Considering a majority of American wine drinkers consume most of the wine they buy within 24 hours, it may seem odd that so many reviewers — myself included — make a big deal about longevity.
I was reminded of this when I recently dropped in on Gary Eberle, the Godfather of Paso Robles wine, and caught him in the act of opening Paso Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from the 1970s.
Those wines were produced in the Dark Ages of Paso wine, a time when the wines of that period were not highly regarded and easily overlooked. Some of the wine poured on this night was made at the Estrella River Winery in 1978 and 1979. Estrella at the time was a family owned winery, one of Paso’s most ambitious brands, and Gary was the winemaker.
He also poured Cabernet and Syrah from the early years of the Eberle Winery. All of the wines were 30 years old or more, and all were in excellent condition, even exhibiting primary fruit aromas and color you might have expected to be long gone.
Now I know you can’t just run out and buy a bottle of 30-year-old Eberle Cab for your cellar. There are only a few cases left in the world and Gary owns most of those.
My larger point, however, is the level of quality that is rightly associated with wine that possesses that kind of aging potential. Even if you intend to drink your purchase tonight, if you are truly interested in tasting great wine, look for one that has staying power.
You’ll never go wrong!
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