Sauvignon Blanc: Drink now

It's hot lately, which has me drinking a lot of Sauvignon Blanc.

Sauv Blanc is my overall favorite summer wine. The acidity is very refreshing. There are other good ones: I drink more Albarino all the time, bubbly is always welcome, and a well-chilled dry rose is a great thing to sip outside (preferably in the shade). But Sauv Blanc is my go-to wine.

Lately I've been running through some of the 2006 Sauv Blancs I still have in my cellar and/or fridge, and I'm noticing a theme: they're losing their charm much faster than I expected.

Don't misunderstand me: these 2006 wines are still drinking decently. But the edge is gone from many of them, and it is that crisp acidity that I'm after.

A few months ago I tasted through some 2005 Sauvignon Blancs and they were a different type of wine altogether: richer, some with more opulent fruit, and interesting in their own way. But they weren't the lean, refreshing wines I sought.

Obviously this is a very general observation, as some Sauv Blancs are going to get old and flabby faster than others.

That said, if you have any Sauv Blancs from 2005 or before, don't expect to get the same refreshment you get from an '07. They still have their uses (pairing with pasta salads comes to mind, because of their more apparent fruit). But you need to think of them as a different kind of wine.

And if you're in restaurant, absolutely turn your back on anything before 2006. Sauv Blanc may be more like sake than any other wine: Drink now, it's not getting any better.