Aged wine can be the best of
pleasures if not aged to excess. Here are some things I have learned in 20
years of making wine.
First of all, you age only red
wines. A common mistake is to try to age white wines which don’t have the
tannic structure that improves during aging. And even when you age red wines
there are two common problems.
The first is to let the bottle
temperature rise above 75° for a length of time. That kills the wine! Not only
a low temperature but also a constant temperature is needed for aging. I have
carelessly ruined wine by leaving it too long in a regular refrigerator whose
temperature cycling makes the cork breathe to an excess. After a few months the
wine is gone.
Our cave has proven to be an
ideal environment for aging wines. During the whole year the temperature stays
within the range of 60° to 62°. From summer to winter you experience just one
2° temperature cycling.
Current
releases remain in the perfect cave conditions until they are shipped, ready to
be enjoyed!
Pallets
of future Cabernet Sauvignon bottle aging in the deepest tunnel of the cave.
A second problem, is to leave red
wines aging for too many years. Some of the lighter reds start going down hill
only 7 or 8 years from harvest, and the more full bodied wines with higher
phenols (tannins) may start losing flavor and color after 15 years. Half
bottles age about 40% faster than standard size bottles since corks with the
same diameter are used, and relatively more oxygen is breathed into the half
bottles through the cork. Many of our customers are discovering that Jarvis
Magnums (1.5 liter), Double Magnums (3 liter) and our Imperial (6 liter) size
respond well after being cave aged for a few years. I believe these larger size
bottles profit the most from extended aging.
We have all heard of aged wines,
more than 50 or 60 years old, selling at fantasy prices. But those are very
special cases, not the real world for me.
FIRES!
Many of you have asked about
damage to our crop from this year’s California fires. The only thing is that
the sun is not so bright on those big fire days so our crop may be a day or two
later than normal. Also our solar cells which power the entire winery lost a
little of their output due to the haze.
William and Leticia Jarvis
Recently we conducted a Cabernet
Sauvignon vertical tasting of our 2000, 2001 and 2002 vintages. Each vintage is
so unique we thought we would share our notes with you. As always and unique to
Jarvis, these are 100% Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, no blending.
Aged 24 months in New French Oak
barrels, bottle aged 3 years prior to release in 2005.
With aging the tannins in this
wine have softened and become very round. The 2000 has deeper, darker fruit
characteristic and a bit of an earthy edge to it , which is very classic of
Napa cabernet. This wine is drinking very well now and pairs beautifully with
rich foods.
This wine is aged to perfection
and is ready to enjoy to its fullest. We recommend decanting this wine.
Aged 24 months in New French Oak
barrels, bottle aged 3 years prior to release in 2006.
2001 is regarded as a spectacular
vintage for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and this wine shows you why with
superb body and balance along with a tamed intensity. This wine has a rich nose
of ripe berries with a hint of maple syrup. Notes of dark cherry and currants
as well as chocolate contribute to a long silky finish. This is a very elegant
wine - especially after time to open by decanting. This vintage will age well
for years to come.
This wine is fully ready to enjoy
now and will continue to age for several years. We recommend decanting this
wine.
Aged 20 months in New French Oak
barrels, bottle aged 3 years prior to release in 2007.
The 2002 is our most current
release of Cabernet Sauvignon so it has some younger, brighter aromas – very
ripe red fruits: strawberries, cherries, raspberries, red currant, etc. On the
palate as well, the 2002 has some great fruit flavors and a bright acidity with
well balanced, but present tannins. This wine is a more fruit forward than the
2000 or 2001.
This wine is fully ready to enjoy
now and will continue to age several years.
