Wine too old?

[Antny]

Hi, I am a true newbie to wine, but I do enjoy learning. My question is about the ageing of wines. Can a wine be bought and kept too long and then "go bad"? Or do most/all wines get better with age?
I just opened a bottle of Turning Leaf Merlot 1997 that seems to me to be somewhat light in color. It also has some gritty looking substance that shows on the glass. I read in another thread that the precipitant is normal to be seen at the bottom of the bottle, but this is in the very first glass from the bottle. Am I safe drinking this, or should I discard this wine??
Thanks in advance

[Kcwhippet]

Turning Leaf is a lower tier label from Gallo, the folks who brought you Bartles and James wine coolers. While they do make some nice wines now, Turning Leaf is not being given a whole lot of attention to make them a top tier wine. The 1997 Merlot should probably have been drunk by 1999 at the latest.

[This message has been edited by Kcwhippet (edited 08-22-2003).]