At B.V. Winery they said that now is the optimal drinking window for my Reserve Cab Clone 4. vintage 2001. That gives estimated lifetime of 13 years. Cellartracker states 2006-2022. So now is kinda in the middle. I also guess that "optimal" is subjective. I like the oxidized browned flavour. I think that big reds tend to become more adventurous at that point, where layers get peeled off in the mouth. Maybe most people call it "optimal" when it is still fruity and the tannins are integrated, but before the browning starts?


As for the Beringer Private reserve, at vintage 2006 is felt more evolved than the 2001 Latour and 2006 sequoia reserve. Im debating if that means that it does not hold up as well as the others aging, since it seems to mature faster? Anyone have experience with holding on to these?