Question for the wine Connoisseurs

[JC86]

My Dad has kept a case each of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from both the 1980 and 1983 vintages. So we've got a total of 4 cases of really old wine that has been sitting in the garage for over 20 years. We live in southern California so the temp in the garage probably ranges from 40-70 degrees throughout the year.

My dad claims that this stuff is very valuable and plans on opening them for the reception for my brother's wedding, he was born in 1980. I am little wary of drinking this wine because it wasn't stored in any temperature controlled environment and basically left to gather dust in our garage for the past 20 + years. Is this stuff still drinkable or is it just paint thinner by now?

 

[Nitemare]

40-70 isn't that bad of a temp swing. Were they stored up right or on their side?

 

[jpeyton]

You would rather drink some Boone's Farm anyways; maybe their peach or strawberry cooler.

 

[OdiN]

Heat can actually be good for younger wine - but not the older stuff. Would have been best to have it in a cellar, which is rare in CA homes.

If he's going to use them for the reception - I would sample a bottle of each beforehand to see how it fared. It may have a lot of sediment in it so you don't just want to be pouring it out.

 

[jagec]

Well, the standard way of storing wine is to leave it gathering dust for decades...but usually in a somewhat cooler environment. Almost never "temperature controlled", though.

I'd say you have pretty good odds of it being perfectly fine..

 

[JC86]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
40-70 isn't that bad of a temp swing. Were they stored up right or on their side?

some were in the case, others were on their side. I saw some sediment is a few bottles but others seemed to be fine, is sediment bad?

 

[darthsidious]

Just pop open one of the bottles and check it out. You don't want to open a ton of crappy wine at the wedding, incase it went bad.....

 

[RGN]

Sediment is normal. The question is whether or not the seal for the corks is good or not. If it was stored on its side, you have a great chance of it being good to go. Upright.... I don't know, you will know when you open it...

 

[andylawcc]

Originally posted by: OdiN
If he's going to use them for the reception - I would sample a bottle of each beforehand to see how it fared. It may have a lot of sediment in it so you don't just want to be pouring it out.

/ thread


meanwhile, I don't believe Californian wine age that well beyond 10 years (especially 'weaker' varitels like Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay). But on the other hand, most ppl I suspect can't tell the difference bwtween that and 2005 Charles Shaws. So serve up. (mind if I crash teh party?)

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: andylawcc

Originally posted by: OdiN
If he's going to use them for the reception - I would sample a bottle of each beforehand to see how it fared. It may have a lot of sediment in it so you don't just want to be pouring it out.

/ thread


meanwhile, I don't believe Californian wine age that well beyond 10 years (especially 'weaker' varitels like Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay). But on the other hand, most ppl I suspect can't tell the difference bwtween that and 2005 Charles Shaws. So serve up. (mind if I crash teh party?)

Yeah, the last decent wine-tasting I went to in Cali had mostly late-90s stuff, and while it was good, you could tell it was getting past its prime. Still good though.

 

[andylawcc]

meanwhile, JC86, are you the brother of forum member JS80????


anyway, what winery are those wine from?

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: andylawcc

Originally posted by: OdiN
If he's going to use them for the reception - I would sample a bottle of each beforehand to see how it fared. It may have a lot of sediment in it so you don't just want to be pouring it out.

/ thread


meanwhile, I don't believe Californian wine age that well beyond 10 years (especially 'weaker' varitels like Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay). But on the other hand, most ppl I suspect can't tell the difference bwtween that and 2005 Charles Shaws. So serve up. (mind if I crash teh party?)

Californian Zins usually age pretty well.

As far as sediment goes - there will be sediment and there is no getting around that. The key is to be able to pour the wine without pouring the sediment into the glass.

Best way to do that is to have the wine sit upright for at least 24 hours before serving and have a really good corkscrew. You want to open the wine without disturbing the sediment. You'll be able to get most of it out without sediment in this fashion, but you need to pour continuously. If you start and stop - that will mix the sediment up again.

Preferrably you would want to decant it but that isn't exactly easy to do at a wedding - I would look into double decanting. You would need to do this for every bottle - pour it into a decanter so that it travels down the side of the glass - not just falls to the bottom. Watch for discoloration - you should be able to tell when the sediment starts coming out. Stop pouring. If the wine has been sitting long enough there shouldn't be that much left in the bottle. You can use cheesecloth to filter it but any filter is not recommended. You'll need to have a funnel and wash the wine bottle out with tap water - nothing else. Then pour the wine from the decanter back into the bottle. You can leave them uncorked to air them out a bit.

 

[JC86]

Originally posted by: andylawcc
meanwhile, JC86, are you the brother of forum member JS80????


anyway, what winery are those wine from?

Not that I know of and for what it's worth, it's from Windsor Vineyards

 

[oogabooga]

Originally posted by: RGN
Sediment is normal. The question is whether or not the seal for the corks is good or not. If it was stored on its side, you have a great chance of it being good to go. Upright.... I don't know, you will know when you open it...

this is what I was going to come in to say. Definitely open a bottle to test and have something on standby at the wedding ><

 

[Apex]

Most likely dead, sorry.

Early 80's CA wines tend not to be long lived. Pinots are relatively delicate, and Chardonnays tend not to do well with that much age.