I tasted a Viognier from a known producer from Dry Creek Valley today. The wine had massive amounts of Brettanomyces aromas on the nose. I have had plenty of whites in my day and this is the first I have tasted that was bretty. How common is this in whites?
I once had a white (SB?) from Chile that was undrinkable due to brett (smelled like a cats urinal …) - but that was the only instance …
A recent white - 2012 Bellwether Riesling Wild Ferment - was the brettiest wine I’ve ever had, red or white. So it can happen.
I had a 2008 Gewurztraminer from a Napa valley producer that was filled with horsey, poopy aromas. It was undrinkable. I think it’s the only white I’ve ever had that was bretty.
It’s certainly not as common in whites as it is in reds, but that said, it can happen. The use of newer oak barrels, or ‘questionable’ used ones, could lead to this, as could bottling unfiltered with a touch of RS on the wine and the ‘right’ conditions for a bloom during transport and/or storage.
To me, and maybe it’s just me, but this is a ‘fault’ that the winery should return your money for - or give you a refund.
Curious to hear what happens from here . . .
Cheers!
The reason Brett-related aromas are rare in white wine:
“One final matter concerning Brett is rarely mentioned. It occurs almost exclusively in red wines. Why is this so? Red wines have a much higher level of tannin like substances called coumaric and ferulic acid than do white wines as they are extracted from the skins of grapes during red wine fermentation. The wine yeast Saccharomyces and some lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillis have enzymes which degrade these acids to weakly smelling intermediates called 4-vinyl phenol and 4-vinyl guaiacol. These compounds are then enzymatically degraded over a period of months by Brettanomyces to the strong smelling 4-ethyl phenol and 4-ethyl guaiacol respectively. Incidentally Brettanomyces is the only major micro-organism in wine that has the ability to transform 4-vinyl-phenol into the potent band-aid® smelling, 4-ethyl phenol. Hence 4-ethyl phenol is rightly considered to be the ‘trademark’ aroma of Brettanomyces growth in wine. Where you find 4-ethyl phenol you will invariably find Brett, and vice versa.”
Source: Wine Education Topic: Brettanomyces Character in Wine