Picardy Chardonnay 2012

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

Yellow gold in colour. A rich nose of yellow peach, citrus, grilled nuts, and complex interwoven characters - butter, toast, florals.

The palate offers grapefruit, slight drying tannins, and a good line of acid. Medium finish. Rich and satisfying now, but should go a few more years comfortably.

Cheers
Allan

[Waiters Friend]

Too late, I'm afraid. The 2012 is now past it - sherry, browning, and slightly oxidised. Not the wine's fault - I just left it too long. There's a second (and last) bottle now in the fridge for testing / tasting, but I fear it will meet the same fate. I'm also looking at the 2013 with trepidation.

If you have some, I hope you have better luck

[TiggerK]

Too late, I'm afraid. The 2012 is now past it - sherry, browning, and slightly oxidised. Not the wine's fault - I just left it too long. There's a second (and last) bottle now in the fridge for testing / tasting, but I fear it will meet the same fate. I'm also looking at the 2013 with trepidation.

If you have some, I hope you have better luck

Probably just variable air ingress due to cork. I expect/hope other bottles may be fresher.

[JamieBahrain]

I'm not so experienced with Picardy but unless its a big, fat Cal-style shouldn't it be holding out ok?

I lean towards Tigger's assumptions.

[Waiters Friend]

I suspect it's the corks. I've now poured my 2011s and 2012s down the sink in the past 2 days, and the 2013 opened tonight is fine, but reaching the end of its drinking window. Why do we persist with tree bark?

[Dragzworthy]

I suspect it's the corks. I've now poured my 2011s and 2012s down the sink in the past 2 days, and the 2013 opened tonight is fine, but reaching the end of its drinking window. Why do we persist with tree bark?

About 20 percent of threads head this way

I'm in your camp but now that I own a coravin, I find myself buying more corked wine

[JamieBahrain]

Get a refund ?

[Waiters Friend]

Get a refund ?

I won't try. It's my fault for allowing the wine to age too long. A risk factor for anyone who seriously cellars wine.

[JamieBahrain]

I thought you blamed corks? Pouring bottle after bottle of expensive chardonnay down the sink, a modest period after vintage, sounds like my White Burgundy experiences.

[Dave Dewhurst]

A little surprised by this but sure, cork can be variable. I have had 2010s and 2013s recently and had no issues. They were stored in wine fridges at 12-16C, so storage was good throughout. I have a bunch more of these from more recent vintages and am not expecting any issues.

Cheers

Dave

[Waiters Friend]

A little surprised by this but sure, cork can be variable. I have had 2010s and 2013s recently and had no issues. They were stored in wine fridges at 12-16C, so storage was good throughout. I have a bunch more of these from more recent vintages and am not expecting any issues.

Cheers

Dave

Hi Dave

So far, in the last fortnight, 2011s and 2012s all down the sink, 2 x 2013s were on the edge, and I chucked part of a 2014 down the sink last night.

I contacted Dan at Picardy, and he prefers his chardonnays between 3-7 years of age, but reckons they should go 10. I'm not seeing this, and it's definitely not due to poor cellaring. I have insulated and airconditioned cellaring, and have not had issues before. All the wines were purchased direct from the winery.

I'm at a loss as to what it could be, if not the cork. Will try again tonight, but will also looking at a 2015 if the next 2014 also goes down the sink.

Cheers
Allan

[Dave Dewhurst]

I have one 2013 left and the rest are 15s and 16s. If I am having some suitable food, I'll pull it out and have a look.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Dewhurst]

Hi Allan,

Pulled my last 2013 out with a clam chowder earlier in the week. As far as I could tell, this was fine. Certainly a yellow-gold tinge to the colour, it was all nutty and oatmeal upfront with a touch of tropical fruit in the mid-palate and a zip of white grapefruit on the finish. It had rounded but still decent acidity which cut nicely through the richness of the chowder. This bottle seemed to be fine, although for sure more developed (less fruit, more nuts and meal) than when it was younger.

Cheers

Dave

[Waiters Friend]

Thanks Dave. As mentioned earlier, Dan Pannell suggests he prefers drinking between 3-7 years of age, so yours was within the window.