Master of Wine Opens an OLD BURGUNDY
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- In this video, I'll discuss cellaring a wine too long. I'll open a 1998 Domaine Rene LeClerc Gevrey Chambertin that should've been opened years ago. I had several that were purchased when the wine was first released in the early 2000s. Somehow I lost track of the last remaining bottle. I'll discuss what to look for with older bottles, along with some simple tips.
#winetasting #wine #winetime #burgundy #redwine #pinotnoir #wset #bobpaulinski #masterofwine
Opening old bottles is fun but with dry reds, I have to say I’m often more disappointed than impressed… Fortified and sweets, that’s a different story!
Fortified and Sweets typically age with less risk. The old Burgundy should’ve been opened years ago, somehow lost track of this bottle. 🍷
One of my saddest wine moments was dumping a bottle of 1961 Chateau d'Issan down the the drain in the 1990's that had crashed. That said, I opened a 1961 Leoville Las-Cases in 2011 and it was spectacular. It's all about the glory and pitfalls of cellaring wines for decades.
Dumping a ‘61 is difficult, one of the greatest Bordeaux vintages of the last decade. I’m sure the LLC a gem, fantastic from the specific vintage. Thanks for commenting. 🍷
Sounds like a great candidate for home made red wine vinegar which can be amazingly delicious if made from a base that has some complexity.
Fred, you might be right, but I ended drinking one glass, the rest went down the drain.
“ I don’t love this wine but I don’t hate it”. That’s what people say about eight out of 10 bottles of burgundy. It’s those two other mind numbing incredible experiences that keep you coming back. And with aged burgundy that number rises to 49 out of 50. It’s so rare that they actually improve. most of the old bottles burgundy I’ve had are simply interesting and fun to taste. If the wine is just OK and then aged for 20 years, 99% of the time it’s gonna be a 20-year-old bottle of burgundy that’s just OK. of course, if we’re talking grand cru those numbers significantly increase but sadly I don’t have a cellar full of 20-year-old grand crus
I agree with you! The bit I’d add is o couldn’t afford a cellar full of Grand Crus! 🍷
Rule of thumb: if it is too old for Leo, it is too old for me.
If it works for you, it’s all good! 🍷
Thank you Bob for your honest opinions and always enjoy your videos and cork tossing!
Since this wine was not showing well, I should’ve tossed the cork out of the window. I missed an opportunity! 😂😂
@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine7234 🤣🤣🤣
@@sunset3052 I’m still laughing! 😂
I think all of us have experience over aging or forgetting about a bottle (or bottles). It happened more at the beginning of my wine journey.
Once, I got a super deal on 3 Tavels and left one on the shelves for too long. I also over aged a bottle of Malbec from our wedding. We live and learn. 😞
Thanks for sharing this video and experience. Cheers!
Probably all together common. Definitely, live and learn. Thanks for commenting. 🍷
Hey! I have a cure for maintaining the fill level! Problems with seepage? Volatile acidity? Cork is a little bit crumbly? Use a screwcap closure! Why do people still put up with the disaster that is corks? All of the things you discuss are avoided with screwcap closures (here in Australia that is now 98% of bottled wines).
I’m a big fan of the screw cap for all of the reasons that you mentioned, along with not needing a special tool to open a bottle. Thanks for commenting.
In the final scene, when you gave a last sniff to the wine, your face and hand gesture were more expressive than all the words you said before 😂😂 💕
😂😂
Looking forward to the next one, where you open a 1er cru Burgundy around 15-20 years old.
There are plenty of upcoming videos with older wines. 🍷
Great video! Could you talk about the term "minerality", someday? I think a lot of consumers don't know the exact meaning of the term, but they use it to look cool (especially in our country, Korea).
Thank you for the kind comment. Your video suggestion is a good one. I’ll add it to the list of video topics. It’s an overused and misused term no matter the location in the world!
How/where do you age your wines? I noticed a wine fridge in another video but perhaps you have a more traditional cellar as well?
I have a two large upright refrigerated storage units. They’ve worked flawlessly for the last ten years.
Great video! Thanks for the guidance on opening older wines. Would you decant a Cabernet Sauvignon blend from 1998 or go straight to the glass?
Thank you. Stand the bottle upright for a day or two. Check the base of the bottle with a bright light source. Only decant if you see sediment.
Great video- other than the fill level, what is it about this bottle that made you think it would be over the hill? Red Burgundy can last a long time and you said it was well stored. Is it the village level, the producer, the appellation? Thanks!
Thanks for the good word. Aside from the full level, ‘98 was not a top vintage. Also, a premier cru or grand cru would’ve brought confidence in the condition. Lastly, I had several bottles over the years, the last being about eight years ago. It was fully mature at that time. 🍷
A thought.... I would like to learn to use an "ah so" opener. Any chance you could put together a short video that would teach me something? Thanks! 😊
Here you go…
ruclips.net/video/8HTnIvgQosU/видео.htmlsi=QjonCV0ztlrCBchU
@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine7234 thank you, sir!
what do you mean by "volatile" acidity? I assume this is different than the typicla acidity associated with wine, which usually sometimes freshness or something younger.
The primary acidity in wine is tartaric acid. VA is caused by excessive aging, poor winery hygiene, fruit with rot, etc. It brings a sharp, edgy spike to the character of a wine. In small amounts, it can be a positive attribute, such as in some Amarone. In wines like Madeira it’s a key component.
Speaking of aging, I have set up 800 bottle cellar last year and it is pretty much full now. It is one of those "modern" cellar with one side entirely made of glass wall and door. I really like it but I wasn't sure of cellaring for long term. To compensate more loss of temperature due to glass wall, we did get a more over sized wine compressor. Basically got the most heavy duty Whisperkool unit. It is set to 55 degrees. Based on measurements, I see that one far end of the cellar "air" temp swings from 57~59 about 16 times in 24 hr period. So that is 2 degree fluctions many times. I am told that evethough the air temp fluctuates, the liquid temp doesn't fluctuate that much so I should be okay(by Whisperkool). Is this a safe environment for long term storage? Like 10+ years?
I see no issue with it. Two degrees isn’t much, although you may consider getting the temp around 55-57F for long term. Also, you’re right about the impact on the bottles, the liquid will maintain a more steady temp versus the air temp.
Thanks, Bob. That confirmation lifts so much weight off of my wine heart. 😅 Now I can sleep in peace. Guess I am gonna celebrate tonight with a bottle of something lol!
@@tomchung1004cRest easy, your wines will be fine. 🍷
Thank you Bob again for the educational video. I hv just opened a 1982 Bordeaux last week. A regular generic bordeaux red. No classification. The wine mainly left with tertiary aromas and tasted like cooked mushrooms, umami, oyster sauce, little bit of black tea. It was certainly on the downward slippery slope. Still drinkable tho, but could be better a few or 10 years bk.
Wanted to know how would you identify volatile acidity. Maybe comparing a wine that may hv some balsamic vinegar notes.
Thank you again👍
Thanks for commenting. Much appreciated. A base level or petit chateau of that age would have little chance of showing well. Your descriptors sound to be spot on correct. VA is not always a bad thing. Wines like Madeira have high levels. Many Amarone will be lesser levels that bring a distinctive, complimentary positive character. In the wine from my video, it dominates the wine with a sharp acidic spike. The fruit character is obliterated. It can smell like vinegar or nail polish remover. It can develop with bottle age, poor storage conditions or from poor winery hygiene or grape affected by rot.
I have some bottles of 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin; must make sure that there are none lurking at the back of the cellar.
Haha! Best to take a good look. 🍷
@bob I have a question for you. I've set up a small cellar in an old free standing wood cupboard in my basement. It holds about 60-70 bottles. The temperature varies only seasonally and stays mostly around 17-18C, never goes above 19C. Humidity also varies, with the worst of it in the winter, about 35%. I realize this isn't perfect storage, but can I safely age win under these conditions?
The temp is a bit warm, 12C would be ideal. Humidity gets a bit low, over 50% is better. I take it there is no UV light exposure. Extreme temp swings are not good. If you have very high end wines, top growth Bordeaux, grand cru Burgundy I’d recommend better storage conditions. For short term aging, a couple of years of good quality wines, you should be ok. Keep in mind, warmer cellar temps result in wines maturing more quickly.
@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine7234 This sounds like my cellar 63 deg F). I have recently tried 86 Montrose, Leoville las Cases and Gruaud Larose and 90 Cos d Estournel. All mature wines tasting good. But before I moved from Wyoming two years ago, some of my wines (not sure which ones) spent time in Wine Storage of Denver. Everything is in passive storage at home now. My non-professional opinion is that he is Ok with longer term storage, unless he wants to sell at auction.
@@thomasschellberg8213Thank you for commenting. 🍷
28 years for a solid red burgundy is nothing?! I regularly open 30 year old california Pinots, going back to the late 70s to early 2000s.
I've never had a Burgundy that as too old. Oldest I had was a 59 and it was fine.
Had a 29 Cote de Rhone - amazing.
The only old bottles i'e had that I though were bad , were bad IMO because of some storage or cork issue or they were just a cheap wine in the first place.
For a good red burgundy I'd want at least 20 years on it. IMO no point in opening a Red Burgundy nor a top classified Bordeaux under 20 years. Bordeaux goes dumb for about 15-20 years.
You’re obviously a fan of well aged wine. Same for me, but this is not a premier and grand cru. Not built for long term cellaring.
You didn't say "raisiny" which to me is the tell tale sign of an over the hill red (quality red). So I'm thinking I might still enjoy it... although probably with snack food.
Interesting. When I think raisiny, I think of overripe notes from warm growing regions. Snack food and wine, very underrated! 🍷
I always preferred Rene’s wines to Phillipe’s
I’d like to do a side by side.
@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine7234 worth doing. Both very high quality- at least they were. Been a while- but stylistically quite different. P. Leclerc: new oak. R. Leclerc: not so much
@@dr7246 I prefer the latter. Liking less oak.
Too bad... This is probably the biggest misconception about wine, that it always improves with time. There's a due diligence in terms of catching old bottles before they're gone. A few days ago I opened a bottle they sold me from 2018 at a winery, and I didn't check until I was home (I've learned from this). Unfortunately, it turns out that this (red) grape variety is meant for short time consumption, and I'm pretty sure it was showing VA, more on the palate than on the nose (is that normal?). The wine was bone dry and gave a clear salty expression (not just briny).
I drowned my sorrows in a nice bottle of Lacrima di Morro d'Alba which was super enticing. Cheers!
Haha! I’m sure most of us have learned that same lesson at some point. The misconception about all wine improving with age runs deep. Call it folklore or urban legend.
I like the old tertiary aromas and flavours, if it was decent wine to begin with it should hold up.
I’m good with the tertiary notes, but volatile acidity is a whole different matter.
Yes I had some awful Ribero del Duero 2010 recently. I though that would last longer
@@ricknelsteel That will vary by wine producer and storage conditions weigh in heavily.
Too bad, but a great object lesson.
I was suspicious from the moment I found the bottle.
Lost in inventory lost to acetobacter. Working for a billionaire I checked every day for wines leaving. The other problem is wine labels are not created equal. I saw case after case of top dollar vineyard designated California wine with disintegrated labels in perfect storage so you don't know what it is or when it was made. My winemaker friends say just drink it.
Good point on the labels, I’ve occasionally had some mold over from too humid cellar or sometimes labels just come off. I’ve had a few mystery bottles over the year. 🍷
What a shame..
Only happened to one time. but it was an expencive one...
I usually keep track of what’s in my cellar. This one got lost in the mix.
Happens way too often.
I try to keep track of my cellar, but this one went wrong. 🍷
28 years for a solid red burgundy is nothing?! I regularly open 30 year old california Pinots, going back to the late 70s to early 2000s.
I've never had a Burgundy that as too old. Oldest I had was a 59 and it was fine.
Had a 29 Cote de Rhone - amazing.
The only old bottles i'e had that I though were bad , were bad IMO because of some storage or cork issue or they were just a cheap wine in the first place.
For a good red burgundy I'd want at least 20 years on it. IMO no point in opening a Red Burgundy nor a top classified Bordeaux under 20 years. Bordeaux goes dumb for about 15-20 years.
I'm constantly buyin gold wine on auciton, and a huge percentage of the time there are folks 10-20 years earlier saying "this wine has peaked" "this wine is now past it's prime" when it turns out to be fantastic. I wracked it up to bad storage ... so many Americants have no clue on how to store wine
had a 61 rioja that was undrinkable but it was producer I had no info on, so figure it was just a cheap botttle in the first place
It’s good you’ve found wines that fit your preference. As for when a wine peaks, it varies by individual. I’ve been all around the world, poor storage is a common problem in many places. 🍷