Lots of wine...don't know if it's any good

[etr]

I'm not a wine expert at all, but I was wondering how I would know if an
older (1997) bottle of Beaujolais-Villages, Georges Duboeuf is still good?
How can I tell if ANY wine is good after certain years? Are there certain
wines that keep and others that must be drank immediately?

Thanks for any assistance you can provide me.

[Innkeeper]

Hi Etr, and welcome to the Wine Board. It good well be good. I wouldn't go out and buy one much older than a 2000. The only way to know for sure, is to pop it and see. In this case I don't even know if you should have something else in reserve.