Berger on wine: An appreciation of older reds

The evening opened with a 3-liter bottle of Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs and then things got rolling.

There followed 1974 Heitz “Martha’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon and 1986 Grange from Australia’s Penfolds. These two fabulous wines proved yet again, as if proof were needed, that perfectly stored red wines can be superb even after 30 or 40 years.

Other wines we opened that evening included a 2001 La Follette Chardonnay from Russian River Valley, 1982 Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron and two Napa Valley cabernets: 1985 Beaulieu Private Reserve and 1998 Staglin.

With dessert we had a 1982 vintage Port from Sandeman.

The gathering was for 10 people and included a seven-course dinner at the highly regarded Girl & the Fig restaurant in Sonoma, thanks to the donation of owner Sondra Bernstein.

The beneficiary was Winesong, the annual fund-raising wine auction that benefits the Mendocino Coast Hospital.

In this case, Denver resident Scott Farmer, an annual supporter of the Winesong weekend, last September won a spirited bidding war with a San Francisco attorney and won dinner for eight with wines we’ve had in cool storage for decades.

Events like this often inspire discussions of what happened the year of the vintage. I’ve been to dinners where wines from 1953, 1949 and 1945 were displayed that elicited comments about what happened in the world the years they were made.

The wines at our dinner all were in great condition, though a couple of corks disintegrated as they were being extracted. The 1974 Heitz Cabernet was as impressive as any on the table, with a slightly leathery aroma the only indication of its age.

The Penfolds Grange was still youthful, powerful and rich, although it had a hefty amount of sediment, and the 1982 Pichon Baron showed a bit lighter, but with truly elegant fruit remaining.

Served side by side were the ?’85 BV and ’98 Staglin.

Both wines come from the area of Napa once known as the Rutherford Bench. The Staglin vineyard was one of the favorites of the late André Tchelistcheff, perhaps California’s greatest winemaker.

Consuming older red wines isn’t for everyone. The freshness of fruit that’s evident in a young wine is appealing to many wine newcomers, mainly because that’s their only frame of reference. Few younger buyers have a chance to try older, perfectly stored bottles from the past.

With vast amounts of red wines being released sooner than ever, consumers have little opportunity to try wines that have matured even slightly. The result is that older red wines taste odd to some younger consumers, even though they are wonderful to those who understand them.

This was evident two years ago when we took a sensational ?1985 Chianti into a well-regarded San Francisco restaurant. We knew the wine was fading, but we also knew it was still in great shape, although less fruit-driven than it had been a decade earlier.

The sommelier, a man in his 30s, said he believed Chianti “almost never makes it to 20 years.” So we offered him a few ounces of this 31-year-old Chianti. He proclaimed the wine to be barely drinkable.

But from his facial expression, we knew he hated it. As he departed, my wife whispered, “He’s too young.”

This year’s Winesong auction (Sept. 7-8) likely will have more such auction lots. The Winesong weekend begins Sept. 7 with a large Pinot Noir tasting ($85). The full-day food and wine tasting experience and auction at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg is Sept. 8 ($125). Local wineries will have open houses on Sept. 9.

Wine of the Week: 2017 Heitz Grignolino Rosé, Napa Valley ($25): One of the Napa Valley’s most iconic wines is this delightful dry pink wine. Made entirely of a rare Italian grape, it has an aroma of cranberries and pomegranate and a fresh, crisp entry - and even has a slight bit of tannin, so it emulates a light, dry red. For summer sipping, poured alongside steak tartare or served with soft cheeses, it’s superb.

The Heitz Winery recently was acquired by Tennessee-based Gaylon Lawrence Jr., who has farming interests in five states. He has vowed to make no changes in the Heitz style.

Sonoma County resident Dan Berger publishes “Vintage Experiences,” a weekly wine newsletter. Write to him at winenut@gmail.com.