I've just started using CellarTracker and I input a bottle of 1976 Produttori del Barbaresco but the drinking window suggests it should have been drunk rather a long time ago – it gives "Community Dates" of 1983-1994.. yet Barbarescos should be able to stand up to more than 18 years of aging? I was looking forward to the drinking window feature but this has made me dubious on it's accuracy and I'm seeing similar on some other bottles too. Any thoughts? Thanks
by hungrycoati
13 Comments
Cellartracker drinking windows are user-generated.
It is either the result of a user opening one of those bottles and noticing they’re going downhill, but it also is sometimes a user entering the drinking window provided by some producers. The latter is usually pretty spot on since reputed producers regularly pop older vintages to check how they are doing.
CT appears to gather drinking windows from a variety of publications, and the community drinking windows are an average of what CT members have input for each wine. It’s an entirely opinion-driven metric.
I always look at recent tasting notes to help determine whether or not a bottle is within its drinking window or not. As for your bottle, recent notes would indicate that it’s likely far over the hill, so the drinking window shown might actually be fairly accurate in this case.
Not all barbaresco (or any type of grape) is created equal. If you look at the CT notes on that bottle, it seems most people think that bottle is dead. The window is pretty accurate for the most part IMO but community consensus via reading the notes directly is always better.
It’s a user-provided date range, so definitely take it with a grain of salt (like pretty much everything on CT, if we’re being honest).
I once messaged a guy about a 58 score he gave to a very nice Healdsburg cab from a fantastic year and asked if it might be a mistake. He gave some nonsensical answer about the acidity being too high because they picked the fruit too early. He claimed it was “completely undrinkable” and then proceeded to proselytize a vineyard next door where he “is a member” that he gives 100. Point being that people can be absolutely stupid on CT
I don’t even look at drinking windows but have found people in comments saying a wine was dead 5 years ago and then I open and it’s miraculous. lol.
Always take with a grain of salt.
But you should probably drink that bottle asap and post tasting notes.
In my experience, almost every time, the drinking window on CT is far too short. I think the suggested window is a good data point, but unless you’re fairly clueless about the drinking window, I think you’ll have a better idea of when you prefer to drink the wine.
You might open two identical old bottles and one is completely shot while the other one is singing
There isn’t any exact perfect date. A lot depends on storage conditions for that particular bottle, your preference for aged wine, and pure blind luck. If you’re concerned about “drinking window,” then the solution is to buy a case and start drinking single bottles at intervals until you dial in what you like.
The drinking window in cellar tracking is literally just the average of user input. Make your own windows based on when you want to drink wines.
I signed up in 2005 and the drinking windows have been wrong for 19 years. Great for organizing my cellar, and I enjoy the user reviews, but wine is a living organism that develops in your cellar in a way unique to your cellar.
I have opened and tasted many older bottles (some 50 years plus), and the problem is you have no idea how it was stored before you got your hands on it.
I have tasted three different 1967 Prunotto Barolos from the same restaurant: one was so bad it could not be served, one was okay, one was knock your socks off AMAZING.
It is all a gamble, so my suggestion is that once it has reached the first year of acceptable aging, drink it when you are ready. Wine is meant to be enjoyed, and you have a great bottle there.
You can just go to a winery’s website and it will tell you the drinking window. It’s worked out well for me many times.