Richard Juhlin reflects on the difference between cork taint or cellar note? [read the full champagne story]
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Defects in wine?
Defective wines are truly a disappointing and tricky downside to our wonderful hobby of enjoying life. There is a plethora of various wine defects, but by far the most prominent and common is cork taint. Cork-tainted wine, also known as cork defect or TCA (trichloroanisole), occurs when a chemical chlorine compound in the cork contaminates the wine. So, how do cork-tainted wines smell and taste? Wet cardboard, mold, swimming pool, and wet dog are good descriptions, but I would also add that it can taste just like cork! If you smell and taste a fresh cork, you will likely recognize this cork note when it appears in wine. The cork should never impart its own flavor to the wine.
Not the winemaker’s fault !
Richard Juhlin
It’s important to understand that cork taint is usually not the winemaker’s fault but rather an unfortunate fluke in wine production. Of course, one can minimize the risk by avoiding cleaning surfaces with chlorine or similar substances that the wine passes through during vinification. Stricter selection of corks and possibly using alternatives like Mytik corks also reduce the proportion of cork-tainted wines. But fundamentally, encountering one of the approximately 10% of still wines and 3% of all champagne bottles that are cork-tainted mainly comes down to bad luck. It is comforting that cork-tainted champagne is much rarer!
Cork taint
Many casual wine consumers believe that cork taint is the only valid reason to return a bottle they are unhappy with at a restaurant. However, there can be other justifiable reasons for dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, the boundaries are somewhat fluid, and sometimes a wine may have an obscure fundamental character that raises doubts. Excessive oakiness, dirty barrels, overly pronounced minerality, or excessive reduction can cause confusion. Oxidation is probably the most divisive issue since the development of all wines is a result of oxygen’s aging and developmental impact. Even skilled sommeliers may have differing opinions on how far oxidation can go before a wine is deemed overly oxidized or maderized.
Deliberately oxidative champagnes
In the champagne world, deliberately oxidative champagnes vinified in oak barrels often cause the most debate and confusion among younger champagnes. When it comes to older champagnes, opinions can differ even more. The level of aldehydes always increases in older champagnes, but some individuals are hypersensitive to these notes, dismissing what I and my champagne-loving friends find delightful, such as caramelization and the toffee-like quality created by the Maillard Reaction. Generally, you can be confident that an older bottle is still sound if the mousse is intact and there are no swimming pool or musty cellar notes.
So, don’t return a slightly sparkling 1964 or 1979 just because it reminds you of a Tokaji or a fine sherry.
Distinguish between cork taint and cellar tones
However, it can sometimes be tricky to distinguish between cork taint and cellar tones. How can you best differentiate between natural cellar scents and mild cork taint? It can be difficult, as cork taint can be subtle at first. The initial sign is a reduction in the wine’s fruitiness and freshness, making it somewhat muted. When so-called “sneaky cork taint” appears, it can sometimes resemble a cellar tone from aging. Absolute certainty comes only after the wine has stood in the glass for a while. The cellar scent may dissipate, while cork taint only grows stronger over time.
Cork-tainted wines should always be returned and avoided, no matter how mild the defect. Furthermore, tasting cork-tainted wine leaves a residual flavor on the tongue that can contaminate subsequent wines. Thus, it’s important to assess the wine based on aroma alone, if possible. On the other hand, if it’s a cellar note, one should carefully consider whether the wine should be returned. A cellar tone is an aroma that sneaks into the wine through the cork from the cellar where it was aged. Personally, I am quite tolerant of a hint of natural cellar tone in older wines if the wine is otherwise intact. I even adore the faintly sublime note we call “Goût de Reims,” which champagnes from the Gallo-Roman chalk cellars of Reims (e.g., Taittinger, Clicquot, Heidsieck, Ruinart, Henriot, and Pommery) acquire after more than five years of aging on the lees in these pristine chalk cellars. It’s as though the minerality from the vineyard gets an extra boost from the same chalk during storage. I emphasize that this must be a faint seasoning in the overall composition to avoid being perceived as a defect.
My worst cork experience
No matter how much we learn about defective wines, we will all inevitably miss a wine that initially seems fine but reveals itself as defective after aeration. Unfortunately, by then, it’s often too late for the restaurant to replace the bottle. But you can always try. My worst cork experience was when I ordered and rejected two subtly cork-tainted, extremely expensive magnums of 1971 Billecart-Salmon N.F. in a row, to the great annoyance of the Parisian sommelier. I didn’t want to order a third and considered switching champagnes, but my paying client insisted on a third magnum.
You can imagine how relieved I was when we all, including the chagrined sommelier, got to taste a perfectly brilliant magnum!
Richard Juhlin
