My Striped Carbonnieux Case

Suddenly the years have crept up on me and I must drink not buy wine. So I went to my wine storage site to grab some summer drinkers and when I pried open my case of 2001 Carbonnieux it looked a bit like a lemon/honey zebra! Half the bottles looked a healthy light yellow slightly green tinted color and the other half looked like something left by the golden blossom honey bee! I was surprised. I had this case delivered directly from the wine merchant about 4 or 5 years ago and it has been perfectly stored. I know there is bottle variation but I would have thought that for the most part the bottles in a single case would be similar. Please, someone tell me that whites from Pessac Leognan are at their very best when honey hued. Tom V

Interesting. I've heard of bottle variation, but this seems a little extreme. Still, Bordeaux blanc could still be good even if honey colored, but I'd try one first to see how age has affected it.

Thanks for that hopeful note Mark! I pulled the six bottles that were deeper colored. Think I'll let them rest for a week, cross my fingers and open a bottle, which will hopefully be enjoyable. If not, I'll run back and grab the other six and drink them up. I guess that's one bad thing about off site storage. You don't get to monitor your wines as closely and sometimes things can get past you before you realize it!

Not to be a party pooper, but I've been in a couple discussions where the issue of whether the white Burg problem of premature oxidation might be more widespread has come up. Anecdotally my group came up with lots of examples of old showing '94-'96 white Bordeaux (inc big boys like HB). But the Burg issue extents to at least '02. Remember, in Burg there's a lot of variation within a case. So personally I'd try a couple of the darker ones. Hopefully everything is fine, as '01 dry white Bordeaux are about as good as the more heralded stickies. I have only a lone bottle of La Louviere left. Good luck!