Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/490558
38 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } APRIL/MAY 2015 { technology } Kistler 2011 Kistler Vineyard Chardonnay The ripe Dole pineapple and quince quality of this Sonoma classic was the first thing that jumped out at our noses during the first accessing session and the final on the bottle kept under Coravin. Oddly, the bottles whose corks had just been pulled had an initial tamped state to the nose that hid all that bright, buttery richness. Étienne Sauzet 2011 Puligny- Montrachet Les Referts We purposely saved this white Burgundy for last, making it the longest under Coravin, from its initial access in September to its final unveiling. Would its nuanced aromas of crushed stones, lemon peel, walnuts, apple, and button mushrooms (yes, really – all that!) hang on and not morph or muddle over time? The bottle under Coravin was as beautiful and intricate in February as it was in the fall. Marquis d'Angerville 2010 Volnay 1er Cru Fremiet There was a delicate, youthful quality to the tart cherry and strawberry-scented fruit of this red Burgundy, but also lots of other aromatic and palate-pleasing influences, like fresh sage and rosemary, spice, and wet leaves, but also some not-yet-thoroughly integrated wood tannin that also remained frozen in time from initial access to second tasting. Fromm 2010 Clayvin Vineyard Pinot Noir The blustery intensity of this New Zealand Pinot, with its notes of black cherries, peppercorn, cola and soy seemed some- how even more intense from the Coravin-accessed bottle than the ones we pulled the cork on, and its woody tannins showed no more sign of age integration than they did six months prior. Not a single one of us could tell the original control bottles from the newly opened or the other Coravin accessed. It was, in a word, stun- ning. The tasting notes recorded from the initial tasting way back in September reflected exactly what we tasted again in October and February. Traveling Teacher The inventor still has a way to go, although not with his inven- tion. The goal now lies in training to use the technology properly, and Lambrecht has been on a non-stop global travel schedule making sure that everyone from somms to salespeople get into good habits, like "clearing," or pressing out oxygen that entered the needle after its last use, and rinsing the needle with hot water after each accessing session to clear out potential contaminants such as brettanomyces. He also dealt swiftly and thoroughly with the recent controversy of bottles breaking. It was learned through glass forensics and test approval from the Consumer Product Safety Commission that the issues were not, in fact, with the technology itself, but that the bottles had existing fissures or cracks that couldn't withstand the pressure of the argon gas, which actually amounts to only 1.5 atmospheres per dosage—half that of what's in a Champagne bottle, and even less than beer. Still, Lambrecht had bottle jacket sleeves manufactured that would protect Coravin users from flawed bottles and sent them to all buyers of the system. Nearly three years in, about 70% of Coravin's sales have, interestingly, been for home use, Lambrecht says, but a growing number of restaurants—including the NoMad, Del Posto, and Donostia in New York, Barrel Thief in Seattle and RN74 in San Francisco—are catching on, as well as distributors who can offer more to their clients. "I now see most of my distributors and reps using it for tast- ings, a benefit being that they can taste many more people on one bottle, and I, the buyer, get to taste some otherwise allocated wines that would never in a million years be opened 'just to taste!'" says Banks, who does not use Coravin in-house for her wine program. Vida, however, recently implemented Coravin to her program and, while she agrees with Lambrecht that the biggest sticking point is train- ing, so far it's allowing her to offer far more to guests than she could before. "I have high hopes for it as it will allow our guests to have glasses of Montrachet and Chambertin for fractions of the normal cost," said Vida. "I have a lot of older wines that are drinking now, so this is a fantastic way to sell them. Pretty amazing invention for $300." Notes from Under Cork New World and Old. Wines tasted included the Fromm 2010 Clayvin Vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2010 Volnay Fremiet from Marquis d'Angerville.