1977 Dow
Posted: 18:27 Sat 20 Apr 2013
Oh dear. Stood this up overnight to decant overnight. On going to open it, noticed some discolouration / staining on the top of the selo. Removing the foil, the top of the cork was badly crystallised and there were signs of much seepage. The cork broke into three.
Decanting, this was very very pale - rather like a light Beaujolais in colour, only 30% opaque or so. There was nothing in the nose behind some heat - perhaps a boiled sweet; a mint, or something chewy and green. It was sharp on the tongue, thin and hot. Afterwards there was a lingering taste that took me some time to identify: I thought it was pipe or rolling tobacco; not pleasant anyway. A little acrid.
Clearly, a bottle spoiled by oxidisation. Lots of people have written about D77 being corked but I suspect they're actually just oxidised. Did Dow get a bad batch of corks that year?
I got a refund from the dealer, fortunately. And then we had to try the Poças 2003 to make up for it.
Decanting, this was very very pale - rather like a light Beaujolais in colour, only 30% opaque or so. There was nothing in the nose behind some heat - perhaps a boiled sweet; a mint, or something chewy and green. It was sharp on the tongue, thin and hot. Afterwards there was a lingering taste that took me some time to identify: I thought it was pipe or rolling tobacco; not pleasant anyway. A little acrid.
Clearly, a bottle spoiled by oxidisation. Lots of people have written about D77 being corked but I suspect they're actually just oxidised. Did Dow get a bad batch of corks that year?
I got a refund from the dealer, fortunately. And then we had to try the Poças 2003 to make up for it.