In Reply to: Re: Better wait...yes, but... posted by cpdunn99 on May 05, 2003 at 15:36:30:
I tasted about 50-plus of the classified growth wines before they were released in the U.S, and they were very consistent, delicious and big, with much tannin. When I have tasted some of the same wines that are available on the wine store shelves, they already seem to be closing up and tasting less generous and forward. While a very good wine will probably be able to be enjoyed at almost anytime in its lifetime, I believe that most of the top growths,which the Lynch-Bages and Pichon-Longueville certainly are, will need about 10-25 years (depending also on storage temperature and other conditions) before they really open up.The 2000 bordeaux are not unlike the 1961's which took 15-40 years for development. The best 1961's (all the first growths plus a handful of others) were/are probably better than the best 2000's but I have never seen such a high overall quality across the board as the newer vintage.
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