Four Strikes - am I out? 2009 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico

Bought a couple of bottles a few years ago of the 2009 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico. Loved it so I bought a case. The first four bottles were great. The last 4 were terrible - one bottle I had to completely dump, two were semi-drinkable but certainly flawed. The one I had last week was the most interesting. The first glass great but with just a tiny hint of oxidation. By the end of the second glass (about 1.5 hours later), I was picking up some unusual tastes. I knew the wine the next night would not be good - and it wasn't.

I would guess that corked wine would be random across my case, but it wasn't. Is the wine too old (as suggested by the last review on CT). Six years for a Chianti doesn't seem old.

Are the last 4 bottles doomed?

A bad batch of corks can happen to even the best estates. Both bottles of Romanee-St.-Vivant that I'd carefully cellared for 15 years turned out corked.

If it's so bad you're going to dump the bottle anyway, here's a drastic measure to try. Get a large mixing bowl, crumple up a yard or two of plastic cling wrap, put it in the bowl, then pour the wine in the bowl and swish it around vigorously for five minutes or so. Then decant off the wine. I tried this when yet another 1994 grand cru Burgundy came out corked (what that a particularly bad year for corks?). The result was still disappointing for a grand cru, but it was drinkable.

-Paul W.

[David M. Bueker]

This wine is nowhere near too old. Something happened, either some bad corks or maybe the case got cooked in the distribution chain. When that happens it just gets worse over time. You can have a few good bottles early before the worst effects kick in.

Thanks for the feedback.

I'll try the cling-wrap swirl method next time - I have nothing to lose!

The cooked explanation make sense. I recently had a 1990 Château Haut-Marbuzet that was obviously corked - the classic wet newspaper, had to dump the entire bottle. But the Chianti didn't have that smell or taste so maybe it was cooked.

I'll post the results of the next bottle. I do have some 2010 Monsanto, maybe I'll drink that next instead ...