OK. So I’ve heard from a few people that this was a great drink. I ordered a case so figured I’d dip into one. WTF!?! First off, the cork almost exploded from the bottle upon opening. Sprayed me with sediment. The cork was in perfect condition with no streaking. Maybe too much Co2? Anyway, this was a hot mess of a wine. Astringent alcohol and bitterness. This wine hurts my head! Maybe it’s an off bottle. Who knows. Five hours later…still tastes like shit. If this bottle is representative…well then…I’m scoring this a 79-81pts. It has some depth but it falls into a black hole of rubbing alcohol, bitter fruit and back of a dog’s ass. Maybe my score is a bit too kind. Come to think of it…I’m giving this a 71-73pts. Undrinkable.
Sometimes when you’ve got a really good seal with the cork, pulling it creates a partial vacuum that causes wine to explode out of the bottle. Doubtful it was CO2 unless it was fizzy on the palate.
Justin,
Care to enlighten us with the vintage?
Justin - This should not happen with any still wine. If this was a relatively recent purchase you probably want the wine store know what you experienced. At that point you should reach an agreement that will keep you a satisfied customer. Maybe it’s opening a 2nd bottle or possibly returning the case…Gary
The vintage was 2007. I’ll pop another bottle tonight to see whats up.
Justin,
In terms of smell and taste, what are the differences between the front and the back of a dog’s ass?
![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
Sprayed you with sediment? So the eruption started all the way at the punt of the bottle?
Was it fizzy at all? Sounds like some in-bottle fermentation issue if it was under pressure. Perhaps the wines were heat exposed and this resurrected some microbes that were under control.
Seems odd, though. This is supposed to be a really good producer. And the wines surely are made to handle some level of wide distribution. Does this producer leave some RS to make the sort of “sweet fruit and tannin” Parker praises?
Sounds weird, I’ve had lots of their 2007 Prologue, which is their very low-end cab and it was very nice and very correctly made, especially for the price.
I don’t think the “front” of a dog’s ass is still the ass… ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
I’ve had this wine 3 times now, and it is very good. You had an off bottle. It’s a nice mid-weight (not overripe or hot) Cab with a good dose of very aromatic Cab Franc. Nothing like what you describe. I hope your whole case isn’t ruined.
Justin…I love Conn Valley wines, and the 07 Eloge is one of the best Conn Valley I’ve had. I 've had it on several occasions (once blind) and each time it was stunning. If you try another bottle and it’s not “right” I’d suspect the problem is with the case.
These are the kind of nuances I hope to explore with Justin when (and if!) he returns to this thread.
Add me to the list of people who have enjoyed this on 3 different occasions from 2 different retailers and had the same enjoyable experience. I bought 1 based on reviews form others and went right back out for 3 more after drinking the 1st.
Here I am. Sorry. Had to take the wine soiled clothing to the cleaners, remove the taste of the dog’s ass from my mouth and pull myself together. All is well again. BTW, Day 2 was no better for the wine. I’m thinking it was flawed but didn’t get a chance to open another bottle last night. The Carlisle and Myriad were begging to be opened. Maybe this weekend. Y’know, this bottle of Eloge reminds me of the 07 Robert Craig Affinity that was so well rated and ended up tasting like the back of…well…a spare tire. I’m hoping to have some luck with the next one.
I wanna know what possesed you to try it on day two…coprophilia? Open another. That wine is right up your alley.