How much oxidation is good, and how much is too much?

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How much oxidation is good, and how much is too much? - 3/19/2017 7:43:36 AM

Smaragd

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Finally popped a 1990 Recioto di Soave that I bought at auction. These older whites of course oxidize a bit - I may have a lower tolerance for it than some people, however. This wine retains its sweetness and enough acidity to balance but the whole effect is muted and mild compared to the raciness and zip of younger recioto di soave I've had. I might just prefer it young.

Is "cork taste" ever a problem for you in older wines? I've been popping a lot of 20 year + wines lately and wondering about this. I KNOW that "corked wine" isn't this (please don't start with me!) but does the oxidation in older wines ever carry a corky taste to the wine itself? or am I imagining this?

I have one more possibly better stored bottle of this Recioto di soave so we'll find out if it drinks better.

< Message edited by smaragd -- 3/19/2017 7:45:30 AM >

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RE: How much oxidation is good, and how much is too much? - 3/19/2017 9:16:43 AM

midpalate

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I'm pretty sure we bought bottles from the same lot at WineBid.

I've opened one of them so far, and found it to be in pretty good condition. Older sweet wines taste a fair bit different from younger ones -- even when they're in good condition. They get more viscous/honeyed (but oddly also less sweet to my palate), the acids and the fruits recede, and other flavors start to come out (think brown sugar, stewed peaches, etc.). These are decent descriptors of the Capitelli RdeS I opened on Friday.

Oxidized bottles tend to be really apparent: they'll taste a lot like sherry, or madeira.

Here's hoping that your other bottle(s) of this are more to your liking.

(in reply to Smaragd)

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RE: How much oxidation is good, and how much is too much? - 3/19/2017 9:55:32 AM

Eddie

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I love Madeirized flavors. I love Sherry. If a white is oxidized to the point of Madeirization, it might bother other people, but it generally delights me.

(in reply to midpalate)

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RE: How much oxidation is good, and how much is too much? - 3/19/2017 10:12:52 AM

DoubleD1969

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I'm not a fan of Madeira or Jura wines. I prefer Rhone whites in their youth. I like a little bit of oxidative qualities in Champagne because it provides a nice contrast to the acidity.

(in reply to Eddie)

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RE: How much oxidation is good, and how much is too much? - 3/19/2017 1:19:29 PM

KPB

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From: Ithaca, New York
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A wine can easily have a few things going on at the same time, and so you can definitely find a corked bottle that is also very oxidized. I myself don't love oxidation in wine, except for a few special examples: Madeira, tawny port, older bottles of white hermitage, and very dry Riesling. Even for these cases, I don't really drink them often. But if a wine is corked, I can't drink it.

< Message edited by KPB -- 3/19/2017 1:21:01 PM >

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(in reply to DoubleD1969)

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RE: How much oxidation is good, and how much is too much? - 3/19/2017 6:04:40 PM

Smaragd

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From: New York City
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quote:

ORIGINAL: midpalate

I'm pretty sure we bought bottles from the same lot at WineBid.

I've opened one of them so far, and found it to be in pretty good condition. Older sweet wines taste a fair bit different from younger ones -- even when they're in good condition. They get more viscous/honeyed (but oddly also less sweet to my palate), the acids and the fruits recede, and other flavors start to come out (think brown sugar, stewed peaches, etc.). These are decent descriptors of the Capitelli RdeS I opened on Friday.

Oxidized bottles tend to be really apparent: they'll taste a lot like sherry, or madeira.

Here's hoping that your other bottle(s) of this are more to your liking.

Great feedback - thanks. Your description is indeed a good match for what I tasted. it may indeed be that I"m bombing out with older wines in general, and prefer things younger and fresher. I don't think the Capitelli is offensive in the least, just a way to learn more about what I like. What was your general opinion of it?

(in reply to midpalate)

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RE: How much oxidation is good, and how much is too much? - 3/19/2017 6:50:37 PM

Smaragd

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Joined: 2/3/2017
From: New York City
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apologies to everyone for the rambling and incoherent post. one question remains for me.. there is a woody quality to this oxidized white dessert wine that resembles cork. Is that from the cork? Is this a dumb question? Because obviously "corked wine" is not about the flavor of cork, so I'm wondering if this is a separate quality that older wines have and people like (!?) I do not like so much.

(in reply to Smaragd)

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RE: How much oxidation is good, and how much is too much? - 3/19/2017 10:56:00 PM

midpalate

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quote:

ORIGINAL: smaragd

I don't think the Capitelli is offensive in the least, just a way to learn more about what I like. What was your general opinion of it?

I think it's pretty okay (I'm drinking some of the bottle I opened on Friday as I write this), but not outstanding.

To me, it lacks the vivacity of the great PX (also made with raisined grapes), or schiaccetra (a reciotto of white grapes from cinque terre), or sauternes (not raisined grapes per se, but with botrytis, the grapes do still shrivel up) I've had. That could be a function of age. Accordingly, it tastes like the '90 Capitelli might have been better a decade ago, but it still isn't dead. At the same time, I've never tried a young version of this particular wine, so it's hard to be certain about that assessment.

So overall, I'm enjoying it. And for the $, it's fine. But it's not life-changing by any stretch.

(in reply to Smaragd)

Post #: 8