Residing as we do in the land of Stelvin, we have thankfully had little to worry about regarding cork failure. However, in our brief respite from Kiwi wines, we got a bottle of the '06 Alain Graillot St. Joseph and opened it the other night when having venison medallions for dinner. On opening, it presented itself as the most pine-y (terpenish) Syrah of my experience, but not devoid of interest. Jean couldn't get much fruit out of it, but I got an nice undercurrent of red fruit beneath the pine boughs. Tonight, we opened the remaining half bottle after a few days of rest and found that the wine now was discernably corked (as well as a bit maderized). Mystery solved, and yet another victim of the dread Portuguese menace has been tallied.
Mark Lipton