When bringing white burgundy to a dinner I always open it ahead of time since I find that even bringing a backup bottle doesn’t work if the wines are from affected vintages.
Recent DOA casualties included the following:
1996 JN Gagnard Chassagne Caillerets - down to my last few bottles. My success rate with this wine is worse than a bad minor leaguer’s batting average.
2002 JM Pillot Chassagne Vergers - I’ve had good luck with the Chassagne Vergers (Clos St. Marc) and the Puligny Caillerets, but not this bottle.
1999 Jouard Chassagne Morgeot “Les Fairendes” - I have the 2002 of this wine, which I will open in the next week or so as well as a few other bottles from this producer. Sigh.
This wine was wonderful on release.
Try to return them to either the retailer or the importer. That will be my plan for future white burg failures- which I know are going to happen with my existing stash.
A lot of my wine was purchased out of state (CA and NY). I wonder what those retailers will say when a partially consumed bottle of expensive crap shows up.
I would like to return them to the retailer but in the case of these bottles I’m not certain where I bought them. I could return them to the importer, but it just seems like so much trouble that even though I should I probably won’t.
So the wine at least may have suffered heat damage prior to your acquisition, Al?
Based upon Tom’s description the wine definitely suffered from overheating sometime prior to being opened.
I believe there’s a difference between the premature oxidation incidence known as “premox” and those situations where the wine had been stored in an overheated condition. 2002 and 2006 just seem too early for the classic premox malady.
Unfortunately not Hank. They were bought on release and cellared properly. I was merely referring to the fact that I’m not sure which retailer I purchased them from. I only deal with retailers I trust and while it is not inconceivable that it may have suffered heat damage prior to being acquired by me, premature oxidation is the far more likely cause of the damage.
If by bad bottle you mean oxidized then yes it was. It is one from a case so I dont see how just one gets heat damage (the other half of the case belongs to a friend so I will ask him about his experience), certainly no TCA, cork was fine, fill was fine…why is premox unlikely
I’m sitting on my last guaranteed non pre-moxed bottle, a '93 Pernot Bienvenues-Batard Montrachet.
Praying it’s not corked.
Can’t believe the problem persists with '05s. So sad.
My one wine epiphany this year was gorging myself at the recent Lugeresque Offline with a big glass of the '93 Pernot listed above and some runny cheeses…sad that my cellar of '96 and later white burgs would never make it to that peak.
Too bad, Al. I’ve been having excellent success with the white Burgundies I’ve opened from 2002,2004 and 2005. While I might normally keep these wines longer I’m drinking and enjoying them earlier. It’s better than opening a 1992 Montrachet only to find it’s oxidized (actual experience). The 2006’s and 2007’s that I’ve tasted before cellaring appear to be excellent, but I’ll be testing those along the way.
I agree Hank that drinking them younger is the way to go. I have so far had luck with vintages younger than 2002 but having read the notes I respect the fact that the problem still exists in the younger vintages. My advice is buy to drink early except for those domaines you have had good luck with and others have too.
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