People Are Asking: Castel's 2009 "C" Chardonnay (K)

[Daniel Rogov]

Castel Winery sent out an email today quoting among other things Jancis Robinson's review of the winery's 2009 "C" Chardonnay. The review reads:

"Castel, C Blanc de Castel 2009 Judean Hills 16 Drink 2011-2013
Chardonnay. Attractive lightly leesy nose and very refreshing on the nose. A bit heavy and coffee flavoured on the palate. Astringent too – shame as that nose is so promising" !

That review and that Castel sent it out as "exciting news" has made the wine the talk of the day. I have received six emails asking for my own review of the wine. I believe that review has appeared on the forum on several occasions but in order keep updated with requests, that note follows…

Castel, "C", Chardonnay, Blanc du Castel 2009: Delightful on release but now showing as a wine that has gone seriously wrong in the bottle. The cause of the problem may be the action of mercaptans, those chemical compounds that can make themselves felt as wine develops if the yeasts do not have enough exposure to nitrogen. Whatever the cause, the result is a wine whose aromas and flavors are now buried under an overlay that some will associate with those of burning rubber, cooked cabbage or sewage. In fairness, Eli Ben Zaken of Castel feels that these faults will vanish in time. I shall re-taste the wine periodically but until that time when and if the wine becomes appealing, I find the wine unscoreable and cannot recommend it. K

[Craig Winchell]

Unfortunately, if it is mercaptans, they do not dissipate over time. If there was any inkling before bottling that problems would be manifested, lab work rather than wishful thinking would have been in order to identify the problem. Once identified, and before bottling, mercaptans can be successfully broken down through reduction, and eliminated using copper.

[Daniel Rogov]

Craig, Hi....

Right you be. Keep in mind though that the mercaptan hypothesis is my own and not that of Eli Ben Zaken of Castel. That's why I will periodically continue to taste the wine to see how it develops in future.

Best
Rogov

[ChaimShraga]

What is Eli Ben Zaken's hypothesis for these faults, if not mercaptans, and why does he think these faults will dissipate in time?

[Daniel Rogov]

Chaim, Hi...

When I asked Eli Ben Zaken he simply said that the wine would be better with bottle age. I was with others at that meeting and the possibility of reduction was also raised although not by Eli. Indeed some wines that undergone reduction do improve in the bottle as even the minimal exposure to the air in the bottle can help.

Later that same day I opened a bottle at home (not blind) and poured two glasses. Into one I dropped an old United States penny coin (pennies were once upon a time made of copper and copper is said to react positively with the wine to alleviate the impact of reduction). I then tasted the two glasses - blind this time, so I would not know which had received the treatment and found no differences betwen the penny-treated and untreated wine, that indicating to me that it was not reduction that was acting on the wine.

Again, a reminder... I am not a wine chemist nor have I subjected these wines to laboratory analysis. In the end, Eli may prove right and I wrong. Only time will tell.

Best
Rogov

[ChaimShraga]

Well, it's not your name on the label (just the score on the newspaper clipping). If Eli thinks a wine that caused the Israeli wine industry's staunchest champion to pause for thought can improve in bottle, well, I guess his clients might be interested in the grounds of his optimism

[Craig Winchell]

A penny will not do it. Elemental copper will not reduce under normal circumstances to any degree great enough to produce results. However, copper sulfate will react with hydrogen sulfide to form copper sulfide, which cannot remain dissolved in the wine, and so precipitates out, leaving the sulfate ion in the wine, together with hydrogen ions. Easily done. Problem is leaving excess copper in the wine, which can be haze forming. The elemental copper can react in a very reductive environment, though, such as fermentation.

[Daniel Rogov]

Craig, Hi...

From the point of view of eliminating reductive effects you are completely correct. The copper penny trick does, however, show short-term results for small amounts of wine. It is not a "cure" but a convenient gimmick. Works for me, Jamie Goode, Michel Bettane and Clive Coates (from whom I learned the trick).

See, for example, Jamie Goode's comments at http://www.wineanorak.com/blog/2006/11/ ... ction.html

Best
Rogov

[Joel D Parker]

I tried the 09 Chard today. I'm with JR on this one. Nose is fine, with a bit of funk, but palate is non-thrilling. It is a somewhat savory wine though, I could see going with a zesty cream sauce or white fish. Granted it was not tasted blind, and was tasted in a regular wine glass.