"Drink Now" Whites- How Long Can I Wait

As a relative newbie to wine, I have really been enjoying New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for the past few years. but I am not sure how long I can keep them. I recently had a 2005 Te Kairanga Sauvignon Blanc. The review on the wine said to "Drink Now," so I wasn't sure how it would taste. I must say that it seemed to have some of the flavors that I have come to expect from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but they were much less obvious.

Over the weekend, I had another 2005 SB, Allan Scott. This '05 however, had much more forward citrus fruit flavors that I have seen in most NZ SB.

Is this just a result of each winery producing their own style of SB, or did I drink the Te Kairanga too late. Thanks.

Tim Holland

PS For what it's worth they were from different regions (Te Kairanga was Martinborough & Allan Scott was Marlborough).

Tim, if you didn't have a typo in the vintage of the first one, it would almost have to be a difference in style. Even if it said "drink now", it shouldn't be going downhill in just under three years ('05s from the Southern Hemisphere are almost the same vintage as '04s in Northern climes).

Cheers, Carl

Thanks Carl,

I appreciate your help & love the site.

Tim

Oh yeah, I regularily keep mine/most (!) a couple of years.

[David M. Bueker]

Probably a style (or vintage) thing, but I have to ask - was the wine in screwcap (likely) or did it have a cork (real or synthetic)?

I think it all depends on the style.

A couple weeks ago I had the last bottle of my '03 Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc, which is from Marlbourogh, NZ. When it was young, it was fairly bursting with fruit, and quite beautiful in a young way. Now though, the nose had developed a lovely touch of petrol, something that I get a lot with Riesling, but I had never experienced it with SB before. On the palate, some of the fruit had faded, but the remaining fruit flavor was melded with a potpourri of flavors, floral, nutty and so forth. Altogether a wonderful wine, and one that might have developed for another year or two. I think I'm going to get more and put it away!

Dave

They were actually both screw caps which seems to be the case with a lot of kiwi whites...

I think it all depends on the style.

A couple weeks ago I had the last bottle of my '03 Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc, which is from Marlbourogh, NZ. When it was young, it was fairly bursting with fruit, and quite beautiful in a young way. Now though, the nose had developed a lovely touch of petrol, something that I get a lot with Riesling, but I had never experienced it with SB before. On the palate, some of the fruit had faded, but the remaining fruit flavor was melded with a potpourri of flavors, floral, nutty and so forth. Altogether a wonderful wine, and one that might have developed for another year or two. I think I'm going to get more and put it away!

Dave

Dave, thats a pretty cool TN. Could use that one in the SB Open Mike!! I like the palate thoughts, nutty..have not come across that before!

Is there a SB Open Mic? I guess I missed that. Anyway, maybe I could rewrite that TN and post it seperately.

I will bump it up for you now (MT 9.50pm).