Last night I opened three different bottles (luckily cheapies I had been intending to "get rid of"). Each had a unique and major flaw. After strike three, I gave up, partially out of fear of what would happen next. Some of these flaws were unfamiliar to me and I was hoping that someone could illuminate the cause of the off odors/tastes.
Attempt #1: 2004 San Fereolo Dolcetto di Dogliani "Valdiba" - Dominic opened the bottle and blind tasted me. I didn't get anything on the nose (granted I had been chopping up cipollini onions and basil just prior) but the palate was extremely harsh. The cork looked a bit darker than usual and smelled like wet cardboard. I'm assuming that this was just a heavily corked bottle.
Attempt #2: 2004 Toscolo Chianti Classico - absolutely no fruit aromas...again, a very lifeless yet harsh palate. After a minute of breathing, it started showing a distinct note of dish detergent on the nose! I've never used soap on my wine glasses so I ruled out that possibility.
Attempt #3: 2004 Brintet Bourgogne Rouge - overwhelming aromas of burnt bacon and burnt popcorn. I didn't dare taste the wine at this point. Could it have been a result of aging in poorly treated oak?
I had a terrible time afterwards trying to get the harsh flavors out of my mouth. I had to suck on a lemon wedge to cleanse it.
I wonder what I've done to upset the wine gods!