Pinot Noir Ageing

The very best Burgundy can age for a very long time. Bottles from the late 1800s have been found to be good, but this is a rare exception. DRC and especially Leroy make some of their top wines in a style designed to last a very long time. However these wines now are priced much as are yachts. If you have to ask the price, you likely can not afford them. Well kept top old Burgundy is much more difficult to find than top Bordeaux, such as a Chateau Latour 1945. The few old top Burgundy wines often come from an estate when someone dies and the wines are sent to auction. Leroy sells a few fairly old Burgundy wines from time to time, but you pay dearly for their having kept the wine for many years. For the most part, you usually have to buy top Burgundy on release, or buy it within a few years after release at auction.

Just how long many of the new world Pinot Noirs can be made to last is still unclear. Many of these wines have only been made a few years, many vineyards are still young, and the wine making styles keep changing.