Longevity of pyrazines

Whilst avoiding aiming this post at particular vintages :wink:
I had a remarkable 1978 Monthelie this week (they didn’t bother with accents in 1978); fresh, vibrant, vigorous, indeed very much a brash but impressive youngster. Yet aromatically and from a flavour perspective this was at least a GM6 on the KH scale, so not something I’d want to drink too often.

What struck me most was not just the obviousness of this aroma and flavour, but also its clarity. I know there is data ‘out there’ saying that these compounds are stable, but that’s merely abstract until you have it in your glass.

Regardless of the source of these pyrazines, it seems amply demonstrated (to me) that they will never fade with time as some people have hoped - or they will simply outlast the wine in which they’re found. That people note ups and downs in the presentation of MPs seems to me only a reflection of their variable sensitivity to something that’s present in parts per trillion…

The wine

Bill,

Quit cheering me up, will you? :rolleyes:

My stake in this isn’t too high, as I have only about a case of assorted 2004s left. What bugs me most about this problem is the staggering bottle variation within a case of the same wine, as in one bottle being rather green and the next hardly if at all.

Happy to cheer you up Mike - don’t worry, your wines are not a bit variable - it’s you :wink:

A possible curve ball here might be related to bottles exposed to light. Some pyrazine compounds photo-degrade. There are reports of decreases of as much as 40%/year for methoxypyrazines in wines stored in green/amber bottles as compared to nearly 0% decreases in bottles stored in darkness. Just keep a light shining on your 04 Burgs. [wink.gif]

RT

So do I just leave the light on in the cellar Richard, or do I need a sun-lamp :wink:

Hey bill, that reply was strongly reminiscent of Ms. Bucket from the old English sitcom “Keeping Up Appearances”! [rofl.gif]

Bouquet Mike, Bouquet!! [highfive.gif]

Bill, you could always break out your old 70’s black light. As an added benefit, the UV waves might zap some Brett too. neener

RT

Did not know that. I wonder if that will change now that bottles are brown and not green and keep out more of that kind of light?

What other vintages show this characteristic? We know 2004 does, we suspect 2011 has the potential to; others besides 1978?

Hi Bill,

Was '78 really a problem vintage in this respect?? I had no real idea, and I can’t recall from the handful of wines I have had ever identifying this…was it more a specific number of vineyards sort of thing, or was it pretty widespread??

Was it as bad as '04, and where would you place it as a comparison…

I’m very (annoyingly) sensitive to green notes, and thus have avoided 2004s like the plague ever since they first came out. Almost every single one I’ve had was nearly undrinkable (to me). I have tasted some 1978s, and have never detected the meanie-greenies in them, though it’s been a while since I’ve had one. Bill, feel free to ship a few 1978s my way and I’ll experiment for you… [wink.gif]

That said, I seriously doubt the GMs will disappear. I’ve had a few 2004s over the years and in most cases (not all) they seem to be getting worse as time goes on, or at least coming to the fore and not masked by youthful fruit. Glad I bought zero 2004s.
Cheers! [cheers.gif]

I finally got to try one of these 2004 Burgs everyone so lovingly raves–well, rants–over. It actually reminded me of a Loire Cab Franc from a classic vintage made in an elegant style by a very skilled producer. Cranberry/pomegranate and tobacco/hay aromas. I didn’t find it offensive at all, but it was not the most varietally typical of Pinot Noir based wines.

I doubt the pyrazines will disappear with time. One thing I’ve noticed with pyrazine-heavy wines is that often early reviews will not pick up on them, but as the wine settles into its character withi a year or several they become obvious. It’s not that the pyrazines increased, but that the youthful exuberance of the fruit and fermentation esters went away.

Pyrazine detection seems to be a combinatorial effect. A lot of the ripe, extracted new world wines certainly must have some pyrazine given how much they work the grapes. (Even being as ripe as they are.) But the ripeness and oak cover it up. Another thing I’ve read is that oxygenation during fermantation can help destrpy pyrazines. It’s a bit late for that with 2004 Burgundy, though.