Petrol smell in Riesling 'a mistake': Chapoutier

WINE TALK
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I can see two sides to the petrol issue, but is it absurd that historical defects in Chapoutier’s character (arrogance prime among them!) should be accepted as part of the character of his wines?

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Up to a point I like the characteristic, whatever you want to call it. I think it’s what distinguishes MSRs (especially Mosels) from other Rieslings, as I can’t remember noting it from Cali, Alsace, Aussies or even other Germans.*

If people find it undesirable, that’s one thing. But as it comes directly from the grape (unlike Brett) and is a historical characteristic of the varietal, calling it a flaw/fault is sloppy thinking. Well, that or an intentionally incorrect statement to get our attention so we know he’s making Alsatian wines.

*Required disclaimer – I don’t drink that much Riesling. I consider this a flaw, but if you saw the selection I have locally, you’ll cut me some slack.

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I’ve gotten a petrol smell in non-German Rieslings, particularly 2-3 I recall tasting from NZ a few years ago, though I don’t have my notes in front of me and can’t recall specific producers. And as Larry noted above, it’s been present in some Grenache Blanc too.

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Guess I won’t have to bother trying Michel’s Rieslings.
I recall the “gout de petrol” term associated w/ Alsatian Rieslings when I first came across it. It was explained
as the “taste of kerosene”. RE: TerryTheise’s comments… it has nothing to do w/ gasoline. But not many folks have
actually smelled kerosene, a less volatile fuel oil than gasoline. Maybe those back East, where fuel oil is more often used to
heat homes. My father used to have a small space heater in his workshop that had this very distinctive smell (OK…full confession…
I never actually tasted the stuff). Unburned kerosene has a distinctive pungent smell…different from gasoline. When I first
got that petrol smell in an older Alsatian riesling; I nodded my head and thought “Yeah…I can see that same pungent smell that
I recall from my Dad’s workshop”.
I’ve mostly associated petrol w/ Alsatian Rieslings because that’s where I first saw the light. But I often get it in less-ripe
German Rieslings, particularly the Mosel. And some in Oz Rieslings…usually when they got some age on them. And a few
NZ Rieslings. And even occasionally in Calif Rieslings. Like an old Ventana Riesling I recall.
Tom

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I have gotten petrol in quite a few west coast Rieslings, although it is usually not as pronounced as German.

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That is the way I look at it, Berry.

I am certain the Willi Scheafer Domprobst Spätlese #5 from last night didn’t have it. Nor, I hope, will the leftovers I am about to drink this evening.

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+1

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To me a more attractive way of describing the petrol element in Riesling would be along the line of pineapple, pine, resin. Yum.

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It’s actually quite rare that the “petrol” character totally overwhelms a Riesling. I have drunk thousands of different Rieslings and dumped only 2 due to offensive levels of petrol. One was a 1994 von Simmern Spatlese, and the other was a dry Aussie, the name of which I can’t recall at this precise moment. More often than not it is just a “seasoning”, and really does not smell like gasoline, diesel fuel or anything of the like. Once (the '94 Simmern) my wife called out “Jet-A” (aircraft fuel), and she was pretty much dead on.

Beyond that I think Herr Chapoutier is full of something (probably himself).

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There is at times the hint of “kerosene” which is not the same as gasoline, diesel fuel etc. But overall I agree with everything else you said.

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Received this in my in box this morning from TONGmagazine.com and I agree the petrol is not a defect:



There seems to exist a lively discussion these days about petrol notes in Riesling wines. Some say its cause is an infection of Brettanomyces, others assert it is because of unripe grapes and/or a mistake during winemaking. This is not true. As professor Hans Reiner Schultz states in his article “The future of German Riesling” in TONG’s German Riesling issue: “Science has not yet fully explained the cause of TDN and its resulting kerosene aromas. In general, TDN levels in Riesling grapes, which is present in the grape flesh, rise when the grapevine experiences drought, heat and nitrogen deficiency. This appears to indicate that TDN is connected to stress. Its content is linked to sugar increase, and so its level rises with grape ripening, especially in hot climates. But different clones and different yeast strains during fermentation can enhance the level of TDN in grapes and must. One of the most easily measurable parameters is temperature and sun exposure. When directly exposed to sunlight, and when the leaves have been removed in the fruit zone, Riesling grapes have much higher levels of TDN than shaded grapes. Other research has found that TDN levels decrease when the pH of the grape juice rises. In general, this is linked to soil fertility and nutrient availability, especially nitrogen and potassium. The higher the nutrient availability, the lower TDN levels appear to be. TDN is clearly linked to viticultural management, and winegrowers can substantially influence its levels in grapes.”

1 Like
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True dat!!!

My experience is primarily with Alsatian Riesling. I have tasted in cellars in Alsace and had the staff/winemakers comment both positively and negatively on the association with the term petrol. For my part in the tasting experience … once the petrol (insert your descriptor(s) here) note in the wine fades to blank the wine is of less interest to me and I would characterize as on its downward evolution. Agree or disagree but, that is the way I see it. As is indicated in the Thiese comment in Keith’s quote above, others may not feel that the wine is fully mature while the petrol element exists but, I fee it has gone beyond its peak when that disappears.

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damn. all these years I’ve been drinking and loving flawed riesling, and didn’t even know it.

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John,
I too am a 20 year veteren of the Riesling Dumbass Brigade. I will no go to the corner, hang my head and feel shame. Let me know when my time is up.

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It’s up.

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This is just a great statement about wine in general. Hell, life in general. My in-laws used to drink a really cheap grocery store wine. They read a review that described the wine as having garbagy aromas and a putrid aftertaste. They never bought it again. They enjoyed the wine. I told them that they were crazy and to drink what they like. We still laugh about that story to this day.

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Chapoutier in my glass a “mistake”: Dal Piaz

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+1

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Pretty extreme Greg!

Good line tho.

So if the petrol smell goes away, how long does it take? I had some from 1999 today and all I got was gasoline. I disliked that intensely Also had some from 1990 and 1989 and in all cases, the rubbery, sulfur smell was there, although not as much as the 1999. I’m not going to draw any conclusions from that data set this afternoon, but whenever I’ve had Riesling with age of 20 years or more, they often as not still have a substantial petrol aroma and flavor.

I dislike it - a little goes a long way IMO.

And like others, I’ve certainly found it in Riesling from areas other than Germany.

However, I’m kind of interested in tasting some of Chapoutier’s wines from Alsace. I’ve never found those wines to be anywhere as good as Rieslings from Germany, and it would be interesting to see what he does. Maybe he fails, but who knows, maybe it will be a new paradigm for Riesling. Anyone try them yet?