Reduction - a unique wine making method that some experienced wine drinkers might not aware

The first time I came across this wine production term, was when I felt suspicious of the quality of a wine. 

When this Domaine de la Cote de l’Ange, Cotes du Rhone, Rouge 2014 arrived Hong Kong, I opened the bottle to taste with quite some expectations as some Cotes du Rhone can be of very good value these days. The color was fine garnet, not deep or dark. The nose was " questionable ". The taste was good with lots of fresh, vibrant fruit, then becoming better after 45 mins of breathing in bottle, especially when the strange aroma subsided. On the palette, it was a very good value Cotes du Rhone indeed. 

I was thinking about the tasting steps. By sight, by nose, by palette. I got confused with a nose like " used socks ". Is it a good or is it a bad wine ? French wine buddy Olivier once suggested that it was like " Andouillette " - French sausage made with pig intestine and often stomach too. Definitely an aroma not very " populaire ". 

I was at a point wondering if the wine is " corked ". 

Nevertheless, I was confused with the quality between bad ( nose ) and good ( taste ). 

I started talking with wine merchants and professionals, where I get a suggestion that it might be a result of " Reduction ", where I finally get the answer. 

Reduction is a wine making technique, aiming at producing vibrant, fresh fruit to the wine.  Traditionally, wines are exposed to air in wine making. By using stainless steel and inert gas, a wine maker can reduce the exposure of oxygen to a wine.

The negative side of this method is that "Reduced" notes generally result from the present of volatile sulfur compounds. These notes usually offer heavy musty, earthy notes, but also could sometimes include strange aromas, such as rotten eggs, rubber, struck matches, sewage and even animal smell. However, there can be a beautiful wine underneath the reductive notes, and sometimes decanting or vigorous swirling can help to eliminate these aromas.

I open up myself to unlock a myth about the wine. The wine is not corked. It is a distinctive character that I should bear in mind when I want to enjoy a good value bottle. 

The 2015 vintage of this wine is a much better version with the same production method, where I find less sulphuric notes or ‘ suspicious ‘ aromas. Giving 30+ mins of decanting, I find a lovely, not expensive rouge but good value bottle from the Rhone.

Great learning. 

http://www.bacchusclubhk.com/new-products/domaine-de-la-cote-de-lange-2014-cotes-du-rhone