Worst wines you've had?

[Todd_Laubach]

With very few exceptions, 2003 CDP. Most the wines were awful after sitting in bottle for a couple of years. I ended up cooking or dumping most of my 2003s. The 2003s I would have liked to drink (Clos des Pape and Pegau were stolen by Holder).

[JG_Salazar]

Meiomi Pinot Noir was awful. No varietal character whatsoever, it tasted like chewing tobacco.

Instant classic.

[Greg_K]

Can’t recall at the moment but I am sure that whatever it was, it was either cat pee sauvignon blanc or gamay.

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[JBucholz]

Virtually anything with manufactured or manipulated fruit. Guaranteed headache inducers for me.

[bob_poirier]

Pinotage has come up twice now. What’s so bad with it? Never tried any even when I was there.

IMO, the wine tastes dirty. And not in a good way.

+1 agree bad dirt

[Jayson_Cohen]

Putting aside jug and box wine and wines that had turned into chemical soup, there is only one answer that screams out: 1999 Martinelli Reserve RRV Pinot. Served blind at MoCool 2002. Absolutely vile.

I think Maureen can back me up on this one.

[M.Kaplan]

Putting aside jug and box wine and wines that had turned into chemical soup, there is only one answer that screams out: 1999 Martinelli Reserve RRV Pinot. Served blind at MoCool 2002. Absolutely vile.

I think Maureen can back me up on this one.

Martinelli Giuseppe and Luisa Zin is worse.

[Jayson_Cohen]

Putting aside jug and box wine and wines that had turned into chemical soup, there is only one answer that screams out: 1999 Martinelli Reserve RRV Pinot. Served blind at MoCool 2002. Absolutely vile.

I think Maureen can back me up on this one.

Martinelli Giuseppe and Luisa Zin is worse.

Haven’t had that one. That ‘99 Pinot is the last Martinelli wine I’ve tasted. And only that because it was blind, having previously tasted the almost-as-nasty Jackass Hill Zin and vowing never again.

[David_Baum]

2012 Caymus 40th Anniversary cabernet. Bought a bunch of liter bottles pre arrival for $60. It’s like trying to pour a jar of grape jelly down your throat. Instant gag reflex. Good news is I had this wine. Just sold them all at auction at 2.5X what I paid. Not my problem anymore

[Richard_T_r_i_m_p_i]

Pinotage has come up twice now. What’s so bad with it? Never tried any even when I was there.

IMO, the wine tastes dirty. And not in a good way.

I typically avoid it in the US but I’ve tasted a dozen or more while visiting Mauritius (lots of commerce with R.S.A.). I found most quite acceptable if not inspirational.

RT

[Richard_T_r_i_m_p_i]

Putting aside jug and box wine and wines that had turned into chemical soup, there is only one answer that screams out: 1999 Martinelli Reserve RRV Pinot. Served blind at MoCool 2002. Absolutely vile.

I think Maureen can back me up on this one.

Martinelli Giuseppe and Luisa Zin is worse.

Both truly awful.

RT

[Bill_G]

2012 Caymus 40th Anniversary cabernet. Bought a bunch of liter bottles pre arrival for $60. It’s like trying to pour a jar of grape jelly down your throat. Instant gag reflex. Good news is I had this wine. Just sold them all at auction at 2.5X what I paid. Not my problem anymore

This… +1

[Matt_Mauldin]

David B and Bill G, +1. It was like sippin on some sizzurp.

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

Putting aside jug and box wine and wines that had turned into chemical soup, there is only one answer that screams out: 1999 Martinelli Reserve RRV Pinot. Served blind at MoCool 2002. Absolutely vile.

I think Maureen can back me up on this one.

Martinelli Giuseppe and Luisa Zin is worse.

Haven’t had that one. That ‘99 Pinot is the last Martinelli wine I’ve tasted. And only that because it was blind, having previously tasted the almost-as-nasty Jackass Hill Zin and vowing never again.

I don’t remember for sure what the worst ever wine was, but I had a Martinelli Jackass Hill zin that also made vow never again. As I remember it had scored 93 points, but it was awful.

[John_Morris]

Putting aside jug and box wine and wines that had turned into chemical soup, there is only one answer that screams out: 1999 Martinelli Reserve RRV Pinot. Served blind at MoCool 2002. Absolutely vile.

Yes! High up on my list. I was served the '02 blindly in March and posted a note:

The same person who provided the '98 [Jackass zin] served an '02 Martinelli Reserve Pinot blindly last week. Several of us guessed Amarone, it was so hot and raisiny. That wine was marked at 14.5% but I can’t imagine it was below 15.5%, which it could legally be with the margin of error. It was hard to understand how it could get that raisiny, though, even at 15.5%. Perhaps it was picked very late and watered back to 15.5%.

But, for me, the prize still goes to Old Tavern Red from Moldova. Unless you like shoe polish …

[Wes_Barton]

I’ve had many horrific non-flawed wines. Many showed loads of heat, were soupy and sweet, and also had an extremity of nasty green extraction. Just vomit-inducing.

Some of those and some others had some degree of rotten taste, and not always rotten grape.

Seems like it would take a lot of effort to make a wine that bad - and while some were bottom shelf Chilean wines from TJ’s, other were from people proud of their work! I guess the easiest method would be: 1) Find the most brutal machine harvester ever made. Perhaps '50s era Eastern Bloc. 2) Attach a wood chipper. Why destem? Why sort our leaves and mogg? The more extraction the better, right? 3) Ferment in whatever vessels you can find for cheap. Don’t bother to cover. Once it sticks, give it another week or two. Pro tip: When the fruit flies start dying en masse, that’s a good time to press. 4) Oak? Why bother? Vanilla extract, if you like. 5) Once bottled, wait for the big scores. 6) (In most cases) keep waiting. 7) Scratch head, wonder what you could’ve done wrong.

[Brian_Glas]

I had enough $40-$50 red burgundy that was just meh. Enough to make me give up on french pinot. Had a Garagiste Special, Schild Estate GMS that was nasty. 50 points. At least it was only $6. Also remember buying a $20 Garagiste Mystery Pinot from Oregon that was complete garbage.

[Brian_Glas]

Also I had the 2013 Seven of Hearts Curmudgeon Cuvee. A truly “shitty” Pinot Noir that only Bob Wood would have liked. I think I gave it 95 points.

[Jayson_Cohen]

Putting aside jug and box wine and wines that had turned into chemical soup, there is only one answer that screams out: 1999 Martinelli Reserve RRV Pinot. Served blind at MoCool 2002. Absolutely vile.

Yes! High up on my list. I was served the '02 blindly in March and posted a note:

The same person who provided the '98 [Jackass zin] served an '02 Martinelli Reserve Pinot blindly last week. Several of us guessed Amarone, it was so hot and raisiny. That wine was marked at 14.5% but I can’t imagine it was below 15.5%, which it could legally be with the margin of error. It was hard to understand how it could get that raisiny, though, even at 15.5%. Perhaps it was picked very late and watered back to 15.5%.

But, for me, the prize still goes to Old Tavern Red from Moldova. Unless you like shoe polish …

The ‘99 RRV Reserve seemed like it was about 16-16.5% on a good day.

[Nevin_Miller]

2012 Caymus 40th Anniversary cabernet. Bought a bunch of liter bottles pre arrival for $60. It’s like trying to pour a jar of grape jelly down your throat. Instant gag reflex. Good news is I had this wine. Just sold them all at auction at 2.5X what I paid. Not my problem anymore

Worst wine I have ever had. Period. Charlie Wagner is rolling over in his grave.