"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen [tasted]." - St. Paul
It was with great trepidation that I discovered in a recent issue of the Wine Spectator that virtually no American table wines other than Cabernet Sauvignon should be cellared longer than eight or nine years. At least, none of the current crop being reported. Even the noble Cabernet was given a limited venue and I was advised to "start drinking [my] 1984, 1985, and 1986s." As though I hadn't already.
The article prompted me to take a quick inventory of my cellar. To my great dismay, more than 10% of my wine was already over the hill. And not all of these were Cabernets. There were Merlots in peril; the Spectator warned that these would most likely be herbal and weedy. All the old Chardonnays...gone, unless I happened to possess the very best bottles. The Zinfandels ("drink now through...") - gone. And since nobody in this hemisphere knew how to make Pinot Noir 10 years ago, my few remaining examples were beyond hope. Despair reigned.
But it is at our moment of greatest distress that God speaks to us. "Out of the depths, I call to Thee," said the Psalmist; "O let me not be ashamed." Might God have saved the old Pinots to deliver me from embarrassment?
Wine collectors are a lot like saints. They strive in the face of almost insurmountable temptation to exercise the classic virtues of patience, self-discipline, and faith. It is faith that drives them, when told by those who know about such things that their wine will peak in seven to nine years, to hold it for 15 or 20. And for what purpose? If the wine is guaranteed to be delicious in nine years, why hold out any longer? Because they have renounced the world and its delusions, preferring, rather, the vicissitudes of faith, mindful that God rewards the faithful.
For some time I have restricted myself to wines marked "Drink Now" in my cellar inventory. My thirst for the Cabernet Sauvignon family goes largely unfulfilled, either because the wine is just too expensive for me to drink alone or because those who know about such things say it is not yet ready. Unknown Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet Francs are always held at least five years. It does not require a great act of faith to do this. Even Cabernets vinted for the short haul drink well after such a limited cellaring. But the thought of precious Merlots evolving steadily into compost is enough to try the faith of any wine-loving saint.
