2 year aging experiment- anyone?

I`m game. Think La V. Ferme is good for me!
Do we all have to do the same wine though?

Thanks Bob for tipping me off somewhere else. Great idea.

(now forumites will wonder which "somewhere else" we frequent

[David M. Bueker]

Warren - I have to think it's Tom Canavan's site (where I spend a little time as well). I think I have seen your name over there.

Anyway - I have chosen the three wines I will use for this experiment:

White: 2005 Pepiere Clos des Briords Muscadet (cork finished)

White: 2006 Gysler Weinheimer Riesling Kabinett Rheinhessen (screw cap)

Red: 2005 Faiveley Mercurey Framboisiere

1 bottle of each is now in an upstairs closet. Once the weather warms up a bit I will bring 1 bottle of each out of the wine cellar into the regular basement (currently they are the same temp, so no point in moving them). A third bottle of each will stay in the wine cellar, and a fourth will be tasted soon to establish baseline notes.

That sounds like a nice fun selection David. Your enthusiasm knows no bounds.
Rather like me right now! Big snow-storm, shovel and snow-blower at the ready. Serious.

I've now got my victims selected, all purchased today from a store with good storage conditions:

NV Gruet Brut Blanc de Noirs (375 mL) -- to test Tom Reddick's assertion that sparkling wines were more susceptible to heat damage
2005 Perrin Reserve CdR -- screwcap test
2005 Torres Sangre de Toro -- cork-finished red, not too dear but still capable of aging

A bottle of each goes into the upstairs bedroom, along with a min/max thermometer, and the other bottle goes into the passively cooled cellar.

Should we make the official opening date for this experiment April Fools' Day, 2010??

Mark Lipton

p.s. Dale and David, I look forward to your findings and will feel your pain should the heat-"damaged" bottles be truly damaged (a Clos de Briords? Oh, the humanity!)

[David M. Bueker]

Should we make the official opening date for this experiment April Fools' Day, 2010??

Sounds good to me.

April Fools Day sounds perfect. I put my kitchen bottles (2006 Brun L'Ancien (fake cork), 2006 La Vieille Ferme* rouge (screwcap), and 2004 Picque Caillou (natural cork) in place yesterday. I might move them out for short periods in summer if we'll be away with no AC on, or if we're doing self-cleaning oven. I'm not interested in proving what happens when bottles get over 90 degrees, that seems well established. Trying NOT to do anything that will leave visible evidence.

Thanks to all who decide to play!

* I had suggested '05 LVF, but vintages just rolled over at CSW.

I would love to try this too!! Sounds like fun!!

[David M. Bueker]

Bringing this back to report that during the summer of 2008 my high temp in the house was 80 degrees F (and in the high 70s a lot). The high temp in the basement was 72 degrees F (for a very short time). The high temp in the cellar was 60 degrees F for one day when I had to shut things down for some work in there. Most of the time the cellar was 53-55.

Right now the house is 58, and both the cellar and basement are hovering around 54.

Bringing this back to report that during the summer of 2008 my high temp in the house was 80 degrees F (and in the high 70s a lot). The high temp in the basement was 72 degrees F (for a very short time). The high temp in the cellar was 60 degrees F for one day when I had to shut things down for some work in there. Most of the time the cellar was 53-55.

Right now the house is 58, and both the cellar and basement are hovering around 54.

The house is 58 right now?? Do you and Laura wear parkas indoors? To add to the record, our "control" environment upstairs hit a high of 82 during the summer and is now down to 65, whereas the cellar hit a high of 64 and is now at 52. As our winter temperatures dip below zero, as they tend to do in Jan/Feb, the cellar will probably drop as low as 45... but that's not really the point, is it?

Mark Lipton

[David M. Bueker]

Bringing this back to the top, as it is now 2010. April is coming soon, and we'll finally get to open these wines we have "mistreated" for 2 years.

Bringing this back to the top, as it is now 2010. April is coming soon, and we'll finally get to open these wines we have "mistreated" for 2 years.

Very good. I just recently fondled my "mistreated" bottles as I rummaged around in the dressing room drawer for my thermal undies this weekend (woke up Sat to a -2°F temperature reading) and seem to be doing well.

Mark Lipton

[David M. Bueker]

Now that the house is back to its winter temps I cold just put all the bottles back together (after I mark the labels so I know which is which). I took a look at the upstairs Muscadet a week or so ago, and the color has not budged from the one in the cellar. That surprised me a bit.

My overall plan is to get the tasting group together and serves the 9 wines un-bagged but with only me knowing which is which of the cellar treatment. Thoughts?

Hey, we're getting close.
David and I talked about trying to get together, but looking at calendar looks iffy. I'm pretty stuck here.
I might see if my local tasting group wants to come over for the experiment.

I've had a 3 litre box of La Vieille Ferme rouge hanging above my range for about 6 months.

Damn Bill, you drink slow! I just finished a 3L box of 2007 Grand Venure CdR that I opened on 3-1, and if you can find that one, BUY it by the case! I have two more boxes left, then I will have to try the 08.

[David M. Bueker]

Hey, we're getting close.
David and I talked about trying to get together, but looking at calendar looks iffy. I'm pretty stuck here.
I might see if my local tasting group wants to come over for the experiment.

No problem. I may be heading to NYC for an event, but it would not include this, so we'll just have to post our reports.

On this subject, I must confess that I'll be vacationing in Florida on the agreed-upon date and away from our cellar. I'll get to those bottles hard upon my return, though, I promise!

Mark Lipton

[David M. Bueker]

I don't think there is any rush to do them on April 1, but rather to do some sort of comparison. I won't be trying all mine on that date either. Given spring weather it really does not matter that much where my bottles are stored now. Now if it was July...

certainly no specific date needed (I've lined up some friends for Good Friday). I'd hope most people reported in April though, to keep some continuity.

[David M. Bueker]

Going to try, but it might be May. We'll see. I can always transfer the "aged" bottles to the wine cellar to suspend them in time.

good idea. i predict there will be little to no difference. wine is pretty sturdy stuff.

We'll see. Just moved the "warmer" bottles to cellar, to give them few days at same temp as control bottles, so everything conditionwise will be the same Fri (have 3 friends joining me). I'll wrap, have first guest do some rotation, second arrival number. Asking everyone to write down their impressions before we unveil.

I'll note that fill levels, etc on the kitchen bottles are fine, so if one was buying at retail or auction no clue that storage wasn't good.

[David M. Bueker]

I've got mine lined up for an April tasting. Fill levels are consistent with cellared bottles, in line with Dale's.