Aging Wine

[wondersofwine]

Welcome to the Wine Board. We can use a source from Napa to report on wines you taste.
Does aging make the wine more robust?
Probably not.
Cabernet Sauvignon is by nature a fairly tannic wine (tannins from grape skins and seeds and stems as well as from new oak barrels.) Therefore, some of the best Napa Cabernet Sauvignon wines need ten or more years of cellaring (at proper temperatures and humidity) to integrate the tannins with the fruit for optimum drinking pleasure. If the wine tasted weak or light, it may have lacked the tannin content you are used to in other wines you've had. Perhaps that winery removes the stems to control tannins. The age of the vines may also contribute to a robust taste (concentrated grapes from an older, lower-producing vine in comparison to a younger, high-producing vine.) Winoweenie is our expert on Cabernet Sauvignon. Maybe he'll add his thoughts.

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 01-02-2008).]