You`ll appreciate your older wine more than it appreciated

From time to time, readers with one or two older wines will write or e-mail to inquire about the value of their wine. All, no doubt, are optimistic they are sitting on a gold mine.

This is seldom the case, though it`s generally difficult to fix an accurate price on any single bottle of wine, even a wine from a glamorous producer in a great vintage.

If you happen to have the good fortune of holding a mature bottle of wine, the best advice I can give is this: Get out the corkscrew, open it carefully and enjoy.

But should the urge to cash out overcome the clearly more aesthetically pleasing option of actually drinking an older vintage, there are a few things to keep in mind.

1) The mature wine isn`t worth much if it hasn`t been properly cellared. A real collector or savvy wine merchant will know. They will check the ullage (how far down into the shoulder of the bottle the wine has receded through evaporation) and the condition of the cork.

Some evaporation through the cork is expected; the amount depends on the age of the wine. What no one wants to see is evidence of seepage around the cork. That`s a sure sign a wine has been stored improperly. The best way to store wine is on its side in a cool, dark place.

2) Never expect to receive what the wine is worth. A wine merchant will only pay the amount that will allow for a decent profit on the resale, and a serious wine collector generally has so many sources that only the rarest wines will fetch top-dollar.

3) Not all wines improve with age. Not all wines increase in value.

4) The older wines most likely to be coveted by collectors and rare wine merchants are: classified Bordeaux; grand cru Burgundy; A-list California cabernet; vintage port from the great years only; vintage Champagne from the top houses only; rare Barolo from the handful of top producers; TBA German wines; a handful of Super Tuscan wines and the handful of Australia`s most famous wines.

If you aren`t holding a wine that fits into one of those groupings, you most likely aren`t sitting on a pot of gold. So, got a corkscrew?

WINE FINDS

The most outstanding wines are rated Exceptional. Wines that earn high marks for complexity, balance and flavor are rated Very Good. Wines that represent excellent quality for the price are rated Good Value. Note that wines rated Good Value are evaluated against the standard for their price category, not each other. For those who prefer the 100-point scale, the corresponding numerical ratings follow each recommendation.

Exceptional:

The Holy Trinity 1997, Barossa, Australia ($33), is a brooding, masculine red wine from Australia`s most renowned wine-growing district. Grant Burge gets a great deal of heft from this blend of grenache, shiraz and mourvedre, a recipe that generally produces lighter, fruitier wines. This is a spicy, jammy big boy, with exceptional power, depth and complexity. Far too young to drink now. (Score: 95)

Guyon 1998 Meursault "Charmes," France ($55) comes from one the most distinctive chardonnay vineyards in all of Burgundy, a place that produces steely, flinty white wines that age remarkably well. The Guyon is intense and powerful in the mouth, flinty and exhibiting more mineral character than fruit, against a backdrop of baked brioche. A perfect candidate for extended cellaring. (Score: 92)

Grant Burge 1998 "Filsell" Shiraz, Barossa, Australia ($25), epitomizes what the world has come to think of as "Aussie" shiraz. That means lots of vanilla spice and violets on the nose, plenty of juicy, plummy fruit on the palate and outstanding length in the mouth. The vintage was the best in recent memory in the Barossa. (Score: 91)

Orfila 1998 "Val de la Mer" Syrah, San Pasqual Valley ($24), may surprise and confound some experts who can`t quite believe Southern California can produce red wine of this quality, but winemaker Leon Santoro`s secret is simple. Santoro, a Napa Valley transplant, chose a syrah clone from the outstanding Joesph Phelps vineyards in the Napa Valley and planted on a site that is primarily well-drained decomposed granite and sand, similar to the soils of the southern Rhone Valley of France, where syrah is king. The Orfila Syrah can compete with its distant cousins from France and Australia, but its style is strictly California. This is a voluptuous red wine, plump and ripe and ready to drink now. (Score: 90)

Very Good:

Matrot 1998 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Chalumeaux" ($50) has evolved nicely in the bottle, developing an intensely smoky nose with hints of butterscotch and brioche. The rich, full-bodied palate shows plenty of fleshy pear fruit and persistence of flavor. (Score: 89)

Joseph Phelps 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($40), makes up for in elegance and finesse what it lacks in power and concentration. This is a beautifully balanced Napa Valley cab, ultra-smooth and sleek, ready to drink now with modest aging potential. Very pretty aromas of black cherry, currant, vanilla spice and sweet cedar. (Score: 89)

Chateau St. Jean 1998 "Robert Young" Chardonnay, Alexander Valley ($25), has always been a complex chardonnay: layers of pear, apple, spices and citrus. This vintage is no exception but, for a change, the influence of oak fermentation and aging appears to be restrained and the pure, bright fruit has more of a say in the overall impression. This is the sort of rich, fat chardonnay U.S. consumers love, and thankfully it is neither a butterball nor over-oaked. (Score: 89)

Black Opal 1998 Barossa Shiraz, Australia ($16), blows away most wines in this price range with its opulent fruit and vanilla, pepper and mint nuances that are exotic in this combination. This was a fabulous vintage in the Barossa. (Score: 88)

Baileyana 1998 Zinfandel, Paso Robles ($17), isn`t as overripe as many Zins from this region of California`s Central Coast, reflecting perhaps winemaker Christian Roguenant`s European roots. He goes for elegance here (not always an oxymoron when used in connection with zinfandel) and nails it as much or more than any Zin from the area. Spicy pure red and black briary fruits, the subtle scent of vanilla and medium body on the palate. (Score: 88)

Good Value:

Pepi 1999 Pinot Grigio, Oregon ($12), marks a stylistic departure for Pepi, the Napa Valley winery that has done the most to promote development of Italian grape varieties in California. The grapes for this vintage were sourced from Oregon`s Willamette Valley and fermented in stainless steel tanks to retain freshness, crispness and the floral characteristics of the grape. Though this wine lacks the intensity and power of the best pinot grigio from Alto-Adige or Friuli, it`s definitely headed in the right direction. (Score: 87)

Loimer 1999 Gruner Veltliner, Langenloiser, Austria ($15), has enough fleshy pear fruit to satisfy as a sipper before dinner, and enough mineral/lime juice/anise complexity to stand up to food. Aromatic, well-balanced and overall a steal of a white wine at this price. (Score: 87)

Tollot-Beaut 1998 Chorey-Cote-de-Beaune ($24) has an absolutely gorgeous nose and spicy-red fruit aromas that hit all the right red Burgundy notes. This is Burgundy for early consumption and works better with food than as a sipper because of a slightly bitter finish that some might consider stemmy. (Score: 86)

Weingartner 1999 Gruner Veltliner Federspiel, Austria ($10), is steely, crisp and refreshing, a perfect match with cold dishes and fresh shellfish. This austere style will appeal to those with more of the European bent for mineral and citrus/acid characteristics in their white wines. (Score: 85)

Columbia Crest 1999 Semillon, Washington ($9), is a light quaffer that will give modest pleasure as either a sipper or food wine because of it`s crisp structure and pleasing fig and citrus essences. (Score: 82)

SPIRIT OF THE WEEK

There are serious ports for the wine collector and nestled-by-the-fire quaffing ports for the everyday wine drinker. The Calem Old Friends Fine Ruby ($13) is the latter, a fresh, fruity, light-bodied ruby port for pleasant, but not serious sipping - perfect in front of the fire with a selection of hard and semi-soft cheeses.

SERVING SUGGESTION

The ritual of wine service in Italy can have its practical side. Better restaurants will open and decant a good red wine, then season each glass to be served with a small amount of wine that is passed from glass to glass after swirling to coat the inside. Seasoning of the glass eliminates any off aromas picked up from the china cupboard or the kitchen. And, in the right wine steward`s hands, it`s good theatre, too!

HOT LINK

Visit Robert Whitley online or send e-mail to him at whitonwine@aol.com.

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Robert Whitley