I’m not a Sherry fan but after getting over the fact that a half case of Beaucastel VV has completely transformed with no signs of mistreatment (good corks, good fills), I’m rather enjoying this. I’m curious what causes this when a wine has been stored well and isn’t famously predisposed to premox. Fat and full-bodied, slightly off-dry, should go well with Christmas ham 
.
That is one hell of an interesting color for a Beaucastel.
Yeah, same deep yellow as the capsule!
It could also be going through a ‘dumb’ phase, as silly as it sounds.
This wine is notorious for falling off the cliff and then coming to life at age 20, it’s sort of like hermitage Blanc in that way.
If I were you I would hold on to the last I had for another 3-4 years.
Had a 93 last year and was blown away at how great it was drinking. Not sure if the same will happen to the 97, but the 93 was alive and even improving for over three hours as we drank it.
Also, put the cork back in it and revisit it in a few days or even in a few weeks. Some of these whites can have oxidation curves which seem to defy the laws of physics & chemistry.
I had a couple of bottles of 1995 Beau VV do something similar, but much worse, in 2012, and it’ was classic premox. Not just that dumb oxidized-like phase they’re known to go through before rising Lazarus-like. I’m familiar with that, and this is different. Normal bottles don’t turn brown. The two bottles I had that were affected were several shades darker than the one you pictured above. They were literally brown. And offensively, smell-it-from-2-feet-away, sherrified. With no evidence of fruit lurking that might rise from the dead. And worse the next day. They had been purchased on release and stored at 55 degrees. Two of the 6 bottles I bought did that. I stopped buying their Blanc and drank up the rest of my stash young.
One of my 1997s opened in response looked to be heading that way too, but not as bad or as dark as your bottle, and I couldn’t be sure if it was premox or just that stage they go through. And a 1999 seemed a bit suspicious on first opening, but came around with air. But those two 1995s? Yes, Virginia, there is premox in Beau VV. I wonder how many others have seen this in CdP blancs.
Here’s my 2012 post on this.
Wow, thanks for the thread link David, and for everyone’s comments. Maybe a couple of these are still fresh or will rise from the ashes. We’ll see.
I haven’t had these on release for years but I remember for a while getting 1994 and 1996 VV (for like 60 bucks) every time I went to my favorite restaurant which had the motto “Not Afraid of Flavor”, and the fat - fresh - oily - intense style matched perfectly with the intensely flavorful dishes better than just about anything could.
Try the remainder in 5 years, they’ll be wonderful by then
I had one last year and loved it. Yes, the color was dark. There were some oxidative notes, sure, but with time in the decanter, it was singing.