The thought of pulling out a dusty bottle thick with cobwebs that has slumbered for twenty years in a dark corner of the cellar is very appealing. But too often the moment of truth turns out to be a monumental disappointment when the stuff tastes awful. Very few wines will last twenty years because of the way they are produced. Even if they were made for long ageing, they could be destroyed by bad cellaring. Keep in mind that the larger the format, the longer the wine will live.
Magnums are the best size container for allowing the product to mature slowly.
In the longevity stakes, the following wines from the best vintage years have an established track record for surviving two decades. Wines without a vintage date It should be noted that wines do not necessarily age at the same rate, especially when they get older. Even if you have a case of the same wine you may find a difference in maturity after several years of cellaring. A good analogy would be picking a bunch of roses and placing them in a vase. They will not all open up at the same rate and when in full bloom some will hold their petals longer than others.