Open it! It will always be garbage if it never gets opened. Those wines are built for aging. It may be sublime.
As for your last question, I will seriously ponder that and revert back. A scientific reason? Maybe not. There may actually be a more business/marketing reason for the increased ripeness. I’ve got to run now, but you’ve got me thinking.
I don’t pose as a wine expert or anything close to it. I did come to appreciate fine wines-mainly French-thanks to my Danish father in law.
As to the alcohol content..changes in soil, rainfall, grape mutations, sunlight??? I don’t know.
Tangledinblue... are you screwed in a blue state like me in illannoy?
Will open bottle someday.
Thanks for chat...and yes I can be a smart ass!