Is this a good vintage wine?

Question

Wolf Blass 1996 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, i brought it as a present for my partner it was really expensive. Its already twelve years old, but I wanted him to keep it until our first born child turns 18, i was told this is possible, but now im having doubts after readong a few comments...

Ive read other questions on Vintage Wines on yahoo answers, and someone said you should store this kind of wine ten years at the most. But the Man at the shop said, this wine was a limited edition vintage, made to keep for years....

Im so confused, and wondering what is true?

Answer 1

This wine should hold well for 18 years.  It will probably taste like an older wine then, but it will also still have its Cabernet characteristics.  However, maybe you should drink that soon with your partner, then buy something younger that will taste much younger in 18 years.  Wine is so subjective though, you might love older Cabs.

Answer 2

Your confusion is understandable.  I have been an off and on collector/drinker for the past 20 years and its still a c**p shoot.  The best old age wine I've had was 70 Cote de Beaune Villages and it never left its underground cellar til the night we drank it.  Wines that travel are not always the best candidates for aging.  They mature faster in my humble opinion.  On top of that, even the best, New World wines (that includes Australia) really are not meant to age vis a vis Bordeaux or Burgundy.  So, I would agree with one of the other writers that this wine is probably peaked and should be drunk now.  I'm not sure what "limited edition vintage" means.  96 was decent year for Australia and Wolf Blass's propaganda sheet on Black Label is that they use the best grapes from their vineyards to a make it.  None of that means it can keep for 18 plus years.  Nevertheless, if your first born is  few years from 18, I'd keep it, if only for uniqueness of the gift and the dedication to keep it for that length of time.  Assuming you have stored it properly, the wine should be fine to drink, unless you have palate like, say, Robert Parker that is.

Answer 3

If you keep it cool and dry, it should last. But it is probably already at or even past its peak, and won't get any better.

If you want to keep a wine 18 years, a sherry may be your best bet.