Corked Wine: Taste vs. Smell?
The other night, BK and I were on the same wine page when I decided that he would do something yummy with the duck breasts that had been thawing all day. We both had the 2005 Ponzi Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley in mind. As usual, I stuck my nose in the glass first, breathing in the earthy dustiness, forest floor, cherry, and strawberry jam. A second sniff was slightly medicinal and hinting at roses. However, the flavor profile was not very enjoyable. Tart—almost biting—it was strangely reminiscent of TCA. Which was funny because it didn’t smell that way.
So I’m wondering if anyone out there has had a similar experience. Have you had a wine that tasted corked but didn’t smell that way?
I had a similar experience with a different 05 Oregon Pinot Noir–and it wasn’t TCA, it was Volatile Acidity. Did you smell something or taste something like acetone? I tried a later vintage of the same wine, and it didn’t have that unbelievably tart quality that you describe, and expert opinion was that Volatile Acidity was to blame. Just a thought.
That’s a good call. I wasn’t really thinking about VA because I haven’t experienced it much. It wasn’t quite like acetone, and it did have a bit of mustiness but the tartness was the most off-putting thing about it.
I could look it up, but for the interest of discussion for everyone to benefit, could you describe what Volatile Acidity is? I haven’t heard of that.