I am hoping for some help or suggestions from the group.
Last year, I purchased four bottles of the 2023 RM Pinot upon release directly from the winery. After receiving the shipment, I stored the bottles in my cellar and did not attempt to open them until last month.
When I went to open the first bottle, I noticed the cork was elevated. Concerned, I inspected the remaining bottles and found they showed similar signs of flaw, with one bottle even having sticky residue on the outside. I documented the issue with photos and immediately contacted the winery via email.
After receiving no response, I followed up two additional times. Eventually, I received a reply from Will Segui. However, despite explaining the issue and providing documentation, no remedy or resolution has been offered. I asked whether I could return the bottles or exchange them, but since that exchange I have received no further response.
As it stands, I am left with four bottles that appear compromised despite having purchased them directly from the winery and storing them properly upon receipt. I understand the situation is not an ideal one for both parties, and I am not looking for a refund, but it’s disappointing to be treated like this by a winery you supported.
Well, lesson learned. Check every single cork going forward. If anyone has suggestions, they’d be appreciated.
I’m sorry that you’re experiencing this. For what it’s worth, you do not describe corked bottles. ‘Corked’ describes a biological contamination of the corks. Your description sounds to me to be heat damage. Did you arrange to have the wines shipped at an appropriate time?
For what it’s worth, I once mentioned in a post here that o opened a corked RM Pinot and Will contacted me unsolicited to offer a replacement.
I also had WIll contact me unsolicited when I made a cellartracker note that one of their 7-8 year old Chardonnays was oxidized. He sent me a replacement bottle - that was also oxidized.
While I feel for your situation, I think this is the type of thing you need to catch soon after receipt.
Years ago I ordered a six pack of $100 bottle wines, 6 months or a year later when I open it up there’s only 5 bottles. Now I have five $120 bottles. Expensive lesson.
Will Segui is a perfect fabulous human. Maybe the best at being an attentive contact person. I would imagine there might have been a glitch somewhere. Don’t be put off, it will turn out great. Stay in contact with them.
Probably should have caught it upon receipt… No telling what could have actually happened. You mentioned that you pulled one because you intended to open it - did you? Is it actually flawed?
Sorry to be flippant. That’s a lesson we all need. Check quantities, vintages and corks upon receipt.
A few years ago I called Ridge asking for a 1-off zin. I’m a long time club member mind you. I’m told it’s sold out. No big deal. A couple weeks later I have them deliver some wine to a friend’s house who I am going to visit as we split a case. The wine shows up at his house and he calls me. Some of my friends wines were missing but the sold out wines I wanted were in the case. My friend and I were cool with it and delivery guy went on his way.
Something is missing here. It always feels that way when there are loud, public posts like this that amount to complaints.
How does one miss elevated corks over 6 bottles? You shouldn’t have to ‘check’ them but even looking at and handling them out of the shipment should make something like that apparent. Waiting a year is certainly putting the winery in a tough spot. If you were a winery would you want to replace every bottle someone said was damaged a year later?
What is your desired solution? Sounds like you are cool with no remedy yet also want one.
I often leave mine in the shipper if I know I’m not going to drink them for years. I just don’t open a shipper to open it and not everything I get goes into a rack.
But it should be practice to verify everything is in order.
If they are possibly heat damaged, but have been in your possession for a year, it’s hard for RM to know whether the problem was their shipping or has arisen while you owned the bottles.
Maybe if you found some data about when they shipped and what the weather was like along the shipping route at that time. I imagine it’s possible (if not necessarily easy) to find that information.
Further compounding the problem, it’s not necessarily the case that the wine is affected. Most of the time bottles have moderately elevated corks, especially younger bottles, they’re fine anyway.
If it were me, and there was some reason to think the fault was RM’s (like they shipped in hot weather), I might suggest this: open the bottles one at a time as you would have in the absence of this protruding cork question, and if/when any bottles display heat damage, then maybe get a credit or something for those bottles. And if the bottle tastes fine, then no need for either side to do anything.
There was one vintage of one bottling of Rhys pinot (maybe 2010 Family Farm?) where people were reporting some bottles had excessive amounts of brett, while others were clean. I think I had 3-4 bottles of the bottling in question, but I also didn’t want to rush to open them young. Rhys offered to replace them or give me a credit (they have terrific customer service on matters like this), but I suggested that I just hang onto them, and if I open one down the road which is significantly flawed, I would let them know then. And I don’t think any of mine ended up being that way.
Thanks all the feedback. I did open one bottle per the winery’s suggestion, and it was a damaged bottle.
What am I looking for? Just a clear communication from the winery, which is what I haven’t received. A straightforward response letting me know what they can/can’t do would be helpful.
I will definitely be checking every single bottle upon arrival from now on.
