Burnt smelling wine

[ajay]

I know this thread reveals my comparative lack of experience with wine, but at a reccent dinner where I was taking in wines by the glass as part of a tasting, I encountered a wine that smelled of burnt wood, and more alocohol than I usually smell.

The wine wasn't supposed to be particularly amazing. It was a (red) bourgoune from Domaine LeRoy and I believe the year was 1996. Do members think the smells (and a really harsh flavor but not that of a mouldy sock, which i know probably indicates a 'corked' bottle) described might be indicative of a defect in the wine? When I mentioned it to my captain, who was quite knowledgable on food but less so on wines, he suggested that the wine was supposed to taste like that, but I had my doubts. Any input would be appreciated so that I at least learn form this less than excellent tasting wine.

[AdamLawrence]

Mightn't burnt aromas be Parker's famous 'toasty oak'? I've never tasted Domaine Leroy - way out of my price bracket - but seem to recall she uses lots of oak in her wines. Mind you, if something underperforms you've got to suspect a bad bottle.

'Burnt rubber' is another descriptor you see every now and again. I'd be interested to hear from those with more experience what the likely cause of this aroma might be.

cheers

Adam

[Steve Plotnicki]

Sounds like Adam's right. Except if it is the plain Leroy Bourgogne, one would think that the oak would have integrated by now. But that is likely what caused it. Sometimes it tastes like toasted almonds.

[MartyL]

Another possibility is that these are SO2 aromas. I had a 98 Leroy Auxey Duresses last year that showed a ton of sulphur. It smelled like a combination of a pile of burnt matchsticks and cabbage-fueled farts.

I didn't like it very much.

[thin guy]

"Burnt rubber" is a South African thing, for sure. Some age-old virus in most of the old South African vines, I'm told, creates this scent. Replanting with clean, modern stock is starting to change the high rate of "burnt rubber" scented South African reds.

[Rebel Rose]

Burnt rubber aromas are generally caused by poor fermentation techniques or poor quality fruit. But even when the fruit is perfect and technique is good--well, grapes are like children, they're complex and even the most docile fruit can suddenly develop an attitude. It's very important for a winemaker to choose the correct yeast, and once a lot is inoculated, to monitor it closely during fermentation to make sure that fermentation is proceeding well, that the must is kept at the right temperature, that no other foreign matter is introduced, and that the yeasts have enough (but not too much) nutrient.

From the ETS Labswebsite:

Causes of Sulfide Problems in Wine

elemental sulfur residues from vineyard spray programs

high turbidity

yeast strains

must nitrogen deficiencies

other nutritional deficiencies

high fermentation temperatures

fermentor size and shape

inadequate aeration during fermentation

gross lees contact and extended lees contact

See also Disgusting Things in Wine

[fifithewinecat]

One time I made a Zinfandel wine, and it ended up with a strong smell of burnt rubber. I was told by the local college farm people that this was the "Fresno Syndrome" due to a lack of acidity from grapes grown in a very hot area. FWIW.

[Smithy]

"Burnt rubber" is a South African thing, for sure. Some age-old virus in most of the old South African vines, I'm told, creates this scent. Replanting with clean, modern stock is starting to change the high rate of "burnt rubber" scented South African reds.

←

I wonder if this is what my husband and I encountered recently, even though we didn't think of burnt rubber. We tried a bottle of Long Neck red of some sort - Shiraz, I think - and it was so incredibly bad I took it back to the store. The replacement bottle was just as bad, so I got my money back. The smell reminded me of stale cigarette smoke, and the flavor had the same thing, but far more strongly. I imagine that if you were to douse a bunch of burning cigarettes in water, then pour that water into your wine and drink it, you'd have the flavor. Russ said it tasted like the janitor was leaving the winery anyway and decided to empty the spittoon into the vat.

It was nasty, totally undrinkable stuff. Granted, Long Neck is an inexpensive wine, but I'll never try their stuff again. Does it sound like this is the same South African thing y'all are talking about?

[Brad Ballinger]

The real question is burnt what? Burnt rubber has been covered well above in this thread. Burnt matches also are a sulfur issue, but not as terrible as burnt rubber. It can also be corrected with either aeration or a penny in the glass.

There are other burnt notes -- burnt toast, burnt wood, burnt leaves, burnt fruit. Some worse than others.

[PCL]

Just on the weekend I tasted a pinot noir made from grapes affected by a bushfire a year or so ago. Sure enough, you could smell and taste smoke, burnt wood.

Sensitive pinot noir at its best reflecting conditions? I did question why the wine itself was even made given the shitty grapes but it was interesting to note the very real way the wine showed off the 'terroir'.

[Smithy]

The real question is burnt what?  Burnt rubber has been covered well above in this thread.  Burnt matches also are a sulfur issue, but not as terrible as burnt rubber.  It can also be corrected with either aeration or a penny in the glass.

There are other burnt notes -- burnt toast, burnt wood, burnt leaves, burnt fruit.  Some worse than others.

←

Burnt cigarette butts, drowned in water? I'm still curious as to what might cause this, but it's strictly an academic curiosity. I hope never again to encounter it in a wine.