Brett, VA and bottle variation myths?

Great to have you here Serge!

I love the white Musar (you probably won’t remember but my first experience with old white was when I bought some '75 from you about a decade ago from the winery). And I love the red and the rosé as well.

But I’ve been wondering about bottle variation, volatilve acidity and brettanomyces.

When reading through wine fora, it seems that everyone apart from me experiences great bottle variation with your wines. Any idea why? I have always hypothesized that it is because the human mind has this funny way of affirming what others say. But is there anything else to suggest bottle variations? e.g. low sulphur which might make bottles shipped closer, like Finland, seem more fresh than bottles shipped farther away, like the US?

And what about VA? Old school Musaroholics (like myself) love the touch of volatile acidity that Musar has. But some have also commented that since 1998 VA has been on the decrease in your wines. Do you have any documentation as to whether or not VA has stayed the same or decreased?

And brettanomyces has been another issue that no one can agree upon. Is the “funky” style I see in your wines brett or something else? And just like with the VA question, has it been decreasing in recent years (as some say)?

Great question, as I am one who has NOT noticed VA or brett in the many bottles I’ve enjoyed. I’m always surprised that so many others do perceive these.

Am I the outlier?

Hi Otto,
You know Musar very well. I could be technical if you want. You are wondering about 3 different things:
a- Bottle variation: It is a simple word but for wine it is the word. Wine being alive has to vary. This is one of the most important facts in Chateau Musar. This is due to million reasons. Wine is alive, our wines are true, organic, wine as human is affected by location, temperature and humor, etc…
b- VA: Interpretation of VA is a key word for me to talk about the subject. One day I was travelling with Bartholomew Broadbent from San Francisco to New York. When we took off, he asked me a question about VA. We landed 6 hours later still talking about VA. Our VA level has decreased by 10% because I have started to use a little bit of Sulfur at the end of the fermentation process at the end of October.
c- Brett is a yeast which is a part of nature. I like the funky style and Brett is a part of it. And the process of fermentation has decreased it slightly.

Jim,
I like what you said. I am like you as I look to things differently.

How can I take a long flight with you so I can ask all I can about your wines? :smiley:

Thanks for your answers! :slight_smile:

Hi Otto,
You choose and I will fly with you from Asia to the America’s.
I am used to live in the air and looking forward for this occasion.
Cheers.