Another Ageing Lesson

[Innkeeper]

We sort of lost control of the last thread on ageing, so I thought I'd start a new one. For our novice friends, I would like to walk you through an ageing decision.

This morning we received a shipment from Southern Hemisphere Wines in LA. Included were two bottles of 1999 Warrabilla, Victoria, Petite Sirah. On the back label the winemaker says, "My wines are soft enough to enjoy now, but will benefit considerably from ageing." That sent my antennae atwitter.

Then I remembered the last time I opened a petite sirah prematurely: http://www.wines.com/ubb2/Forum22/HTML/000120.html Nothing like being called a baby killer by the moderator. The rest of the '98 Tobin James PS is tagged for '06!

So, when should the Warrabilla be opened. Well the winemaker is right, not only his, but most Australian wine tends to be softer than their counterparts from California. Therefore, since I have the '98 California timed for '06, will give the '99 Australian a two year benifit of the doubt, and time the Warrabilla that arrived today for '05.

Hey that's only a little more than three years from now, and I've got storage facilities.