The aging of red wines is a matter of serious concern for winemakers since a premium wine should have a complex and intense bouquet, a balance in the mouth as regards with fruit and acidity, together with velvety tannins and a long finish.
In a freshly made red wine, there are usually plenty of tannins extracted from the grape skins, depending on the grape variety and the extraction time. These tannins have no connection between them, often resulting to a harsh and disjointed taste of young wines, covering up most of the fruity flavours. As the wine is aged in barrels, of course some sour tannins are absorbed from the wood, but micro-oxygenation favours the polymerization of tannins which is substantial to the mildness of the wine taste. That is, oxygen acts as a catalyst for the tannins to bond together and form more complex compounds that are softer and more velvet-like in taste.
After bottling, wine undergoes reductive aging, giving special and complex aromas, the so-called “bouquet”. However, oxygen is absent in the bottle, thus the polymerization of tannins no longer carries on.
In conclusion, a high level of tannins is generally considered as an advantage for wines to evolve in the barrel for 1 or 2 years but, it is not so important for the bottle aging, which is generally longer in time and, in fact, sometimes is intented to last even for more than one decade!
In practice, it is the intensity of fruit flavours and the aromatic freshness, as well as the high acidity, that are considered as most important factors for aging.
A wine dominated by tannins, rather than fruit flavours, has a limited aging potential. The flavors in such wines fade quite quickly and you end up with a dull, tired wine. They are usually bottled at peak and the best you can hope for is that they will ‘hold’ for a while. On the other hand, aromatic freshness is necessary for the wine to sweeten in the future. So, an unripe fruit will become mature scent in years, but an already marmalade flavour will give a burning sensation after a few years. Last but not least, acidity is responsible for the vividness of a wine. Without it, an aged wine will result to a nerveless and tired product.
Merlot is the second more planted grape variety in the world, after Cabernet Sauvignon, and the more planted grape variety in France [“Which winegrape varieties are grown where? A global empirical picture” K. Anderson; N. R. Aryal (2013) University of Adelaide Press]. Maturation in oak barrels adds complexity in wine, velvety-soft ripe tannins and the characteristic vanilla aroma. Just like sweets memories of childhood…
Cabernet Sauvignon gives deeply coloured wines with strong aromas. Typical flavours include black fruits (blackcurrant, black cherry), often accompanied by herbaceous notes. Because of the intense fruit flavours and high levels of tannins and acidity, Cabernet Sauvignon is a good variety for making wines that age well. Oak is frequently used to age the premium wines, softening the tannins and adding oaky flavous (smoke, vanilla, coffee, cedar).
Merlot can give intense fruit flavours and aromatic freshness but Cabernet Sauvignon predominates in tannins and, most important, acidity. Thus, blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are expected to display superior aging potential than pure Merlot. They continue to evolve, developing additional complexity, mouth feel and flavor. They are often bottled before they are really ready to be drunk and need that extra 3-10 years to structurally integrate and open up in order to be enjoyed.
Cabernet – Merlot blends have an excellent affinity for oak, and the vast majority are barrel-aged. From their time in barrel they take on notes of cedar, smoke and spice, as well as sweet aromas of vanilla and/or coconut.
“Aristos” is a Greek adjective meaning “optimal”.
Aristos wine is a classical Cabernet – Merlot blend, although not typical of Bordeaux (a typical red Bordeaux blend is primarily composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, with smaller portions of Malbec and Petit Verdot and, very occasionally, Carménère). Aristos wine comes from 12 months maturation in new French oak barrels and a further 12 months aging in the winey’s cellar.
I felt lucky to taste Aristos 2010 Vintage. After 8 whole years in the bottle, the wine demonstrated an excellent aging result, thus coming to support the theories discussed in this essay.
- Name / Vintage: Aristos 2010
- Winemaker: Vakirtzis
- Wine Region / Country: Ptoon mountain, Viotia / Greece
- Style: Still Dry
- Varieties: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Merlot
- Alcohol by volume: 13%
Red
Winery map
Winery website
Appearance: Deep ruby color with orange-brown highlights
Nose: Intense aromas of black, ripe red fruits, vanilla and cedar, astonishingly herbaceous, with clear notes of bell pepper and mint and hints of leather
Palate: Mild acidity, full body, ripe tannins and flavours of red marmaladed fruits
After 9 years in the bottle, a successfully balance between fruits and tannins on the palate come to conclude with a long and pleasant finish.
Food match: Aristos has high level of tannins that match very well with beef with red tomato sauce and/or spicy cheeses.
Serving temperature: 15-18oC
