Not necessarily. The kit companies blend juices from year to year to get consistency just like wineries.
The date code is on the box: For example 0436506 would be as follows
04 - production run during the day
365 - day of the year (in this case December 31)
06 - Year kit made
In this example, the kit would be in the fourth production run of wine kits made on December 31, 2006.
Edited by: geocorn