I'll get back to that opening comment in a bit.
I've written in other blogs about how I seldom age my wine for over 5 years. I prefer my wines young, and I really don't think most wines evolve that much after 5 years - maximum 10. I am also, I would say, "hyper" sensitive to oxidation - a process that occurs in all wines as they age. I just don't like it.
Young wines were not always so drinkable. Only in the past 20 years or so did you find this phenomenon with young wine, especially reds.
One of the main reasons for this is a process called "green harvesting". This practice has been in place since the 1980's, but did not become common practice until the 90's.
Green harvesting is the removal of immature grape bunches from the vine, typically for the purpose of decreasing yield. What this seemingly simple process does for wine, however, is magical.
Removing the immature grapes while they are still green induces the vines to put all their energy into developing the remaining grapes. This results in wines that are more ripe and well rounded with softer, silkier tannins. Also, the "greenness" that can occur with underdeveloped grapes is significantly reduced.
The ultimate outcome is the production of wines that don't need to age as long as in the past.
Tannins are softer, and wines are multi-dimensional and complex, often right out of the bottle.
Wine countries all over the world have adopted this process, so you will even find young Bordeaux and Barolos that are more approachable in their youth.
Wine Spectator editor, Matt Kramer, wrote an interesting article titled: "Is It Worth It to Age Wines Anymore?"
So that's why I feel validated. An "expert" agrees with me.
What I didn't realize, was that there are legitimate reasons for my preferences in wine drinking.
That's what I love about wine. I learn something new every day.
I've copied the link to the Kramer article if you want to read more.
Tom
http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/47848
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