into classified Bordeaux or such, you might considered setting aside a few bottles for aging. They should be kept in a dark, cool place where they aren't exposed to lots of light, great variation of temperature or vibration. Keeping them at 55 degrees is an ideal, but mine are not in a wine cellar or storage unit and are exposed to temperatures from 62 to 70 degrees. Prolonged exposure to temperatures over 70 may harm the wines or age them prematurely.