We love telling the “behind the scenes” stories of the wines featured by Vinesse. Those stories can be found on the “Tasting Notes” that accompany the wines.
Yet as interesting (most of the time) as those stories are, probably the most important piece of information in each Tasting Note can be found on one line in the “At a Glance” box at the bottom of the page. That’s the line that offers a suggested “drink by” date.
In each case, the suggestion begins with the words, “Now through…”
“Now.” As in… today… or tonight… or tomorrow.
In other words, we do our best to uncover gems that do not require extended aging in order to be enjoyed. As several veteran vintners have told us, the greatest wines are good in their youth, at middle age and when old.
We know this to be true of many great red wines. But could it also be true of whites? After all, many people drink white wine while they’re waiting for their reds to age.
Simply tasting a wine doesn’t always answer the question. Often, we take a few sips and are left wondering whether the wine could possibly get any better.
Vintners say, and experience confirms, that as long as a wine is fresh and alive, it has a good opportunity to be enjoyable. Those “age-worthy” whites share a common bond of fruitfulness and acidity in perfect balance.
Among the white varieties with the greatest opportunity to age gracefully are Chardonnay, Riesling, Marsanne and Roussanne.
As each variety ages, it will take on different characteristics — aromas and flavors that you may love, yet never would have experienced had you opened the bottle upon receipt.
What to do? One possibility would be to experiment with a given bottling. Order three to six bottles, open them six months to a year apart, and notice how they evolve. You’ll learn a lot not only about the variety, but also your own preferences.
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