I had a wine last night that:
wasn't corked
wasn't cooked
wasn't bretty
wasn't oxidised
wasn't vinegar
wasn't ancient
This wine had a definate flat, washed out, dull, something's missing, something's gone wrong with it taste. I have had this experience before with other wines. I know it's a flaw, but I can't put a word to it. Any help?
@

closed?

quote:

This wine had a definate flat, washed out, dull, something's missing, something's gone wrong with it taste.

Sounds like a textbook description of a mildly corked bottle, asv.

PH

I could sworn he said it wasn't corked. Must be my memory.

Plenty of people think that dull, flat and fruitless wines aren't corked. That doesn't necesserily make them correct. It's not your memory, it's your attitude.

PH

I know what corked is: that wet cardboard, damp cellar smell and taste. I don't know what Laube picks up when he says it's corked. Perhaps you are correct, PH, and it is a condition that I did not recognize as corked.
Thanks
@

I'll take asv at his word when he says it's not corked. If he weren't sure, he'd have said that. You can disbelieve him if you like. My attitude is to assume that he knows what he's talking about. I guess we have different attitudes.

Lacking acidity or tannins? I know what you mean and I've had similar experiences.

quote:

Originally posted by asv:
I know what corked is: that wet cardboard, damp cellar smell and taste. I don't know what Laube picks up when he says it's corked. Perhaps you are correct, PH, and it is a condition that I did not recognize as corked.
Thanks
@

The description you give "wet cardboard, damp cellar smell etc." is the classic description of a profoundly corked bottle to the average palate. The problem with TCA, and frankly the biggest problem in my opinion is this: Mildly corked bottles. To the average set of taste buds, the classic mustiness of a corked bottle may not be readily apparent. The symptoms are much more subtle and involve muted flavors, flat profile and reduced fruit presence. The problem with these bottles is that unless the taster has a baseline to go from, some previous experience with the exact same bottle of wine, the fact that the bottle is corked could be attributed to it being a bad wine, and not a bad bottle.

Have you had the wine you're referring to before? If not, do you have another bottle to compare with the one you're referencing? What was the wine that prompted your post, fwiw?

PH

PH-
Thank you for the detail. Yes, it was exactly as you described, and I had never attributed this condition to TCA (as I am sure Board-O has). I appreciate your assistance. The evening was a presentation of wines a distributor was trying to sell to our two restaurants, so I had never had the wine before - no comparison available. The wine was La Calde 2001 Super Tuscan, Cab and Sang. Unable to find a rating on WS. As for Board-O, it's just because he's a New Yorker. Been there, done that, 15 years worth. It's easier for me to forgive him than get offended. The more I learn about wine the less I know what I'm talking about.

"Shut down"

"Bottle Shock"

Got it! Crappy wine!