I have a tendency to forget about things. . . Which explains why my pantry holds an unopened bag of red lentils first purchased in 2003 and a half used pack of linseed from 1999. . .This particular wine, the McHenry Hohnen Tiger Country Red was first opened in May 2009. Two years ago. I had a few glasses, shoved the cork back in and froze the rest, thinking that it might be good for cooking or a sauce. I finally retrieved it today and was curious to see what it had become. . . Straight from the freezer, the crusted ice smells of every inhabitant of the space - prawn heads, fish stock, master stock, chicken wing tips. All manner of left over, suspended and waiting for my neo-cortex to recall their existence.
Once warm and free of ice and the cork, which is smelly only on the exposed side, the wine is surprisingly similar to what I had experienced before. It still smells ripe and porty, there is a suggestion of varnish and eucalyptus and perhaps there is a suggestion of something vegetal, but certainly nothing that would make you think this is anything more than a day or two old. The structure is preserved, it's bold and big with inky, meaty tannins. It is of course no better than before, but it is pleasing to see how well it has survived the past two years.
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