The Auswine Forum

...it never seems to stop.

One of those days at work best forgotten.

Came home to an Osso Bucco lovingly prepared by the better half.

What better to have with it than a Zin. Check the Cape Mentell website which tells me to drink my 1998s before 2008.

Excellent. Crack a bottle to have with tea. Nothing exciting here at all. Nothing on the nose, no fruit on the palate just a slightly metallic flavour and very short. Bugger, just corked enough to strip the fruit methinks. Put this one down to bad luck and open another.

Opened to a sensational smell of wet cardboard with a similar palate (Don't know why I even put it in my mouth really, perhaps disbelief at what my nose was telling me). Not so happy now.

Open the third bottle with some trepidation, this being my last 1998 CM Zin. Terrific, I don't think. The same wet cardboard pong as the 2nd bottle.

That will teach me to boast that I hadn't had a corked wine in a long time.

Oh well, opened a 1998 Lenton Brae Cab Merlot to great sighs of relief. Classical MR herbaceousness with hints of green pepper. A lovely wine from an oft maligned maker.

I have emailed Cape Mentelle and await their response.

Funny thing Davo, have had the same thing happen with 2 bottles of 1997 Cape Mentelle Zinfandel over the last year. I have 1 bottle to go, but too scared to open it so far...

I wondered though whether it may be brett rather than cork taint, given the metallic characters you note (and which I also found).

Also thought I read somewhere that this winery had a bit of a brett problem in the 1990's ??

saved a bottle of 96 Dom for our 25th wedding anniversary for 18 months.
Worst TCA ever ....knew it was corked prior to poouring a glass..but went ahead anyway.
Luckily the bottle shop agreed to replace it.
Yay!..well we do!
Smithy

Yep, given the metallic notes I am sure there was brett there as well, but the overiding fault was wet cardboard.

The winery themselves mention the metallic flavours in their tasting notes, which is of some concern.

Minotaur wrote:Funny thing Davo, have had the same thing happen with 2 bottles of 1997 Cape Mentelle Zinfandel over the last year. I have 1 bottle to go, but too scared to open it so far

I think your last bottle should be sensational, and a monster. Opened it some time ago at a club dinner it was superb! I hope your luck will turn around and your last 1997 will be awesome. What disappointed me however is the light body, lack of character, not much weight or flavour in the very disappointing 2000....

Cheers,
Attila

Davo,

This is interesting to hear. I had a similar experience with three 'corked' bottles of Zin in a row. To make matters worse it was at a restaurant. Slightly embarrassing for all concerned.

The winemaker was able to check out the bottles the next day and said they were fine.

I wonder if we have all freaked out by how 'funky' Zin can be and mistake it for taint. (???)

Michael Sinclair wrote:Davo,

This is interesting to hear. I had a similar experience with three 'corked' bottles of Zin in a row. To make matters worse it was at a restaurant. Slightly embarrassing for all concerned.

The winemaker was able to check out the bottles the next day and said they were fine.

I wonder if we have all freaked out by how 'funky' Zin can be and mistake it for taint. (???)

Interesting. Which Zin (producer/vintage)? I assume the restaurant agreed the wines were corked or did you BYO?

I'd trust Dr Davo on this one, if he's got the stamina to get through 9 of the CM Zin already, I think he might know what it's meant to taste like and he's no slouch on identifying cork taint either.

I've pm'd you Brian,

Sorry - not trying to question Davo's nose - an interesting series of coincidences though... taking into account Minotaur's experience also...

There was a pretty handy winemaker next to me who thought the zin was corked also...

I received an email from Cape Mentelle today saying they will replace the Zin with current vintage.

Excellent service and greatly appreciated.