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in article , Anders Tørneskog at
wrote on 1/8/05 8:27 AM:
> Hi Bill
> Did you ask your wife? You see, you might be like me - I think I'm quite
> insensitive to TCA and so don't often, if ever, get that musty wet cardboard
> sensation. But, I've certainly had wines with little or no fruit (flat,
> empty, nothing there) which is a telltale sign for TCA insensitives I've
> understood.
> Anders.
First, a welcome to Bill. I generally feel much like you in regard to
making wine decisions. I use the TNs on this board a lot, as well as the
two or three magazines I get, and newspaper articles too. I also go by the
recs of people in those wine shops in my area (Southern California) that
have proven their tastes to be somewhat similar to ours. That's the key, I
think. While there are certainly taste 'standards' for the various varietals
and blends, none of that really matters if a wine isn't to your personal
taste preference.
That leads me to a follow-up to the issue of possible TCA in Bill's Malbec.
On the recommendation of a friend (who is something of an Italian wine
buff), I picked up a bottle of Rosenblum Zin - Richard Sauret Vineyard -
2003 (US$12.49 at Costco..... my friend paid $18 at BevMo - h-m-m-m) and we
tried it last night with some pizza. The 2002 vintage of this wine was a 92
point WS pick, I think. The immediate sensation was very musty. I didn't
really taste anything off, though the wine seemed very flat at first. I've
had this happen several times with an Antinori Chianti I used to like.
After about 20 minutes the mustiness had gone and the fruit was very much
present. This became a really good Zin I would go back for more of, but the
initial mustiness was pretty daunting.
Now........ is that TCA?? or not? Does TCA 'air out' of a wine once it's
opened, or is it simply there or not there?
I also have an interesting side note to this. I just spoke with the friend
who recommended the wine, to ask if he has noted anything similar. He had
not noticed the mustiness, but the couple he has had both exhibited the
same need to stand for 20 or 30 minutes for the fruit to come out. IN
ADDITION, his opened bottles both had synthetic corks in them, while mine is
definitely a natural cork (Same exact vintage). I'm wondering whether this
has anything to do with how Costco got this wine and whether the 'corkiness
- mustiness' was part of the unusually large price difference.
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