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Cork to blame for premature Burgundy oxidation says Coates
February 21, 2007
Oliver Styles
Poorly-performing corks are the main culprits behind prematurely aged white Burgundy, says Clive Coates MW.
Writing in a forthcoming feature for Decanter magazine, the Burgundy guru says that changes in the way corks are produced have led to poorer wine isolation and oxidisation.
Coates was prompted to examine the phenomenon following an inexplicable and seemingly random spate of oxidised white Burgundies from the late 1990s – in particular the 96, 97 and 98 vintages.
He was forced to reject several bottles due to oxidation, including wines by Etienne Sauzet, Noel Ramonet, Comtes Lafon and Bonneau du Martray.
'The growers were just as puzzled as we were,' says Coates. 'And, being concerned, were all too happy to share their experiences.'
Coates admits that there are many possible reasons for premature oxidation including certain winemaking techniques such as battonage [the stirring of the lees in the barrel] and reduced sulphur content.
However, he says, poor corks are the main culprits.
'Traditionally, corks were produced using chlorine-based bleaches, and coated with paraffin,' he says. 'Fears of TCA [cork taint] led to these two being replaced by peroxide, a powerful oxidant, and silicone, which some argue allows more oxygen back through the cork.'
To backup his findings, Coates points to top Chablis producer Raveneau, which covers the cork and bottle neck with sealing wax, and is one of the few domaines which did not experience oxidation problems.
He does admit however that the period did produce some vintages that were not for laying down.
'Frankly, anyone who is still hanging on to their 1997s and 1998s is a fool,' he says.
But, says Coates, recent vintages are showing no signs of premature oxidation and it seems the problem has been solved. He pointed to a recent 140-bottle tasting of 2002 grand crus containing 'no hint of oxidation' or 'tiredness'.
The full feature, The Curious Incident of the Oxidised White Burgundy, will appear in the April issue of Decanter magazine, out on 7 March.
Have your say...
To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com, making sure the relevant headline is in the subject field
 This has answered a puzzle - I had 2 cases of Chablis Premier Cru Fourchame 1999 of which 20 odd bottles were oxidised. This was a real shame as the other 4 bottles were lovely. The wines had been stored at Octavian Cellars and showed no signs of any sort of heat or other damage. The corks seemed to be OK but obviously were not. What a pain.
Andy Whiteman
This is interesting. I'm Australian but a lover of red and white Burgs. I've had in a few cases the entire case of wine oxidised to varying degress, even from famous (and expensive) makers. Cases of 99s have in fact been the worse, from Pillot, Chavy and Martray.
In total, I have had oxidised WBs from eleven producers, and this covers 1995 to 1999. I have not as yet had any oxidative 2000s, 2001s or 02s. I hope that is a pattern.
Many of my friends have literally given up buying white Burg as a result, and will take some convincing that their money will not be wasted.
Mark Dignam, Sydney, Australia
Au contraire to what Mr Coates claim in his article on this worrying matter, problems with premature oxidation is not limited to vintages of the 1995-1999 period. Bottles from a wide range of producers including almost all the top-tier domaines with just a few years of bottle age are showing signs of premature oxidation. This subject has been debated on the eRobert Parker/ Mark Squires wine forum and as a result a Wikipedia-page ( http://oxidised-burgs.wikispaces.com/ ) devoted to premature oxidation of white burgundies has been created. Collectors from all over the world contribute to this site and the general conclusion is that this is a major problem and there is great reluctance to discuss this issue amongst the affected producers. Regardless of it's cause, premature oxidation will have a great impact on many winelovers buying patterns. I, for one, have already stopped buying white burgundies for long term cellaring despite the fact that this is my favourite style of wine. I cannot justify paying 50- 300 euro per bottle when as many as 3 to 6 out of 12 bottles might be undrinkable after 10 years in the cellar. I was thoroughly disappointed in Mr Coates lightweight take on this subject as his article will probably fail to put pressure on the producers to explain and hopefully put an end to this unfortunate situation.
David Olsson, Sweden
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