How long is too long?

Harrier Rise 2006 Merlot. Photo / Supplied

With a few years under cork or screwcap any quality wine will just get better, right? It's an assumption many wine drinkers make but, at best, it's a half-truth.

Some fine top-end reds - especially those of a Bordeaux style with a backbone of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, possibly malbec and petit verdot - will reward patience and careful cellaring. And some pinot noirs can certainly do with a few years in the bottle - though not usually to the same degree as the above varietals. When it comes to whites, quality riesling deserves a few more years before opening, as do good chardonnay and chenin blanc.

Recently I had two top-end French reds from 1982 and 1983. Not exactly first growths, which are designed to be drunk later rather than earlier, but close. The verdict? Sublime. So how do our own Kiwi wines age? You'll get more opinions from wine experts on that question than you will get from economists on when the recession will end. I tried some local reds to see how they were shaping up.

First up, 1997 Wither Hills Pinot Noir, the first vintage for this highly rated producer. Back then, chief winemaker Brent Marris promised an exceptional quality wine from hand-tended vines in Marlborough. Current winemaker Ben Glover continues that early promise. "Our search for 'pinosity' means subtle powerful elegance with a core of sweet fruit and succulent palate weight... pinot should age gracefully, developing silky tannins and bottle-aged, brambly forest-floor characters."

After 12 years in the bottle I wasn't sure what to expect. What I tasted was a restrained berry-fruit nose, slight brownish colour on the rim with a splendid Burgundy-style, earthy palate. Gentle, easy drinking but about to embrace the twilight zone. Next, 1998 Harrier Rise Cabernet Franc from wine writer and lawyer Tim Harris. Now a museum piece, the wine comes from his Kumeu vineyard 25km northwest of Auckland.

A serious tactician with wide knowledge, Harris has made this wine in a traditional Bordeaux style that allows the wine to develop in the bottle because, "It's a technique important for the development of structure in cool temperate climate wines."

Put simply, it's designed for ageing. Superb. Lovely complexity, integrated tannins with perfect balance. Should've hung on for another decade.

Recommended

2007 Wither Hills Pinot Noir
This release marks the 10th vintage from this prestige Marlborough producer. Big flavour, delicate structure. Concentrated ripe primary berry characters with a savoury, supple finish.
Price: $35

2006 Harrier Rise Merlot
Made from grapes grown in Clevedon, south of Auckland, and in the Harris style, which means it will age gracefully but should be fine now. Lovely sweet plum, spice and earthy lingering appeal.
Price: $22