Corked/Spoilt Ports - Name and Shame

[RonnieRoots]

At the 2009 Port Gala in Seattle:

1983 Cockburn's was so badly corked that some people recoiled physically. This was the first time I've ever been able to smell TCA, and to me it really wasn't that offensive. General concensus is that I'm whacked.

Roy really has that effect on this port doesn't he?

[Glenn E.]

It wasn't Roy's!

I don't remember who brought the bottle - it might have been David Spriggs - but it was someone who has had good luck with his case of the 1983, and so the idea was that the rest of his case should also be good and we could all enjoy a good bottle of it. In theory. In practice, any 1983 Cockburn's that gets within an arm's length of Roy appears to instantly become corked on the spot.

Since I'm so immune to TCA, or at least seem to be, I actually thought the Cockburn's was decent. Yeah, it smelled a little musty and tasted somewhat subdued, but I could tell that there was a really nice Port hiding in there.

[RonnieRoots]

Ah, so the conclusion is that Roy's attendance is enough to cork a Cockburn. Wicked.

[AHB]

1983 Cockburn that I opened at home tonight was very mildly corked - but still hugely powerful and massively fruity.

[Andy Velebil]

1983 Cockburn that I opened at home tonight was very mildly corked - but still hugely powerful and massively fruity.

Almost all the corked Cockburns I've had didn't show corked at first decanting as there was so much fruit it really hid it. But with some decanting it just gets more and more pronounced to the point where its just a liquid soggy wet cardboard and is undrinkable. Sadly this is approaching about a 80-90% corked rate.

[g-man]

With tonight's grahams tasting
I'd like to point out that Grahams is one house I've never had luck with and today being Friday the 13th ....
welp .. let's hope my luck changes for the better.

Grahams 77- 2x (out of 7)
, 80 - 1x (out of 5)
, 85- 2x( out of 8)
, 70- 1x (out of 2)

[RonnieRoots]

Conclusion: If you open a Cockburn 1983: Don't decant.

[jdaw1]

Several posts moved by jdaw1 into new thread The Great TCA Debate.

[AHB]

Morgan 1963 - badly corked, but this was the first bad one out of 5 drunk. 26 June 2009.

[AHB]

At The Crusting Pipe on 21st July, we experienced a bad bottle of 1983 Churchill Agua Alta and a mildly corked bottle of 1987 Cavadinha.

[AHB]

Warre 1991, a bad bottle spoiled perhaps by bacterial infection

[AHB]

On October 26, 2009, a bottle of Morgan 1977 was opened and found to be mildly corked

[VJR]

Great thread. I've experienced a slight "saltiness" that frequently reflects excessive VA - across almost all major houses (a widespread flaw among 85 VPs?)
This appears to be a systemic issue in 85... Fonseca being a notable exception, Grahams less volatile than others.
As a result, I'm concerned that many 85s may already be in decline.

I've also had several bottles of the 97 Niepoort with prominent VA...and then there were the leakage problems during one of the bottling runs.
On the same topic see also related thread http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/sho ... light=port

Cheers, victor

[KillerB]

Tasting Notes with "TCA" written in them. If any are unjustified, please let me know

1970 Taylor's VP
1985 Graham
1970 Dalva Vintage Port
1985 Croft
1977 DOW Vintage Port
1970 Taylor
2001 Dows Late Bottled Vintage Port
1983 Cockburn
1983 Kopke vintage port
1985 Fonseca
1970 Dow
1970 Fonseca
1963 Graham
1977 Croft Vintage Port - TCA
1978 Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas
1994 Martinez vintage port
1983 Cockburn VP
1980 Niepoort Vintage Port
1967 Quinta do Noval Nacional

[KillerB]

could peope stop using the words 'nighTCAp', 'fruiTCAke' and 'suiTCAse' in their tasting notes please?

[Deleted_User_1]

Is it me or am I just unlucky as I opened a Moggies 91 earlier today and the cork almost exploded from the bottle. The contents, however, remained and is bearing up like most M91's I have had before, however, a non Port drinking member of my family who I asked to taste it noted a distinct 'fizz'...anyone had that before?

[AHB]

Is it me or am I just unlucky as I opened a Moggies 91 earlier today and the cork almost exploded from the bottle. The contents, however, remained and is bearing up like most M91's I have had before, however, a non Port drinking member of my family who I asked to taste it noted a distinct 'fizz'...anyone had that before?

I've had fizzy port before (not the Morgan 1991 though), but never been able to get a definitive explanation as to what makes it fizzy. I've always assumed that port is too alcoholic for a malolactic fermentation so the only other process I could come up with to explain the fizz was a bacterial infection in the bottle.

[clawhit]

1963 Warres - but was showing signs of recent seepage
1950 Dow's - had a really sticky capsule, and on opening was completely gone, extremely medicinal on nose.

A second 63 Warres was also showing to have recent seepage but was beautiful - let's hope the rest of the case is like this and not like the 1st bottle.

[AHB]

Two bottles of Croft 1985 opened yesterday were full of VA. I took a sample bottle home and tried it again, 24 hours after opening. Still full of VA but underneath all that nail varnish is a tasty and powerful port. One to avoid if you don't like VA but a nice port if you don't mind VA (I'm in the latter camp).

[AHB]

Dow 1977 at the blind tasting at TCP on Monday 19 April 2010.

Warre 1980 at a Warre tasting on Saturday 17 April 2010.

[Mark D]

Dow's Quinta de Bomfim 1996

Crumbly cork. Breaks apart every time.

Grrr.

[dcs]

It wasn't Roy's!

I don't remember who brought the bottle - it might have been David Spriggs

It wasn't me who brought it! I brought :

1966 Taylor VP
1994 Vesuvio VP
2003 Casa de Casal de Loivos
2004 Quinta do Crasto "Vinha da Ponte"

I believe the guy who brought it lived in Florida.

[Roy Hersh]

A few points of clarification:

a. the last bottle of 1983 Cockburn I opened from my own cellar was in very fine condition. Not as great a bottle as some I've had, but with extended decanting ... zero signs of TCA. Back in the 1990s, I considered this the Port of the vintage. Not anymore.

b. the 1983 mentioned in this thread from our Gala in 2009, was actually brought by an old friend of mine who had NEVER had a corked 1983 Cockburn from the many he'd opened. Todd lives in Atlanta, GA.

c. Although I have had a few dozen bottles of 1983 Cockburn's, the first case I owned in the 1990s, showed a 100% rate of successful bottles w/o any bad bottles. This was purchased from a now defunct company called Tinamou (in CA). The second case was purchased along with a 3rd from the same source ... The Wine Club (SF) in around 1998 or 1999. I had only one or two TCA infected bottles from the 2nd case. The 3rd which I am currently on, has had six of the past eight bottles corked. Every time I open one, I now worry. I don't know that I'd agree with an 80-90% rate of TCA on that bottling ... but none of us will ever know.

d. The bottle Miguel Corte Real brought to The Crusting Pipe in 2008 was lightly corked too and I was the first to mention, as it appeared other people were initially vacillating whether or not to bring it up, while some present, did not even notice TCA at all. Agreed it was probably only 2-3 ppt; but it certainly got worse over the subsequent hour and should have left no doubt in anyone's mind. In 2009, when Derek and I had lunch with Miguel, I even asked him about this "phenomenon" and inquired if Cockburn's would be willing to trade another vintage for bottles left in people's cellars and he was clear that was not possible. I felt it inappropriate to push on this point.

I'd hate to list all of the corked Ports I've had over the years, white/Ruby/LBV/VP/even a bad bottle of 1952 Dalva a few months ago. Too many to list, that's for sure. However, only within the past year, after several hundred bottles of Madeira, did I finally come across ONE with TCA. Remarkable!

[DRT]

I'd hate to list all of the corked Ports I've had over the years, white/Ruby/LBV/VP/even a bad bottle of 1952 Dalva a few months ago. Too many to list, that's for sure. However, only within the past year, after several hundred bottles of Madeira, did I finally come across ONE with TCA. Remarkable!

The discussion prompted by the above quote has been split from this thread and can be found here

[RonnieRoots]

Is it me or am I just unlucky as I opened a Moggies 91 earlier today and the cork almost exploded from the bottle. The contents, however, remained and is bearing up like most M91's I have had before, however, a non Port drinking member of my family who I asked to taste it noted a distinct 'fizz'...anyone had that before?

I've had fizzy port before (not the Morgan 1991 though), but never been able to get a definitive explanation as to what makes it fizzy. I've always assumed that port is too alcoholic for a malolactic fermentation so the only other process I could come up with to explain the fizz was a bacterial infection in the bottle.

I know StevieCage had this once with a Niepoort 1997. Strange phenomenon.