Can Cheap Wine Age Well? A 37-Year-Old Cabernet Sauvignon Says, Yes

It’s such an unexpected delight to open a bottle that despite being decades past the expiration of its warranty is somehow drinking beautifully. Of course, bottles of wine don’t come with warranties (maybe they should, especially at the high end!) but the more bottles you open, the more of a sense of how long you can reasonably expect them to show a credible version of themselves upon that opening.

For some, reds or whites, the window is a few years. After all, the vast majority of wines made are made to be enjoyed immediately, and while they certainly can age gracefully, it’s unreasonable to expect that $12 Merlot to be fresh five years on. That said, you just never know.

An Unexpected Discovery

This bottle is a case in point. I’m not sure how it even ended up in my possession. It’s not on my Les Vins de Sue list I put together for my mother in law many, many years ago (for more on how whites age and this list, check out How Old is Too Old for White Wines) when organizing the many cases she had haphazardly accumulated over the years, but maybe I just missed it.

Anyway, while it’s the product of a joint effort by two esteemed wine houses, the Eyzaguirre-Echenique family (owners of vineyards since the mid-18th century) and the Lafite family (yes, that Lafite), Los Vascos is far from a high-end Chilean wine. You can score the current release of this always easy-drinking Cab for about $12 (that’s about $4.50 back when this 1989 vintage would have been released).

Opening a 1989 Cabernet Sauvignon

I opened it on a whim because I had made steaks for the family. It was a Wednesday night so I didn’t think anything fancier was warranted. I took a flyer, as they say. The fill level was solid, and from what I could tell looking at the green-tinged bottle, the color seemed darker than I would have expected (reds lighten with age; whites do the opposite).

A Wine That Defied Expectations

The cork, while it didn’t come out in one piece despite my most deliberate efforts, didn’t disintegrate so I only had to pour the first two glasses through a strainer. I was stunned by the nose. It was impossibly fragrant, all cherry/berry fruit with some light earthy notes. What’s not to like about that, especially for something made about 37 years ago that cost about $4.50?!

In the mouth, as is often the case, the flavors replicated the nose (remember, our noses are way more adept at differentiating actual flavors and usually imprint our palates). It did its job with the steaks, stripping away the fattiness of the meat and getting me ready for the next bite.

At one point, I laughed out loud as I thought that if I took this wine to a restaurant, the corkage fee I would have been charged would likely have been about the cost of a case of the wine back then. All in all, a great night highlighted by the unluckiest of finds.