This was an unimaginable tasting, hosted by Stephen Browett of Farr Vintners, evaluating the an identical wines sealed beneath cork and screwcap, over a variety of varieties and vintages. This tasting was unusual, and possibly distinctive in its scope. Whereas many wineries have completed inside trials of cork versus screwcap, it’s uncommon for them to proceed with these trials after which do the comparability some years later.
What was the motivation for this comparability? ‘From 1996 onwards white Burgundy had horrible points with oxidation,’ says Stephen. He moreover referenced the reality that in his annual Southwold tastings of prime Bordeaux 10 years after launch, he’d get cork taint throughout the fluctuate of 5-10%. And he’s moreover labored intently with Kumeu River over time, and they also switched to screwcap as shortly as they might as a consequence of cork factors. ‘Michael Brajkovich opened a complete pallet of 1999s and 40% had been corked,’ says Stephen. One different particular person he’s labored with intently who has shifted to screwcap is Jean-Marie Guffens (Guffens-Heynen and Verget). ‘He’s an mandatory white Burgundy producer, nonetheless he’s not from Burgundy and he has an open ideas,’ says Stephen. ‘In 2003 he started doing screwcaps with Farr Vintners, so because of this we had been ready to do this tasting.’ David Gleave of Liberty Wines, an enormous champion of screwcap, moreover helped by arranging some Italian wines.
To start with, some caveats. Corks are all completely totally different, so when tasting a cork-sealed bottle with a bit little bit of age on it, we might anticipate finding a variety of wines with completely totally different ranges of enchancment, because of the pure variability of the cork. So this is not meant to be a actual experiment.
Second, the screwcap is not the closure. The closure is the wadding beneath the lid, and this determines the screwcaps oxygen transmission price (OTR). If the wadding is shiny and metallic, then it is the tin/saran liner. Just about all extreme screwcapped wines have this liner, and it permits very low OTR. Initially, Verget used the Saranex liner (which seems like white plastic), which they caught with until 2014. This allows a bit further oxygen transmission than the saran/tin liner. Verget did screwcap from 2003, and from 2004 they moved to 50% screwcap. In 2012 they ditched cork and moved to Diam, so a lot of these comparisons are between screwcap and Diam, and that’s indicated the place it’s the case.
Third, it not merely OTR that causes cork/screwcap variations. Corks are normally not neutral and may launch small portions of phenolics into the wine, and this interaction between the cork and the wine is probably important. Moreover, corks have oxygen dissolved in them, and they are going to launch a number of of this over the first few months after bottling, sooner than a mild state OTR is reached. And for an excellent cork, there is not a ‘respiration’: the OTR price must be pretty low.
Wines had been tasted in pairs, and we weren’t suggested which was which throughout the pair, although colour normally gave a strong clue with the older wines. These are my notes. We took a bunch score and these outcomes are included beneath my notes. It was clear that the outcomes weren’t clear decrease, and there was loads of variation among the many many tasters (listed beneath: an expert bunch, from completely totally different backgrounds). Primarily probably the most clear decrease outcomes had been with the Kumeu River Chardonnays (screwcap hottest by just about all), the Felton Freeway Pinot (screwcap hottest clearly). For lots of, the room was reduce up, which was a shock (I was anticipating there to be quite extra unanimity, and likewise an enormous vote in favour of screwcap), and in pretty a few cases the cork/Diam-sealed wine was hottest. Be mindful, though, that for many of the older Verget wines the screwcap had the Saranex liner, and so there may have been a further pronounced completely totally different with the saran/tin liner.
If you would like a conclusion, then the right I can present is that this: it is tough.
Kumeu River Property Chardonnay 2002
(a) Golden colour. Honey and apple on the nostril, with some good citrus. Extremely efficient, difficult palate with sensible lemony notes after which some advantageous toast and spice notes, along with hints of cabbage. Has a great deal of life left in it: difficult and broad with good depth, ending with notes of wax and honey. 95/100 (cork)
(b) Full yellow colour. Vivid, intense and limey with good precision and spicy aspect. Nonetheless youthful with good complexity displaying crystalline citrus fruits and a bit little bit of building. Finishes with some toast. Rising slowly, and correctly. 95/100 (screwcap)
Kumeu River Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
(a) Yellow colour. Linear, taut and mineral with some good low cost meshing successfully with the daring citrus fruit, displaying a nice stony precision after which some richer notes of toast and peach. Very modern and creating correctly, with a contact of petrol on the tip. 95/100 (screwcap)
(b) Golden colour. Honey, toast and nuts on the nostril, with some spicy citrus and inexperienced apple. Daring and intense with good fudge, toast and toffee richness beneath the citrus and white peach fruit. That’s fantastically developed and harmonious, and is ingesting at peak now, although it has life ahead of it. Very advantageous. 96/100 (cork)
Felton Freeway Chardonnay 2001
(a) Toast, spice and mineral with some honey and toast, along with pear and peach fruit. 93/100 (cork)
(b) Pear and peach fruit proper right here with good energetic acidity. Reveals some good texture and depth proper right here with a tangy citrus finish. 94/100 (screwcap)
Verget Chablis Bougros 2009
(a) Honey, toast and spice on the nostril with fairly rich citrus fruit. Lovely depth. Mineral finish. 95/100 (cork)
(b) Honey, apple and nuts on the nostril with spice and toast. Has fairly depth and complexity. Very advantageous and expressive, possibly considerably further developed, nonetheless nonetheless good. 94/100 (screwcap)
Guffens Au Sud Interdit de Guffens Tinus Chardonnay 2017
(a) Great matchstick low cost on the nostril with smoky mineral notes. Sweet, softly textured palate. Very reductive. 94/100 (Diam 10)
(b) Subtly reductive with good depth on the palate. Has an precise harmony with some advantageous matchstick notes after which a tapering, prolonged finish. Such a surprising, difficult wine. 95/100 (screwcap)
Guffens Heynen C de Sec by Chateau Cloisot 2019 Bordeaux (Semillon and Sauvignon Gris)
(a) Good and textural with fairly depth to the sweet pear and citrus fruit. There’s a contact of apricot proper right here with good depth. Very advantageous. 94/100 (screwcap)
(b) Shiny and energetic with crisp pear and citrus fruit after which some melony depth. Good fruit proper right here. 92/100 (Diam10)
Verget Chassagne Chenovettes 2004
(a) Honeyed and toasty with good citrus and white peach, creating correctly with a lemony brightness. Lovely depth proper right here. 95/100 (screwcap)
(b) Toasty and intense with some incense and candlewax, ending spicy with good depth. Crystalline and energetic, possibly a bit a lot much less mellow, nonetheless fairly. 95/100 (cork)
Verget Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Sous Le Puits 2009
(a) Chiselled and refined with taut pear and white peach fruit, ending sensible and up to date. Energetic and pure. Detailed. 95/100 (cork)
(b) Daring, intense and energetic with fairly focus and depth. Current with some mandarin richness. Good and crystalline. 96/100 (screwcap)
Verget Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Sous Le Puits 2011
(a) Toasty and rich with good brightness and focus. Has fairly pear and peach with some bready richness. Mineral edge. Daring style. 94/100 (cork)
(b) Linear, actual and focused with advantageous toasty aspect and notes of pear and peach, along with some citrus. Such precision to this wine. 94/100 (screwcap)
Verget Corton Charlemagne 2003
This was the first Grand Cru white Burgundy bottled beneath screwcap.
(a) Golden colour. Rich, extremely efficient and intense with energetic pear, apricot and peach fruit. Correctly intense with a savoury, spicy dimension. Evolving quite properly. 95/100 (screwcap)
(b) That’s rich and pretty daring with pear, white peach and a contact of pineapple, displaying fairly depth and depth. Tapering finish. Very advantageous. 96/100 (cork)
Verget Meursault Les Clous 2012
(a) Yellow/golden colour. Energetic and intense with spice and minerals and good dense pear and white peach fruit. Pure, energetic acidity. 94/100 (screwcap)
(b) intense and energetic with some abrasive reductive notes and pure citrus fruit, with a contact of lime oil. Linear and juicy with a nice acid line. 92/100 (Diam 10)
Verget Meursault Les Clous 2015
(a) Energetic and pure with some rich pear and peach, displaying harmony and focus. 95/100 (Diam30)
(b) Very sensible and pure with linear citrus fruit ending with a slight awkwardness. Good sensible fruit though. Very alert and sensible. 93/100 (screwcap)
Verget Mâcon Vergisson La Roche 2013
(a) Energetic and intense with good extremely efficient citrus and pear fruit with good minerality. That’s advantageous and expressive, with fairly complexity and a tapering finish. 95/100 (screwcap)
(b) Good brightness with a toasty, spicy edge to the pear and lemon fruit. Vivid and sensible with good fruit depth. 94/100 (Diam5)
Verget Saint Veran Lieu Interdit 2013
(a) Taut, advantageous and toasty with good precision displaying fairly lemony fruit. Shiny and correctly intense with crystalline citrus fruit. Toasty spicy finish. 94/100 (screwcap)
(b) Lovely toasty depth proper right here with good brightness. Has a keen mineral edge with complexity and depth. Reveals gorgeous depth. 96/100 (Diam10)
Verget Pouilly-Fuissé Les Combes VV 2014
(a) Good toast and spice with some peachy richness. Has a means of harmony and purity. Broad and full with good spiciness. Good and up to date nonetheless with depth. 94/100 (Diam10)
(b) Correctly difficult with advantageous spicy aspect, displaying white peach and pear with some toasty depth. Very modern. 94/100 (screwcap)
Verget Pouilly Fuisse La Roche 2010
(a) Daring and rich with pear and peach fruit, with good texture and depth. Very modern. Hint of cabbage and some good current acidity. 94/100 (cork)
(b) That’s current and complex with layers of flavour. Has sensible citrus, then some pear and peach. Lovely weight proper right here. Gorgeous. 95/100 (screwcap)
Verget Pouilly Fuisse La Roche 2014
(a) Gorgeous focus proper right here. Very advantageous and expressive with tapering finish. Crystalline citrus fruit, advantageous toast, fairly depth. 96/100 (screwcap)
(b) Such steadiness and depth with pure citrus fruit and advantageous spiciness. Has some pear and peach richness, and a bit little bit of toasty depth. Very modern: considerably broader than the first. 95/100 (Diam10)
Verget Pouilly Fuisse La Roche 2015
(a) Such fairly depth to this wine. Honeyed, broad, rich with advantageous spicy aspect. Some mineral and toast. 94/100 (Diam30)
(b) Detailed and advantageous with some honey, spice and citrus with fairly mineral framing and a bit little bit of toastiness. 95/100 (Screwcap)
(Second wine of Rauzan-Segla) Ségla Margaux 2009
(a) Mellow, shiny black cherry fruit with some blackcurrant. Has a light-weight prime quality to the fruit. Ripe and sweet, and a bit earthy. 88/100 (cork)
(b) Freshly aromatic with a gravelly edge to the supple berry fruits. The palate has some evolution, however as well as some freshness with good cherry and berry fruits. Harmonious. 93/100 (screwcap)
Ségla 2010
(a) Gravelly and dense with good blackcurrant fruit, creating successfully with good focus and brightness, however as well as herb and stewed plums richness. 91/100 (screwcap)
(b) Good brightness. There’s some evolution, with mellow pure hints and sweet fruit, however as well as some presence. Has good definition with some warmth (from alcohol?). 92/100 (cork)
Kumeu River Melba 2000 Merlot Malbec
(a) Shiny, energetic, berryish, spicy with good black fruits. Juicy. Has developed nonetheless it’s good. 90/100 (screwcap)
(b) Spice, tar, earth and herbs with good density and some grip. Mellow, with good depth. Nonetheless alive. Most people thought this was corked nonetheless I didn’t suppose so. 88/100 (cork)
Felton Freeway Pinot Noir 2001
(a) Sweet berries and spice, fairly depth and depth. Mellow with a core of sweet berry fruits and a tangy edge. Has some orange peel. Evolving fantastically. 94/100 (screwcap)
(b) Warmth, sweet and malty with good depth. Reveals wild strawberry and cherry fruit with some spice and herbiness. Sweet and developed. 93/100 (cork)
Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2004
(a) Warmth, successfully developed, has some minty aspect, fairly sweet mellow, textured berry and cherry fruits. Good cherry fruit with some warmth proper right here. In an beautiful place now. Mellow and advantageous. 95/100 (cork)
(b) Brighter and further vivid with a slight hardness on the sting with sweet berry fruits. Has good depth of flavour. 93/100 (screwcap)
Sangiovese first made in 1980. Liberty persuaded them to aim screwcap from 2005, and now they do half and half.
Isole E Olena Ceparellpo 2005
(a) Current, gravelly and spicy with good density of fruit. Grippy and gravelly with good density. 92/100 (screwcap)
(b) Earthy, tarry and spicy. Chunky and gravelly with some baked notes. Wanting a bit drained. 87/100 (cork)
Isole E Olena Ceparellpo 2016
(a) Vivid and up to date with olived and some cured meat along with good spiciness. Juicy and dense with good firmness beneath the fruit. 92/100 (cork)
(b) Good freshness and magnificence proper right here, along with some density, displaying some grip. Current and juicy with iron, blood and some tar. Good steadiness. 93/100 (screwcap)
The group outcomes
WHITES
KUMEU RIVER
2002 Property Chardonnay – Screwcap 17, Cork 0, Tie 0
2002 Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay – Screwcap 14, Cork 3, Tie 0
FELTON ROAD
2001 Chardonnay – Screwcap 15, Cork 2, Tie 0
VERGET/GUFFENS
2003 Corton Charlemagne – Screwcap 5, Cork 10, Tie 2
2004 Chassagne Montrachet Premier Cru Chenevottes – Screwcap 3, Cork 12, Tie 2
2009 Chablis Bougros – Screwcap 2, Cork 13, Tie 2
2009 Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru Sous le Puits– Screwcap 6, Cork 7, Tie 4
2010 Pouilly Fuisse La Roche – Screwcap 5, Cork 11, Tie 1
2011 Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru Sous le Puits – Screwcap 13, Cork 1, Tie 3
2012 Meursault Les Clous – Screwcap 9, Cork (Diam 10) 7, Tie 1
2013 Macon Vergisson La Roche – Screwcap 5, Cork (Diam 5) 7, Tie 5
2013 Saint Veran Lieu Interdit – Screwcap 8, Cork (Diam 10) 7, Tie 2
2014 Pouilly Fuisse La Roche – Screwcap 3, Cork (Diam 10) 10, Tie 4
2014 Pouilly Fuisse Les Combes VV – Screwcap 9, Cork (Diam 10) 6, Tie 2
2015 Pouilly Fuisse La Roche – Screwcap 6, Cork (Diam 30) 7, Tie 4
2015 Meursault Les Clous – Screwcap 7, Cork (Diam 30) 6, Tie 4
2017 Tinus Chardonnay (Interdit de Guffens) – Vin de France – Screwcap 10, Cork (Diam) 4, Tie 3
2019 C de Sec du Chateau Closiot – Bordeaux Blanc – Screwcap 3, Cork (Diam) 12, Tie 2
REDS
SEGLA
2009 – Screwcap 11, Cork 5, Tie 0
2010 – Screwcap 8, Cork 7, Tie 2
NEW ZEALAND
2000 Melba (Merlot/Malbec) Kumeu River – Screwcap 17, Cork 0, Tie 0
2001 Pinot Noir – Felton Freeway – Screwcap 12, Cork 4, Tie 1
AUSTRALIA
2004 Mount Edelstone Shiraz – Henschke – Screwcap 10, Cork 4, Tie 3
ITALY
2005 Cepparello – Screwcap 17, Cork 0, Tie 0
2016 Cepparello – Screwcap 7, Cork 8, Tie 1
Tasters
- Jancis Robinson MW OBE – Jancis Robinson.com / Financial Events Wine Correspondent
- Ella Lister – Wine Lister / Le Figaro
- Chas Peterkin – 4 Partitions Wine (on behalf of Barry Phillips)
- David Gleave MW – Chairman, Liberty Wines
- Rebecca Gibb MW – Vinous
- Tim Sykes – Purchaser for The Wine Society
- Oz Clarke OBE – Television presenter, wine expert and author
- Sarah Marsh MW – The World of Good Wines
- Josh Fortress – Noble Rot / Keeling Andrew
- Sophie Liverman – Head Sommelier and wine purchaser, Courses Arts Membership Restaurant
- Nicola Greening – Felton Freeway Wines, Bannockburn NZ
- Marie Guffens – Domaine Guffens-Heynen
- Julien Desplans – Winemaker Maison Verget
- Joss Fowler – Vinolent
- Stephen Browett – Chairman, Farr Vintners
- Thomas Parker MW – Farr Vintners
- Jamie Goode – Author Flawless, Wine Bottle Closures, Wine Science