A lot of Leroy in recent auction catalogs all shows signs of seepage and many also show ullage that given the age of some of the wines seems surprising (most of it in both the HDH and upcoming Zachys auctions). I believe I remember Leroy being an over-filler (all the seepage) but why so many 20 year old wines with notable ullage (1.5+ cm)? Are they somehow a label that is not stored as well as others? Really trying to figure this one out.
I just bought a 66 Leroy Chapelle with a high shoulder and the 76’s I saw were low neck so I’d imagine the 20yr old stuff should be at the worst low to mid neck.
Lots 78 - 122 in the HDH Burg Auction are all Leroy. These lots span vintages from 1990 - 1997. Of all the lots listed (365 bottles in all) only 15 lots or (119 bottles) don’t show signs of seepage or ullage of some sort. The '64, '66 and '69 Echezeax and Grands re-released in the early 2000’s showed nowhere near these types of seepage ullage (until the last of them through PC).
You think perhaps more of those Katrina cooked wines might be arriving at auction? I do…and I’ve seen quite a few with the same symtoms in many other auctions over the last 6+ months. Looks like some major but long ago deceased collections have been flushed in to the market, way too many. Bidder be-frickin-ware!
10 or 15 cm might cause me to think twice, but 1.5 cm isn’t much more than a half inch and that amount of ullage really wouldn’t worry me, old wine or young wine.
That is the extreme good.
1997 - 3cm
1996 - 3cm
1994 - 3cm
1990 - 3cm, 3.5cm, 4cm,
as a few examples. The Leroy’s only stick out because every other Burgundy in the catalog with equal age shows nowhere near the amount of seepage of ALL the Leroy lots nor do they when matching up vintages have any ullage until far past the age range the Leroy’s do.
I have always felt that the big risk of overfilling, as Leroy routinely does, is that very, very minor temperatures can move the cork or push wine past it… and I feel this may compromise the seal of the cork to the glass, forever. I’ve had bottles filled so full that they literally will seep at 70 degrees room temperature. Sarah, I don’t know if this is a factor in the bottles you are observing, but it makes me wonder.
Particularly where I live, there seem to be plenty of 94 and 97 turning up at auctions etc., and I’m not surprised - most have been laid on merchants shelves for years where the summer temps often touch 30°C - even in the shops. I wouldn’t touch any of them with a bargepole…

Particularly where I live, there seem to be plenty of 94 and 97 turning up at auctions etc., and I’m not surprised - most have been laid on merchants shelves for years where the summer temps often touch 30°C - even in the shops. I wouldn’t touch any of them with a bargepole…
Same here.
I have had a few older (60’s and older) Leroy’s with not so great fill, and they have all shown pretty well.
I suppose the overfill/cork soaking they do at Leroy, whilst it might allow some wine out, must still somehow keeps the wine ok…
I think that it is a provenance problem. My bought-upon-release, shipped-in-reefers bottles show no signs of seepage, and unusually high fills (often into the capsule) for their ages. The overfill might make seepage more likely, but only if something else causes the seepage to occur.
I have always felt that the big risk of overfilling … is that very, very minor temperatures can move the cork or push wine past it… and I feel this may compromise the seal of the cork to the glass, forever.
What Lewis said.
Tend to personally avoid all seepage like the plague. Realistically speaking however, you might pickup a reasonable bargain on a good drinker that has old signs of seepage due to overfilling (assuming all other provenance checks out). Leroy seepage with 1cm ullage should certainly cause less concern than seepage with 3 or 4 + cm ullage. The wine went somewhere, and the path of least resistance is certainly the cork! A single bottle at a good price is one thing, a case, quite another. Is there a pre-auction tasting where any of the wines are opened? Might give you a little more confidence.
Leroy is the one burgundy producer where signs of seepage alone might not mean the wine is damaged. Leroy is famous (notorious) for over filling, or at least it once was, which can cause minor seepage without exposure to heat. However, in such instances the fill should remain outstanding, so personally I would be concerned with ullage of 3 cm or worse.
I like this webpage for info on ullage: http://www.wine-searcher.com/fill-level.lml?ID=null
Leroy is the one burgundy producer where signs of seepage alone might not mean the wine is damaged. Leroy is famous (notorious) for over filling, or at least it once was, which can cause minor seepage without exposure to heat.
Yep, we often joke here that if a back vintage bottle of Leroy does not show seepage, it is suspect! Same with Dunn HM with chipped wax, older Opus with oxidized caps, etc.
Had a 2009 Leroy Borgougne over the weekend - Corked soaked, slight seepage and mold on the capsule. Wine was great but did show some very slight oxidized notes on day 2…
What would the reasoning be for over filling their wines?