When to Drink Sauvignon Blanc
We get a lot of questions, and opinion, around when Sauvignon Blanc should be drunk relative to it’s vintage date. There is no doubting that Sauvignon Blanc is a vibrant, dynamic wine variety that can absolutely be enjoyed in it’s youth, and most often is. But there is a very good case to let your savvies settle for a few months, depending on the wine’s overall quality and the method in which they are made......Here's a few things to take in to consideration:
- All wines suffer from ‘bottleshock’ soon after they are bottled, and the wines can display a certain ‘sharpness’ or lack of balance. In Australia, we are insulated from this effect (with NZ wines at least) due to the travel time across the Tasman.
- Sauvignon Blanc’s great appeal is it’s vibrancy – All those fresh fruit, tropical, citrussy flavours and incredibly pungent herbaceousness or grassy aromas are what has made this variety so popular. However, when you re-examine some of those same wine wines in a few (eg. 6-12) months’ time, you will notice the wines have rounded out a bit more. You may perceive this as a loss in vibrancy or intensity, but good Sauvignon Blanc will have developed lovely secondary characteristics – a richer mouthfeel, softer (and often longer) finish. The fruit gets to play more of a role in the palate, as the herbaceousness and pungency is no longer attacking your nostrils, and the acidity isn’t coming at you like the paparazzi at a Lindsay Lohan court hearing....
- There are some wines that have undeniably been ‘tricked-up’ to be enjoyed young and will not last longer than 6-12 months in the bottle from vintage. These will typically be cheaper wines (often sub-$10) from low quality grapes (high-yields), which have had sweetness (sugar or fruit juice), or acidity physically added the wine. In the case of these wines, the advice is very much DRINK NOW, preferably while holding your nostrils firmly shut, or at the very least after 10 or so tequila shots.
- There are an emerging number of Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand that are being made with increased winemaker intervention, to create a more complex style wine. These will typically include some time resting on lees as well as various levels of oak treatment. These wines are not necessarily at their best when very young, and can age quite gracefully for several years after vintage. Examples include Cloudy Bay 'Te Koko', Jackson Estate 'Grey Ghost', and Dog Point 'Section 94'.
As with all things wine, it does come down to personal preference, but we do enourage our customers to try some Sauvignon Blanc with a year or two age on it, and compare it to younger examples. You may just be pleasantly surprised at how the wines develop in the bottle.
We're planning some masterclasses next year to demonstrate the different styles of Sauvignon Blanc available, including some aged examples. More info to follow in the New Year.