Time in a bottle: The case for a mature, fine wine

There’s something to be said for wine made for immediate consumption. You pick it up on the way home, you open it, drink it, happy days.

But about 5% of wine needs more time to develop than the length of your car ride home from the wine shop. These wines are hard to find, pricey and finicky, requiring TLC after purchase, including pristine storage and possibly decanting. So why bother?

An analogy is the difference between an infant and a mature adult. The first is immediately enjoyable. The adult is complex, maybe finicky, but offers more depth of experience. Which is better for your palate, pocketbook and occasion? Only you can decide.

Aging like fine wine

In wine and in life, an accepted component for evolving, rather than just getting old, is resilience.

In wine, resilience stems from a balance of alcohol, acidity (including tannic acid, often dubbed tannin) and fruit. “Excessively high alcohol accompanied by low acidity suggests a wine that may offer excellent drinkability in youth, but relatively short evolution,” explains Fontanafredda winemaker Giorgio Lavagna.

Fontanafredda, located in Italy’s Alpine Piedmont region, specializes in Barolo, a red wine considered “the wine of kings, the king of wines,” especially for its ability to evolve over decades.

A young Barolo, like Fontanafredda’s current 2020 vintage, offers garnet red color, a bouquet of bright red fruit (often compared to cherry) and flowers (like roses), with solid tannin and bright, fresh acidity.

Over time, explains Lavagna, color deepens and develops golden hues, fruit darkens into plum and blackberry, and the wine enters its fully evolved phase (in winespeak, its tertiary phase), revealing aspects of mint, spice, leather and tar, firm but alluring tannin and long, elegant finish.

During a recent tasting with Lavagna, we tasted Fontanafredda Barolo back to 1982. My favorite:

Barolo “Vigna La Rosa” DOCG 2018, Fontanafredda (Distributed by Republic National, Niles; SRP $151.99) Barolo’s grape — Nebbiolo — is compared to Pinot Noir with cherry/ rose/leather aspects. The crucial difference is texture. Pinot is known for silkiness; Nebbiolo has tannin enough to take paint off a car. So nature is enhanced with nurturing in the cellar; non-Riserva Barolo must age two years in wooden cask, one year in bottle before release. With an additional three years in bottle, “Vigna La Rosa” is firm but gentle, with a bouquet of violets, decaying rose, vanilla, tobacco and menthol, and endlessly satisfying finish. Roast duck is a classic pairing, but there’s no better complement than the filet mignon we enjoyed at Chicago’s steak emporium Gene & Georgetti.

For white wine lovers

Without red wine’s tannin, white wine’s longevity relies on tart-tasting tartaric, malic and citric acids, resulting from cool vineyards. As climate change reduces these conditions, one option for mature white wine is northern France’s Champagne:

“Brut Millèsimè” 2012, Charles Heidsieck (Breakthru Beverage, Cicero; SRP $142) Golden color with hints of green signals a wine beginning its maturity. Don’t worry if the wine isn’t bubbly; effervescence has incorporated into the liquid for a luxurious blanket of texture. Firm acidity outlines flavors of light and darkness, including vanilla, honey, baked apples and roasted nuts. The wine is refreshing enough for smoked seafood and poultry, generous enough for my dinner of lamb shank shepard’s pie.

Moderately priced maturity

Rioja Reserva “Antigua Clasico,” Alberto Orte, 2014 (Cream Wine Co., Chicago; about $35.) With a tradition of long-cellaring, Spain offers mature wine at approachable prices. “Antigua Clasico” extends the three-year required aging for harmonious complexity including smoke and spice, vanilla and berries, violets and aged leather with caressing texture. During my May 15 “Spanish Wine and Tapas” class at The Chopping Block (4747 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago), we’ll pair it with sautéed beef tenderloin steaks with caramelized onion and blue cheese. Sign up at thechoppingblock.com/class-calendar.

• Mary Ross is an Advanced Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers), a Certified Wine Educator (Society of Wine Educators) and a recipient of Wine Spectator’s “Grand Award of Excellence.” Write to her at food@dailyherald.com.