I’m curious what criteria or standards people use when they label a wine as too young?
For me, personally, a wine is too young when it is strongly tannic to the point that it is difficult to drink. It is that simple.
But I know people who say certain bottles of Burgs, Bordeaux, and Barolo are too young at 10 and 20 years old, even though the fruit and tannins may have dissipated and the wine is easy drinking.
To your latter example, the poster is likely wanting more tertiary / developed flavors / aromas. The tannins have resolved and the wine is accessible, but not at the stage of development the drinker wants.
When it is giving very little or no real pleasure.
When it’s still fermenting.
Actually, I like most wine young but then, I try to buy only wine that will drink young.
I like Bordeaux pretty tertiary. For everything else, it’s only too young if it’s shut down.
Less than half your age plus 7 traditionally
If the grapes were harvested like this…
Even then…
I don’t mind firm tannins, so that is seldom an issue for me. For me, wines are too young if they have excessive fermentation aromas (esters), oak that is not integrated, or very young reds where the color is not stable yet (which always tend to taste a bit incomplete).
heh
Generally, never too young. If a winery deems their wine is ready to release, I will and have drank many on release. I like to taste the evolution of wine, so if I have multiple bottles, I will likely drink a bottle earlier than suggested “drinking windows”. Worst case, if a wine is too tannic/young, longer decanting or just pop the cork back in and taste it over the next day or two or more.
I’ll add another factor. When receiving wine shipments from any source, especially wineries, I never pop a bottle upon receipt. I always allow it to lay down at least a week, sometimes a year. I believe that giving a bottle or case of wine, that has bounced across country or oceans, a chance to rest and resolve is a good thing.
Even at the restaurant I typically don’t allow new arrivals out for at least a week, and they’ve only came 150-250 miles from a distribution wear house.
When it’s closed down aromatically and you get all tannins or oak.
I agree with many of the things already said and consider them ways in which a wine may be too young (closed down aromatically, wall of tannins, oak sticking out, etc.).
But there is an important other aspect for me - I find a wine too young when it is not yet showing what makes it unique or special. Or when it’s not yet showing its personality. For instance, to me, young DRC is just really good pinot. It may very well be delicious, but it’s not La Tache (or whatever) yet.
Since I buy great wine mostly to experience their unique personalities, if it’s still obscured by fairly generic youthful elements, it’s too young, no matter how good it tastes.
I like drinking wine throughout its life cycle, so usually I’ll open wines on release, and earlier than many people. That said I usually get enough bottles to be able to do that. If I only have a single bottle of a wine I’ll try to drink it at a time when I know it will be ready.
On the flip side, what is too old?
When it talks back disrespectfully.
Lots of good answers above. Unless I missed a post, I think for me the additional trait on when certain types of wines are too young, is when they are remarkably primary, or should I say, “grape-y”.
I might be repeating what’s been said but one indicator to me that a wine is too young to be considered ‘ready to drink’ is sensing direct, almost unmediated fruit and herb notes. Another is just not sensing much of anything. Often it’s a combination of the two. A too young wine can still be worth drinking for various reasons, not least of which is to try to assess what it might become. But it shouldn’t be evaluated as presenting in its fullness.
By the way, here’s a prior conversation on the subject of the sensory experience of wine age: https://www.wineberserkers.com/t/describing-wine-primary-secondary-and-tertiary-notes/306591/3. There’s quite a bit in this conversation – links to articles on age (primary, secondary, tertiary) notes and more.
I think this is a good heuristic. Everyone will have their own personal preference for the ‘sweet spot’ of expression, but the same criteria could be used on the other end, as eventually older wines begin to converge and lose personality as well.
I even like barrel tasting, so it’s all part of the fun and learning as I go.