The Auswine Forum

I currently have in my glass a drop of 2002 Classic Mclaren La Testa Red Blend. It is from the last carton of La Testa available from the (parent) company and I have to say I am enjoying it immensely. It tastes like it should, that is to say a little more advanced than the same wine four years ago, possibly a little more advanced than expected.

But.. I know this wine has spent the last 13 months in an un-airconditioned section of a warehouse, albeit not the very hottest part. Tha last of the Classic McLaren wine was brought to our workplace and put into wherever it would fit in the warehouse, the stuff I've just purchased placed into a separate room. I know the temperature has varied dramatically, it has been really cold (13deg) up to god knows what (I was overseas during the last Adelaide heatwave but I can imagine what it would have been like).

Why would this wine be okay? I've had wines before which, by rights should have been ruined but have been not just okay but good. How does it happen than a little careless cellaring can ruin a wine, yet some absolute disinterest does not?

Not complaining (I paid a few dollars a bottle, based upon my argument that the wine was ruined!) just puzzled.

Cheers,

Mark

What type of closure did these wines have?

Does this matter?

2c worth...

Cork.

As has been suggested by others on the forum, wine is actually a lot more durable than people give it credit for. I suspect heat screws around with wine most commonly because it causes a cork failure of some kind (pushes it out, lets in air, etc). If the wine is either very well stoppered with a good cork that doesn't fail, or screwcapped, I wonder if temp is really so important, other than speeding up the aging process (as in your example here, where it seemed a bit more advanced than you expected).

Mark

The 2002 la testa blend is a huge wine and given optimal conditions would probably have lasted 20 odd years before fading. The fact that your supply is fading already probably means that it has started to deteriorate because of the conditions. I have 4 dozen bottles of this wine and they are not even ready to drink yet (although the 2003's are drinking beautifully). I got some 1999 la testa shiraz from Langtons the other day and was disappointed at the level of development (they may have been stored badly as well) - the 2000 will last for at least another 20 years...

How much of the left over classic mclaren stock was put in your warehouse - I need to know as I got the last pallet?

cheers

Luke

I have enjoyed friends' wines that have been stored in their living room racks for five years and yet simultaneously have agonised over a degree here and a degree there from my own underground cellar. I do agree that wine appears to be, on the whole, more durable than many suspect but agree I wouldn't be trusting the living room wine to a 20 year stint. Nor do I think/know that any wine can withstand high temperatures in the back of a car, screw cap or not!

Luke, you're right, it is a huge wine. I didn't say it was fading, just more developed than I thought it would be if cellared well. The "bright" fruit up front has softened remarkably. It's actually very nice drinking, I just expected it to be completely stuffed. Actually I'm amazed it's not.

We had about twenty pallets in the warehouse at one point, with the La Testas going into the top room (better than it sounds as this room is at least partly insulated but still gets pretty hot). Keep in mind most of it did not stay there long, so whoever had your pallet first possibly kept in better conditions.

Some of the general Quarryman was in the main warehouse for quite a while.

Only dribs and drabs left now (I'm going to put in an offer to take the lot tomorrow).