What happens to late harvest California wines as they age??

[T_Melloni]

@John Morris

Do you know anything about the 1990 vintage? And was it a plain “Late Harvest” or the “Cluster Select Late Harvest”?

Thanks John.
It was the Cluster Select. I don’t know about the 1990 Vintage in Mendocino as to the potential impact on the level of acidity. The label indicates residual sugars at 19.2% by weight. Now some 11 days after being opened, it is still holding on. It retains that odd chemical element to it that it had upon opening together with the roasted hazelnuts and almond notes. It has not completely died.
I agree with the comment on Navarro; the wines I enjoy most from them have been consumed young. I particularly enjoy their grape juice.

@Enzo Ruffalo

T., you probably already know this but light doesn’t oxidize wines, oxygen is the culprit. Dark doesn’t keep things from browning whether it is wine, or an apple you’ve taken a bite of and put in your dark, cold fridge. Age, and oxygen do that. Heat exacerbates it.

Thanks Enzo.
I know that light in and of itself does not oxidize but thought that clear bottles may, in the presence of oxygen, be a factor if there are temperature fluctuations resulting from exposure to sunlight.
I have not yet had 25 year old Sauternes but i do have a 1988 Suduiraut that, while not quite the hue of Chablis, is an inviting straw color.

[TomHill]

@T. Melloni

On the color scale, where have folks been seeing late harvest wines with 15+ years of age?
My recent 20 year old Navarro late harvest Riesling was only slightly lighter than motor oil. Much darker than what I had expected. The bottle was dark green and the wine kept in a dark cellar so oxidation from light would not (should not) have been a factor.
T.

Yup…that’s pretty common w/ Calif LH whites. They turn a very dark brown color, not unlike a PX sometimes. Much more
so than their German counterparts. I would guess it because of lower SO2 levels at bttlg…but that’s just a guess.
Despite their dark brown/oxidized color; I find they’re still great as dessert wines.
Tom

[David_Bu3ker]

I’ve had several older Navarro cluster select wines (mid-80s or so) since 2001, and they all were very dark, but quite delicious, if a bit one-dimensional. When the botrytis gets old it can overwhelm the fruit, and you end up with something that is like dried apricots studded with cloves. Interesting, but hard to drink a lot of it.

I don’t recall the vintage, but last year I had a 1970s Freemark Abbey late harvest wine that was almost black, but still drinkable - though again dried, spiced apricots.

[T_Melloni]

Thanks David and Tom. A 20-year old late harvest wine was a new experience for me so the dark color was unexpected. (Like Keith sang in “Happy”, “Well I never kept a dollar past sunset” - most of my late harvest wines were often opened soon after release.)
I do have a Freemark Abbey Edelwein from 1991 (I think) still in the cellar so I now won’t be surprised if it is the color of Penzoil when I open it.
T.

[John_Morris]

@T. Melloni

I have not yet had 25 year old Sauternes but i do have a 1988 Suduiraut that, while not quite the hue of Chablis, is an inviting straw color.

Sauternes is a quite different beast because, in addition to sugar and acidity and botrytis, it is substantially higher in alcohol – usually 15-17% or so, which also helps to preserve it.

[Marshall_Gelb]

@Lou Kessler

We had a 83 Grains Noble from Weinbach last Saturday night, the wine was sound had a great nose but very litttle sweetness was left. Sandi was at the table and said sugar will drop out over a long period of time amount depending on the wine. This was my first experience of a dessert wine that had lost sugar content. You know I had cellared the wine properly.

Gracias Lou; I would love some other winemakers input. I will be seeing Sandi and John at the Loyola tasting but unfortunately, that is the week after our dinner/tasting with these older wines.

Cheers!
Marshall