I opened a bottle of 2004 Pontet Canet this past weekend and the cork was protruding slightly, maybe 1/8th of an inch. The wine tasted fine, but is this something to be concerned with? What amount of protrusion is the most you would be comfortable with?

I guess I'd be comfortable with no cork protrusion, as it's a pretty good indicator that some high heat hit the bottle at some point. But, that said, wine is more durable than most think, and I've had wine with a bit of protrusion that tastes fine.

If I find a bottle on the shelf with protrusion, I'll never buy it, but if I find that I did buy one, it's not necc. a death sentence. Glad you enjoyed your PC. It's good stuff.

If you want to do an experiment, get two identical bottles, one that stays in the cellar, one that goes in the car trunk (put in plastic bag) on a few hot days. Taste the difference.

Thanks for the feedback Indy. The cork was in pretty solid, it sort of looked like it wasnt pushed all the way into the neck to me. I wonder if that happens occassionally when the cork is put in at the winery. It almost looked like a muffin top, but not quite to that extent, if that makes sense?

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:
I opened a bottle of 2004 Pontet Canet this past weekend and the cork was protruding slightly, maybe 1/8th of an inch. The wine tasted fine, but is this something to be concerned with? What amount of protrusion is the most you would be comfortable with?

A slightly protruding cork can be an indication of improper storage, either too cold or too hot. If the wine has been frozen, there will be a lot of crystalline sediment. However, it's usually not a big problem -- leakage is far worse. Still, if you have the option, choose the bottle without the protruding cork.