Kid in a candy store with my new Coravin

Got home late tonight from being out of town on business to find my new Coravin. Even though it was 8:45 and I still hadn’t eaten, all I wanted to do was play with my new toy. Felt like some white to start, so I pour off a few ounces each of the '04 and '05 Girardin Puligny Les Combettes. The '04 showed great with minerality, not over oaked and no signs of premox. The '05 was more golden in color, had more oak on the nose and seemed like it was more than a few years older than the '04…my advice is to drink them if you own the wine.

What next, what next I thought? What haven’t I tasted? Some Phelps Insignia that were standing up that I recently pulled from cases caught my eye. First the '01, silky voluptuous fruit with great balance. Next '02, primary and brooding. These need more air, so after and couple of sips of each, I decide that I’ll let those rest and search for the next victim, the '99. Bang…drinking nice with black fruit, leather and just a hint of earth.

I have over 1,400 different wines in my cellar and now I can try what ever I want whenever I want too…I’m a kid in a candy store. Maybe I’ll finish the night with some '70 Taylor’s. I’ve always wondered what I’d do with a Mag of Port?

Note to Eric: Cellartracker needs to be updated so we can “taste” particular bottles without actually drinking them…

thanks for taking 20 or so for the team

Back to the '01 Insignia…this is a great wine. Showing loads of chocolate on the nose now, laced with cassis. The wine just glides across the palate, elegant and tremendously rich. I’m laughing at the thought of tasting this wine from the same bottle another 6-8 times over the next year!

Would it be possible for people to taste their White Burgs, and if oxidized put them at auction, and if not drink them, by only taking a small amount out? Same with a corked wine?

Can you tell that it has been used on a bottle? In the days of fraud we live in, this might just eliminate auctions for me.

Kris, it leaves an extremely small hole in the capsule. But for someone who can re-capsule…?

Now for more of the '02. This has more smoke with a hint of sweet coco on the nose. The wine is much sweeter on the palate than either the '99 or '02…and little confectioned. Still a great wine, but the '01 is more my style.

This will be hard…I’m not used to having only a few ounces of a wine…must maintain some discipline though…

Outside of a worry, it is a really cool idea to be able to taste wines, won’t you miss watching a wine develop in a glass or over a night versus tasting it in near stasis?

Yeah…I’ll give more thought to my next go round. Get 2-3 reds poured @ 3-4 oz each, then pour a couple of whites. We’ll see…I do really enjoy following a bottle over the evening.

Fascinating stuff. This could turn how fine wine is consumed on its head.

This takes wine tasting/collecting to a level I am not interested in. Part of the joy of buying good wine is opening it with friends at what u think is the right time and seeing how it tastes. I would never buy a Coravin as it takes the “fun” away.

Yes, but aren’t there nights where you would just like a really nice glass of wine without going through a whole bottle?

I have answered this question 5 times now. The site does not need to be updated. It has had this feature for 9-years. Edit the bottle to add a per-bottle note to track whatever Coravin status you wish. When you finally rip the cork, then mark it consumed. You can also post a tasting note on any wine at any time.

+1. And I’m with Kris Patten, unless auction houses are extremely diligent about inspecting capsules, etc. I will not buy single bottles in the secondary market. Period. Bottles that are premoxed or corked may very well flood the market. Can’t stop ‘progress’ I guess, but this is not progress for me.

Another reason I am glad that I virtually never buy wines at auction.

I’m going to be keeping a close eye on threads where people have used this device. I’m not so much interested in long term storage of partially filled bottles, but the idea that I can work through a bottle over the course of a couple of weeks is very appealing. It would be great for vintage Port and full bottles of dessert wines where I just want a glass after dinner.

Jeff - please post follow up notes on the wines you Coravin-ed as they progress/you drink through them.

Oh and Eric, in CellarTracker…just kidding.

Eric,
When you say “add a per-bottle note” do you mean a private note?

No, I do not mean a per-wine private note. I mean a bottle note (which is also private).

Is there extensive evidence proving the “re-seal without disturbing aging process or introducing oxygen” theory? I understand the Argon injection and all, but is the cork naturally resealing itself? If so, how many holes does it take before the bore size accumulates some width?

As for the “kills the fun” of drinking wines, you don’t have to use it every time. You can pop bottles and laugh and live and blah blah blah. But on Wednesday night, I just want one glass of something nice, and my wife doesn’t drink much wine during the week since she’s hangover prone with red wine. I’ve used Vinotemp systems, but mine was atrocious. This seems like a wonderful tool to enjoy a glass of wine without worrying about spoiling a bottle or wasting juice. Also, if you want to see evolution, drain out half of the bottle into a decanter, give it some time, and enjoy it over a couple of hours with something else.

Thanks for the post Jeff - did you ever end up eating that night? I’m not sure I would have gotten around to it!

Mine arrives Tuesday. Fortunately most of my wine is offsite and I only have ~150 bottles in a Eurocave. But that will be enough to keep me busy for a few weeks!

David, I thought vintage port could be left open a very long time (like years, even) without changing, since it’s already oxidized.