Is mid- or high-shoulder fill a complete no-no at auction?

WINE TALK
1

I’ve avoided auction bids on anything below neck fill. In the pantheon of “problems” (seepage, stained capsule, etc.) how does fill rank? Thanks!

2

Depends on the age of the wine.

For a wine that is 50 years old, “into the neck” is much more concerning than “high shoulder”

Color and clarity are by far the two most important things to me.

3

Suggesting a fraud?

4

Or a topped off recorked wine.
Not a fan of those

Also, if not either of those two, then it could be the old hypodermic needle trick.

5

Thanks Ray. I might take a flyer on a 79 Santa Cruz Mtn Vineyard Cab with mid shoulder. I had one probably 15 years that was still big and meaty.

6

Ray, I have very little experience with topped off wines but I did have a '61 Palmer that was stupendous. Then again I’ve never had a '61 Palmer other than this one so who knows what I would think if I had the comparison to make.

Chris, for me a '79 with a mid shoulder fill would be a pass.

7

Chris,

I would pass on a 30 year old wine with a mid-shoulder level.

8

I think it also depends on (1) the kind of wine and how robust it is, and (2) what price break you’re getting for the lower fill. Understand that there is risk in buying ANY thirty-year-old wine, but some wines age just fine with somewhat lower fills. Ultimately, I would look at what the total price would be (with premium, tax & shipping) versus the risk that a lower fill wine may be mostly dead, and decide if the risk/reward ratio is favorable to rolling the dice…

Bruce

9

I’m one for one in high shoulder wines. Bought a 1988 Badia e Passigano (sp?) Chianti Classico Riserva and it was excellent. Even I was surprised.

10

It’s a 79 Santa Cruz Mtn Cab with the following description:

“Light signs of past seepage (about seepage); lightly stained capsule; lightly worn capsule; mid shoulder fill; otherwise excellent general condition”

The “otherwise excellent general condition” comment seems odd! Bid is $25, probably $40 delivered. Very likely a no bid for me.

Part of my question was broader though. For example is seepage a big bad sign? What about spinning capsule? Of all the question marks in buying old wine which ones are "Don’t bid!!!,’ which ones are “Be careful” and which ones are “no biggie”?

11

signs of seepage + low fill = no bid from me

12

I agree with the comments above about age vs. fill. Signs of seepage are a no-no for me. But even then there are no absolutes. There are some German producers with reputations for overfilling so that there is some seepage when the corks get put in.

13

also not a seepage fan. if the wine in the bottle is taken as high quality from the beginning, and let’s say reasonable storage a given, then nothing affects long-term enjoyment like enclosure.