The Role of Affinage in Making Great Cheese

Is the quality of cheese really affected that much once the wheel is on the shelf?  Does all of that brushing and flipping and washing really impart anything noticeable?
What do you think? Does it make a difference?
Read the summary of the article that was published in the New York Times on October 4, 2011 at Cave-Aged blog or read the full article Cheese: A Coming-of-Age Story.
An other interesting article about this subject can be found at Lactograhy – Mongering Cheese knowledge: Old School versus New School Affinage.