The title says it all. What does it mean when a wine is ‘backward’?
In less PC days they would say retarded.
It means the wine is a long ways from enjoyable drinking, due to tannins and acidity overwhelming the fruit, plus undeveloped aromatics.
P Hickner
Peter nailed it.
So what is meant when someone says a wine is ‘young’? Does that mean the same thing? I was under the assumption that ‘young’ and ‘backwards’ were different things (and maybe they are). Is it possible that a ‘backward’ wine could become better with age? Thx.
To me backward shouldn’t be consumed yet. Too tannic, etc. Young wines on the other hand are consumable with more fruit forward profiles. You can be young without being backward. You can also be backward without being young.
The difference is a “young” wine can be very drinkable. Maybe it’s showing off a lot of fresh fruit at first. Maybe the components are there but it needs time to knit together.
It’s all wine syntax mumbo jumbo…basically the wine needs the cellar.
Young wine that’s all outta whack, inside out. Acidity, tannins, hollow midpalate, all with the assumption that the wine will correct itself in time.
Good discussion, thanks! Could someone give an example of a specific wine from a large producer who won’t care or be hurt by being included here? Like a wine owned by Constellation (obviously they don’t care about anybody’s opinion here).
Thanks again!
Anecdotally, I might even say that many times when ‘backwards’ is used in a tasting note, it implies that not only is the wine really wound up and needs to age, but that it has enough stuffing to turn out very nicely. Many wines are rough and tannic young, but don’t have the concentration or structure to last, and likely wouldn’t be called backward.
Any traditional Barolo or Sagrantino from a “classic vintage” will define it perfectly.
pretty much any red burg from Henri Gouges.
I would say the same.
Backward to me connotes a wine that’s very limited and linear across the spectrum and one with little to no aging potential. A young wine on the other hand may score a 93/94 points or higher based on potential. Such a wine can exhibit aromatic and flavor complexity albeit in very subtle and muted ways. That same wine could be impacted by high tannins or other structure component that will integrate over time, allowing the wine to reach its full potential.
Dunn Howell Mountain also has a reputation for being tannic monsters who take a long time to come around, so I think “backward” is an appropriate descriptor.