Any strong feelings one way or the other?
Question came up and we tasted a bottle from the cellar. Wine did have a heavy cedar component on the nose, but it was a 12 year old, Cab-based Aussie wine (1997 Peter Lehmann The Mentor), so could have simply just been the wine itself.
Thoughts? Any one have more experience with this than me???
I don’t see how the aromas of the room in which a bottle is stored would make it through the outward pressures created by the bottle liquid and air - I know SOME oxygen makes it through, but so little, and through the cork, which essentially would filter it out, no?
My only real experience was with a three pack of wines that I traded with an eBob member for. They came reaking of cedar in the styro shipper. I left them out to air out a bit and the odor quickly went away. IIRC, I have had two of the three bottles and they had not cedar taste to them…both were relatively young Napa Cabs.
I guess my question is why would anyone want one? I can’t see a plus.
Cedar, like redwood, is naturally resistant to rot. In addition, it’s straight-grained, relatively inexpensive, and easy to work with. In theory (odor aside) it’s an ideal material for cellar racking and/or walls. However, the odor is a significant deterrent. I wouldn’t use it.
A stretch of a positive is that it can provide some passive humidity control. Humidors use Spanish cedar frequently. Not sure if other woods would perform better though.