Community Tasting Note

• AJ72 wrote: flawed

  August 10, 2013 - Great Dinner Wines (Healesville Victoria): First casualty of the night. Not completely gone but definitely a casualty of the cork. Lean too lean. Damn!

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5 Comments

• Greg Munyard commented:

  9/18/13, 5:51 PM - I like your notes, AJ72 and you obviously know your stuff. However, a question. I assume it was contaminated (eg. TCA or TCB?) rather than just prematurely oxidised? I know that bottle has gone now but if thought to be contaminated, have you tried sticking a plastic bag in the bottle to see if that attracts some of the contaminants? A winemaker friend showed me this handy trick, which helps verify the problem, and may make a wine that is not too badly shot somewhat drinkable. It of course makes no difference for oxidation.
  
  A couple of weeks ago a group of us were given a Bouchard Pere 2006 Corton Charlemagne which was, sadly, gone. Some suggested it was the cork but the problem was in fact oxidation rather than taint.
  
  Granted, the oxidation might possibly have been caused by the cork but since the cork had not leaked at all, let alone materially, that just left a possible overbleaching problem causing oxidation. However I can't recall seeing overbleaching problems since the some of the late 1990's wines (this is a general comment, not specific to Coche-Dury!). I wonder whether too low SO2 may be an emerging problem for some makers, including in Mersault, although I have no idea what regime the mighty Coche-Dury follow.

• AJ72 commented:

  10/13/13, 11:17 PM - Hi Greg
  
  Yes I agree I have seen the plastic bag work to some effect but.... I am a winemaker myself and this particular evening there were so many wines that it wouldn't have been practical unfortunately. An embarrassment of riches you could say. In this particular case I believe the cork had only just started to cause the spoilage given that the wine was so young. There was no detectable TCA but the wine was muted and changed to the point where any redeeming features of this very young wine had been lost. It was kind of like 80% of the content had been stripped out and what was left was very underwhelming. Disappointing for such a prized bottle for sure and I haven't had the best strike rate with Coche Dury wines over the years. I had a 2002 Coche Perrieres a few years back which was a similar experience to this bottle. I worked with Thierry Matrot (Meursault) back in 2012 (poor vintage by the way, tiny harvest so probably won't be cheap either) and I asked him the very question about why the wines were becoming premoxed. He was very puzzled by this but believes as you suggested lower doses of SO2 could be partly to blame but only forms part of the story. He couldn't articulate any one thing in particular but knows there is a problem. He makes incredible wines, different to Coche but can be equally as good more backward in style at only a fraction of the price. He has had an issue with cork spoilage which may have been doing his reputation some harm (more TCA than premox). I would say each time he opened a bottle 25% were either TCA or stripped. Sometimes I couldn't tell but because he knew the wine so well he would say "no I don't think this is right" and sure enough the next bottle was liquid gold. Unfortunately Ive had to hang up my drinking boots so I don't visit the site very often. Apologies for the late reply.
  
  Adam

• Greg Munyard commented:

  10/14/13, 8:21 AM - Thanks Adam; very helpful. No apology needed re timing; there are other things in life, too :-)
  I'm really interested re low SO2 possibility. My winemaker friend said 6 of the 8 recent 2006 red burgundies that he has had (1 with me) had brett., consistently with low SO2. Fascinating, given my experience with the 06 whites, which has been generally very disappointing, although a recent 2006 Coche Bourgogne Blanc was lovely. However even the great Domaine Leflaive made heavy weather of their 06's; soooo alcoholic - [shudder]. I commented a while ago that the 06 Clavoillon (14.5% alc.) was unworthy of the label of that fantastic producer.
  I'll keep a look out for Thierry Matrot when in Burgundy next year.

• AJ72 commented:

  12/4/13, 1:07 AM - Brett is also a concern and keeps me awake at night due to its randomness. If there is Brett active in the wine it usually chews up the free sulphur as an added effect much like yeast does during normal fermentation. Domaine Leflaive's wines are brilliant but something was amiss for the 06 and 07 vintages. All the premier cru's Ive tasted are oxidised and very advanced, undrinkable is the 06 Clavoillon so not sure what happened there. I heard Pierre Morey had left during this time. The exception is the Bourgogne Blanc which is as you would expect good value. I haven't had many good 06's even Matrot seemed light on for acid and most seem a bit broad. I did taste a very good Bourgogne Blanc from Bernard Moreau though tonight 2006. Seems like the Bourgogne level wines are the value. Similar to 03 reds where anything above village level is generally not reflecting the nuance of the site owing to the hot weather. A generalisation I admit as you'll always find a diamond in the rough to counter the claim and make you look silly. Another thing on Brett. Although rare I had a bottle of the normally pretty good Michel Niellon 2005 Les Chenevottes. It was horribly bretty and not often you see that in a white to the point where I can't imagine what it must have been like as a young wine. Will be posting my thoughts on this.
  
  Cheers
  
  Adam

• Greg Munyard commented:

  1/7/14, 11:03 PM - Hi Adam
  There seems to be increasing evidence to support your concerns about brett. My winemaker friend enthusiastically agrees with you, and links this in part to low SO2 (as well as some winery practices). He's recently returned from another trip to Burgundy, where he was surprised and disappointed to see so many red burgundies with obvious brett; some very much the worse for it. He spoke of some disappointing whites as well. Further, at last count 7 of the 8 most recent 2006 red burgundies that he'd drunk here in Australia were brett affected. He suspects that most of the problems he is seeing result from misguided non intervention (which you will understand)!

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