The corked wine thread

[n4sir]

I've had quite a few DIAM closed wines that were stripped/corked. It's not immune...but less odds.
Had a run of corked wines recently. I love it when you have a wine waiter that can't pick cork taint...

Even better when they work at Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant and they are the only waiter pouring at the biggest night of the year for the Kalimna Club, the new releases dinner...

The 2014 Grange was poured at our table and immediately identified as badly cork tainted - half of it had already been poured to another table who did not say anything, so they must have assumed the wine regularly reeked of mouldy cardboard and fungus, was alarmingly short and completely shit.

Said waiter was arrogant (and stupid) enough to argue that it was tried in advance, it was fine, blah, blah, blah... Begrudgingly he took over a glass to presenter Matt Woo, who immediately confirmed it was faulty and had to be replaced. What a disaster!

[phillisc]

I've had quite a few DIAM closed wines that were stripped/corked. It's not immune...but less odds.
Had a run of corked wines recently. I love it when you have a wine waiter that can't pick cork taint...

Even better when they work at Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant and they are the only waiter pouring at the biggest night of the year for the Kalimna Club, the new releases dinner...

The 2014 Grange was poured at our table and immediately identified as badly cork tainted - half of it had already been poured to another table who did not say anything, so they must have assumed the wine regularly reeked of mouldy cardboard and fungus, was alarmingly short and completely shit.

Said waiter was arrogant (and stupid) enough to argue that it was tried in advance, it was fine, blah, blah, blah... Begrudgingly he took over a glass to presenter Matt Woo, who immediately confirmed it was faulty and had to be replaced. What a disaster!

Ian, was sent an invite to this but declined...I am somewhat amused that each table gets to share half a bottle of 'corked' Grange...assuming that there may be as many as 6 on a table...so 60 ml pours...wow wee!!!

Be interested in your thoughts re the 169.
As for service personnel...they never cease to amaze me how far they can levitate up their own arseholes. At a very well known fish place in Gouger Street last week the whiting stank of ammonia...absolutely rank...waiter said nothing wrong with it...got the manager to come over with the request he sit down and eat it...full refund, walked out, never going back.
Cheers Craig

[n4sir]

Be interested in your thoughts re the 169.

Bin 169 wasn't there for the dinner... neither was the Magill Estate or Bin 707 (not enough made of them apparently to open a few bottles for their biggest spending customers... bullshit )

The price for the Kalimna Club dinner went up this year too, surely I'm not the only who felt a little (more) ripped off?

Then again the 1990 Brandy was an impromptu addition at the end of the night - maybe they already got this same vibe from someone else there...

[phillisc]

Be interested in your thoughts re the 169.

Bin 169 wasn't there for the dinner... neither was the Magill Estate or Bin 707 (not enough made of them apparently to open a few bottles for their biggest spending customers... bullshit )

The price for the Kalimna Club dinner went up this year too, surely I'm not the only who felt a little (more) ripped off?

Then again the 1990 Brandy was an impromptu addition at the end of the night - maybe they already got this same vibe from someone else there...

Sheesh...sound like you were dudded...and given a wine at the end which probably won't sell
Cheers
craig

[Rossco]

So my constant battle with the tree bark continues.... and i am losing.

In addition to my 4 x 2015 Fattorie Parri Chianti Montespertoli Riserva all displaying some levels of TCA (I have 2 left and dont hold much hope)

Add:

2 x 1999 Tahbilk 1860's Vines Shiraz (1 VERY bad and another one that was bad)
1 x 2005 Gibson Australian Old Vine Barossa Shiraz


*Sigh*

[michel]

So my constant battle with the tree bark continues.... and i am losing.

In addition to my 4 x 2015 Fattorie Parri Chianti Montespertoli Riserva all displaying some levels of TCA (I have 2 left and dont hold much hope)

Add:

2 x 1999 Tahbilk 1860's Vines Shiraz (1 VERY bad and another one that was bad)
1 x 2005 Gibson Australian Old Vine Barossa Shiraz


*Sigh*

I feel your pain

[Chuck]

None for a few years as most wines I drink are under stelvin. Says a lot about my collection.

Carl

[Rossco]

So my constant battle with the tree bark continues.... and i am losing.

In addition to my 4 x 2015 Fattorie Parri Chianti Montespertoli Riserva all displaying some levels of TCA (I have 2 left and dont hold much hope)

Add:

2 x 1999 Tahbilk 1860's Vines Shiraz (1 VERY bad and another one that was bad)
1 x 2005 Gibson Australian Old Vine Barossa Shiraz


*Sigh*

And because i seemingly love pain....lets add tonights failure

1 x 1998 Peter lehmann stonewell. Oxidised

[Gavin Trott]

So my constant battle with the tree bark continues.... and i am losing.

In addition to my 4 x 2015 Fattorie Parri Chianti Montespertoli Riserva all displaying some levels of TCA (I have 2 left and dont hold much hope)

Add:

2 x 1999 Tahbilk 1860's Vines Shiraz (1 VERY bad and another one that was bad)
1 x 2005 Gibson Australian Old Vine Barossa Shiraz


*Sigh*

I have 12 of the Parri Chianti Montespertoli ... first two I tried were sensational. ... then last 4 ... mildly corked, badly corked, mildly corked, mildly corked. ... very frustrating.

Under Diam corks.

.

[JamieBahrain]

I had a corked 2005 Wild Duck Springflat Shiraz magnum. Yet ! have the 2002 on the tasting bench in screw cap? Hmmm.. anyways, I was pretty desperate for a red wine and it was fine with hot and spicy northern Thai cuisine.

[sparky]

A bit of kudos for those struggling with perception. At a Penfolds Recorking Clinic about 10 years ago a Penfolds 1990 Bin 90A. It stank and everyone in the room could smell it including N4sir. They tried to replace it with a Grange but finally replaced from their stash a few days later. Sparky looked after me. BTW where is she now?

With most wines I drink now under screw cap a corked wine is a rarity. No longer have to rely on the cork gods.

Carl

I'm still hanging around Carl I pop in every so often when I'm not out flogging barrels!

[phillisc]

A bit of kudos for those struggling with perception. At a Penfolds Recorking Clinic about 10 years ago a Penfolds 1990 Bin 90A. It stank and everyone in the room could smell it including N4sir. They tried to replace it with a Grange but finally replaced from their stash a few days later. Sparky looked after me. BTW where is she now?

With most wines I drink now under screw cap a corked wine is a rarity. No longer have to rely on the cork gods.

Carl

I'm still hanging around Carl I pop in every so often when I'm not out flogging barrels!

Happy Christmas Moira
Cheers Craig

[felixp21]

I'm reluctantly happy to accept a small percentage of corked red wines, but pre-moxed white wines is, in my book, unacceptable.
I will continue to purchase red wines under cork, and keep looking for screw-caps in whites where possible.
To be honest, I actively avoid reds under screw cap.
Of course, that is a personal bias, many will have differing opinions, which is fine. In my experience, reds under screw cap do not develop as well as their cork counterparts.
C'est la vie!!!

[Mahmoud Ali]

The only dud this year was a 1996 Wynn's Black Label. Really foul, so much so that I thought that there was more things wrong with it than just the cork. There seemed to be some sort of microbial stink. I had been wanting to try this for some time so I will pull out another bottle.

Otherwise not any others that comes to mind.

[Ozzie W]

Monchiero Barbera d'Alba Superiore 2016

Under Diam too.

[felixp21]

The only dud this year was a 1996 Wynn's Black Label. Really foul, so much so that I thought that there was more things wrong with it than just the cork. There seemed to be some sort of microbial stink. I had been wanting to try this for some time so I will pull out another bottle.

Otherwise not any others that comes to mind.

Mahmoud, there is no doubt that Wynns had at least two entirely different batches of that wine. I purchased two cases at release, and every bottle has been virtually undrinkable. I have maybe 12 left. However, clearly, others have had the normal (very good to excellent) experiences typical of this marque. My bottles were neither corked nor heat-affected, but perhaps infected at or prior to bottling.
This isn't the first time such an occurrence has happened with Black Label, there was certainly two batches in a vintage from the 70's with exactly the same problems. (I can't remember right now, it might have been 1973 or 1977)
A real pity from the best vintage of the 90's and too bad for me... my stocks of the 90 and 91 are absolute treasures right now, punching way, way above their weight!!!

[Mahmoud Ali]

Very interesting to know, thanks. The '96 is my first vintage of the Black Label that was available in Canada so unfortunately nothing older to fall back on, so consider yourself lucky for having cellared those older vintages. I did find the 1990 Wynn's Oven Valley in a shop in the Barossa many years ago and instinctively decided to buy a couple of bottles. Hope it will be as good as your old Wynns.

Cheers .............. Mahmoud.

[Ozzie W]

The only dud this year was a 1996 Wynn's Black Label. Really foul, so much so that I thought that there was more things wrong with it than just the cork. There seemed to be some sort of microbial stink. I had been wanting to try this for some time so I will pull out another bottle.

Otherwise not any others that comes to mind.

Mahmoud, there is no doubt that Wynns had at least two entirely different batches of that wine. I purchased two cases at release, and every bottle has been virtually undrinkable. I have maybe 12 left. However, clearly, others have had the normal (very good to excellent) experiences typical of this marque. My bottles were neither corked nor heat-affected, but perhaps infected at or prior to bottling.
This isn't the first time such an occurrence has happened with Black Label, there was certainly two batches in a vintage from the 70's with exactly the same problems. (I can't remember right now, it might have been 1973 or 1977)
A real pity from the best vintage of the 90's and too bad for me... my stocks of the 90 and 91 are absolute treasures right now, punching way, way above their weight!!!

I had one from the good batch tonight. Thoroughly enjoyed two glasses of '96 Wynns Black Label with dinner. Plenty still left in the tank for this good bottle. However, I've had many bad ones in the past. Wynns from the 1990's is like playing Russian Roulette. Crappy short and mushy corks don't help.

[Ozzie W]

2012 By Farr Farrside Pinot Noir
I opened a bottle of this over the weekend. The bottle was purchased retail on release from a reputable store and stored in my offsite temperature controlled cellar ever since. Unfortunately, the wine had a strong smell of paint thinner that didn’t blow off even after a few hours in the decanter. Colour/clarity was perfect. No bubbles and it was OK on the palate. I'm trying to ascertain if this is a winery issue, storage issue or cork issue?

I'm thinking my bottle was affected by VA / Ethyl acetate, but it's also been suggested it could have been TCA? I've always associated TCA with a wet cardboard smell which this bottle didn't have. VA / Ethyl acetate is a winery issue and it would affect many bottles, not just a single bottle.

[Diddy]

2001 Mount Mary Quintet

A mate and I decided to have a Quintet showdown - his '15 vs my '01.

Unfortunately he won by default - mine was horribly scalped - for me, I get really strong notes of ultra green banana skins

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/8CXwCP1b/Quintet-01.jpg[/img]

[michel]

Last year we opened a magnum of Ramonet Montrachet using Coravin
Corked
Receipt and bottle achieved store credit

[Wizz]

Last year we opened a magnum of Ramonet Montrachet using Coravin
Corked
Receipt and bottle achieved store credit

That was a sad moment in a memorable night.

[michel]

Last year we opened a magnum of Ramonet Montrachet using Coravin
Corked
Receipt and bottle achieved store credit

That was a sad moment in a memorable night.

Indeed kimosabe

[Diddy]

2001 Mount Mary Quintet

A mate and I decided to have a Quintet showdown - his '15 vs my '01.

Unfortunately he won by default - mine was horribly scalped - for me, I get really strong notes of ultra green banana skins

As a postscript to the above, very happy to report back that Mt Mary replaced the corked '01 with a current release - fantastic customer service!

[michel]

Last year I had THREE corked 2012 Bartolo mascarello!
Replaced or credit....

[bdellabosca]

2012 By Farr Farrside Pinot Noir
I opened a bottle of this over the weekend. The bottle was purchased retail on release from a reputable store and stored in my offsite temperature controlled cellar ever since. Unfortunately, the wine had a strong smell of paint thinner that didn’t blow off even after a few hours in the decanter. Colour/clarity was perfect. No bubbles and it was OK on the palate. I'm trying to ascertain if this is a winery issue, storage issue or cork issue?

I'm thinking my bottle was affected by VA / Ethyl acetate, but it's also been suggested it could have been TCA? I've always associated TCA with a wet cardboard smell which this bottle didn't have. VA / Ethyl acetate is a winery issue and it would affect many bottles, not just a single bottle.

Hi Ozzie.

I opened a bottle of the 2012 by Farr Farrside Pinot over the weekend and it was so good I actually came on here (probably 12 months or so since last I was on I think - been busy with family / work) to make a comment / share. No sign of faults that i could see so that may give you the answer to your question of winery vs cork as the source of your taint.

2012 By Farr Pinot Noir "Farrside"

Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Bought at release. Stored in my wine fridge (12 degrees) since purchased. Drunk over two nights (cork back in and left on shelf overnight) and just as good after 24 hours.
Great colour / clarity. Did not look like an old Pinot.
Intense fruit and spice on the nose. No signs of faults I could detect from open. Popped and poured / no decant (was away on holiday).
Good body / mouth filling / good weight. First comes quality cherry / dark tones with slightly sweet notes. Followed by very nice spice and oak notes, slightly savoury / stem notes but to a lesser extent. Hard to resist finishing it off on the first night.
I'd guess its in the early stages of its drinking window (if you are storing at 12 degrees?) but I really enjoyed it so IMHO no need to wait if you have any bottles.

Don't know if you have any more bottles Ozzie but I hope you get to try this wine without any taint / fault issues.

Cheers

[JamieBahrain]

Last year I had THREE corked 2012 Bartolo mascarello!
Replaced or credit....

Cellar door buys?

[Ozzie W]

2012 By Farr Farrside Pinot Noir
I opened a bottle of this over the weekend. The bottle was purchased retail on release from a reputable store and stored in my offsite temperature controlled cellar ever since. Unfortunately, the wine had a strong smell of paint thinner that didn’t blow off even after a few hours in the decanter. Colour/clarity was perfect. No bubbles and it was OK on the palate. I'm trying to ascertain if this is a winery issue, storage issue or cork issue?

I'm thinking my bottle was affected by VA / Ethyl acetate, but it's also been suggested it could have been TCA? I've always associated TCA with a wet cardboard smell which this bottle didn't have. VA / Ethyl acetate is a winery issue and it would affect many bottles, not just a single bottle.

Hi Ozzie.

I opened a bottle of the 2012 by Farr Farrside Pinot over the weekend and it was so good I actually came on here (probably 12 months or so since last I was on I think - been busy with family / work) to make a comment / share. No sign of faults that i could see so that may give you the answer to your question of winery vs cork as the source of your taint.

2012 By Farr Pinot Noir "Farrside"

Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Bought at release. Stored in my wine fridge (12 degrees) since purchased. Drunk over two nights (cork back in and left on shelf overnight) and just as good after 24 hours.
Great colour / clarity. Did not look like an old Pinot.
Intense fruit and spice on the nose. No signs of faults I could detect from open. Popped and poured / no decant (was away on holiday).
Good body / mouth filling / good weight. First comes quality cherry / dark tones with slightly sweet notes. Followed by very nice spice and oak notes, slightly savoury / stem notes but to a lesser extent. Hard to resist finishing it off on the first night.
I'd guess its in the early stages of its drinking window (if you are storing at 12 degrees?) but I really enjoyed it so IMHO no need to wait if you have any bottles.

Don't know if you have any more bottles Ozzie but I hope you get to try this wine without any taint / fault issues.

Cheers

Thanks for reporting back. Sadly, that was my only bottle of the 2012 Farrside (an auction purchase).
However, I do have a 2012 Tout Press still in the cellar which I purchased at release.