Cellar temperature?

[RDD]

I've seen many comments saying Bordeaux is better young and is old at 10+ years.
I just have to ask what are you're cellar temperatures?
I have many Cali and Bordeaux from 80's and early 90's that are drinking just beautifully.
My 82's are still wonderful and seem fresh.
Now they were mostly all purchased EP and have never seen any temperature above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Of course my palate could suck too.

[DavidG]

My cellar is at 55-57 degrees. I did a comparison with wines stored in my father's passive cellar with annual swings up to low 70s in summer. Those wines peaked and declined years earlier than the same wines purchased at the same time but stored in my cellar.

I think you have a valid point, Rob. But I think it's more than that. Jim likes 'em young.

[RDD]

My cellar is at 55-57 degrees. I did a comparison with wines stored in my father's passive cellar with annual swings up to low 70s in summer. Those wines peaked and declined years earlier than the same wines purchased at the same time but stored in my cellar.

I think you have a valid point, Rob. But I think it's more than that. Jim likes 'em young.

I wasn't trying to really make a point.
I was more curious.
My 88's still seem fresh. Some of the 86's just seem to be coming around.\
82's fantastic.

[AKR]

I agree with you Rob. I don't have an extremely cold cellar anymore (my old one had to be heated to get it up to 50F) and anything I compared from it to other more normal storage conditions always tasted far more primary.

Now my offsite/underground storage is about 60F, and the stash at home is about 70F. Things on premises in theory are supposed to be consumed in the next few years. But its definitely sub optimal and vexes me. (Paying for storage also vexes me)

However most enthusiasts do not have the storage assurances you have. On that note - I got an email yesterday from a retailer/broker who was selling a cellar collection that must have been very nicely stored / temperature protected and all that....but was in an earthquake zone. So when something struck, there was catastrophic damage. Anyways lots of cosmetically damaged wine (labels, capsules, etc.) I looked it over, but in the end didn't nibble on anything, although pricing was quite low, even for things like 74 Napa Cabs.

[dstgolf]

I have a mixed bag. Wine fridge has been at 57 with just over 500 bottles. Cooler just started to not hold temperature last week and I suspect its pooping out. These things don`t seem to have a great lifespan with this being the second one to die in 15 years or am I expecting too much. The rest of my cellar is passive at about 65-68 year round and I`m questioning the necessity to replace the cooler or build a formal cellar. 900 bottles in the passive cellar are 04,05,06,09,10 and some 12 bordeaux and Burgs. At my age my feeling is I`d be lucky to see another 15-20 year horizon of drinking without a sippy cup but in reality question the need for cooler replacement and or anything other than passive storage at this stage. Opinions?

[RDD]

Danny, make sure it isn't frozen. Let it thaw and restart.
I hate Breezair but have had good luck with CellarMate.

[stefan]

Most of my wines are stored at 62-66F. Others are at 66-69F. I finally got around to converting a closet into storage for an additional 400 bottles. I'll keep this at 50-55F and use it for older wines and whites. At my age I want younger wines to age as quickly as is consistent with maintaining quality.

Despite my higher than normal storage, the only older Bordeaux that showed too much deterioration were from bottles that I purchased long after release, usually from auctions. Occasionally I have had the chance to do a non blind comparison of a wine I had a long time in my storage to a bottle from a cellar like Rob's. It seemed to me that mine were a bit further along on the aging curve, but it was hard to say whether there was a qualitative difference.

In my experience Bordeaux wines are tough. Temperatures above 80 are terrible for them, but they fare well even at 70. When I buy a case of a young Bordeaux I sometimes store a few bottles at 68-69 or even a couple of degrees higher.

[Roel]

A good friend of mine has a cellar that reaches up to 68-70F in the summertime. Tasted wines from it over the last decade and they're as fresh as expected. I guess the origanl question was if you like 'em young, style-wise.

[RDD]

I had a friend that used to live by the motto "if you were comfortable then wines were comfortable."

Wines are all right young with baby fat. But I personally think wines last much longer that some think at 55.
No big deal.
If it's your wine enjoy it anyway you want.

[robertgoulet]

50-52 because I want to protect the integrity of my children's birth year wines.....my wines will live forever!!!! <insert evil laugh >

[DavidG]

Rob, I agree, no right or wrong here - it's what you like. While I don't think that storage temps into the low 70s will damage wine, especially Cab-based reds like Bordeaux, I do think that those wines will evolve faster than ones stored 10-15 degrees cooler.

Danny, I think mid-60s might have some advantages for those of us of a similar vintage. I don't want my 2005s, 2009s and 2010s to take 20 to 30 years to hit their peak. And to be clear, the peak I'm looking for is the one where the primary fruit has evolved into something much more complex. At 55 degrees, the top wines might take that long to evolve.

Stefan - I like your idea of putting wines into suspended animation at 50-55 when they reach that sweet spot.

Arv - was your old place with the really cool cellar in Vermont? That's where I'd put my mags of 1945 Romanee Conti until the whole Rudi K thing blows over. Then off to auction with them! <JK> (that's just kidding, not John Kapon!).

Bobby G, youngsters like you need those cooler temps! And in Orlando, it's a good place to hang out and cool off after a hot day of yard work.

[AKR]

Heh. Yes up in Vermont. Now that I'm out west and 100 degree days are common in the central valley its a whole different life.

At least I (rarely) have to pay for the pool to be heated. There was some day last week where it was 82F in the pool which actually isn't that refreshing.

Sort of like a lukewarm bath.