Yesterday a client texted me a photo comparing two bottles of white Burgundy he owns: a 2012 PYCM Meursault Les Poruzots and a 2010 PYCM Saint-Aubin Les Champlots.
The 2012 had just arrived via UPS and looked visibly darker than the 2010. Naturally, the first question was:
“Is this premox? Should I be worried?”
This is a perfect opportunity to talk about what premox actually is, why it happens, which producers are generally considered safer or riskier, and what can (and cannot) be done to prevent it — both in the cellar and at home.
Let’s break it all down.
1. What Is Premox?
Premox = premature oxidation, a fault where a wine oxidizes far earlier than expected, losing freshness, turning deeper gold or brown, and developing bruised apple, sherry, or nutty notes long before its ideal drinking window.
Important clarifications:
This is not normal bottle development.
This is not “Burgundy ages fast.”
This is wine that oxidized before it should have, given the appellation, producer, vintage, and storage.
Premox became a major topic with mid-1990s to late-2000s white Burgundy, especially premier and grand crus meant to age 10–20+ years.
Collectors suddenly saw wines falling apart at 5–7 years old — unacceptable for bottles costing hundreds or thousands of dollars.
2. Why Did Premox Become a “Thing” in the First Place?
(This is the part most wine fans never get to hear.)
There’s no single culprit — instead, it was a perfect storm of winemaking, viticulture, and closure changes that happened in the 90s/00s:
Lower SO₂ in pursuit of “cleaner, purer” wines
More bâtonnage (lees stirring) without balancing oxygen management
Earlier bottling
Changes in cork quality and oxygen transmission
Cleaner must (ironically removing phenolics that act as built-in antioxidants)
Warmer vintages with higher pH
Inconsistent bottling line oxygen control
When all of these factors lined up, some wines simply couldn’t defend themselves against oxygen over long aging.
3. Safe vs Riskier Producers (Historically Speaking)
(Important: these categories refer MOSTLY to the problematic era: 1995–2008. Many producers have since changed their practices.)
Producers Historically Viewed as Higher-Risk (mid 90s–2000s)
Collectors often reported higher premox rates from:
Domaine Leflaive (before DIAM switch)
Boillot (certain years)
Sauzet (older vintages more variable)
Comtes Lafon (late 90s variability)
Some Chassagne producers who did heavy bâtonnage during those years
Certain négociant bottlings with inconsistent cork lots
This does NOT mean current vintages are risky.
Many of these domaines have since greatly improved.
Producers Historically Viewed as Safer
- Coche-Dury
- Roulot
- PYCM (Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey)
- Raveneau
- Dauvissat
- Bernard Moreau
- Ramonet (mixed, but many strong showings)
- Antoine Jobard / Michel Bouzereau / Henri Germain
Some domaines who adopted DIAM closures early
These producers tend to be more reductive, more protective, more precise with oxygen, or simply had better cork consistency.
So Where Does PYCM Fall?
PYCM is widely considered one of the safest, most stable white Burgundy producers of the modern era.
Why?
- Very reductive style (struck match, gunflint notes → sign of protective sulfur compounds)
- Measured bâtonnage (not excessive)
- Great bottling line discipline
- Generally conservative SO₂ philosophy
- Meticulous fruit sorting & pressing
Do PYCM wines ever premox?
Any white Burgundy can, but PYCM is among the least problematic producers, and his wines have an excellent track record of aging gracefully.
In the context of your client’s bottles:
Color difference alone is not conclusive.
Shipping shock, bottle variation, glass tinting, or simple aging differences can explain a lot.
2010 vs 2012 are not equivalent vintages — 2012 had lower yields → more concentrated wines → sometimes slightly deeper color.
4. The Bâtonnage Question — Isn’t It Contradictory?
You caught a subtle winemaking nuance — and you’re absolutely right to ask.
I said earlier:
More bâtonnage has been linked with premox risk
But bâtonnage can be protective because lees have antioxidants
Here’s the truth:
Bâtonnage is both protective AND risky depending on WHEN and HOW it’s done.
Why it can be protective:
Lees contain glutathione and other antioxidant compounds.
If the lees are kept in suspension early in élevage, the wine gains more antioxidant buffering capacity.
Why it can be risky:
Every time you stir, you physically introduce small amounts of oxygen into the wine.
If the wine is:
- low in SO₂
- racked early
- bottled early
or made in a very “clean,” low-phenolic style
…that added oxygen is not fully neutralized → long-term instability.
So the contradiction isn’t a contradiction — it’s about timing and balance.
Heavy bâtonnage + low SO₂ + early bottling = danger.
Measured bâtonnage + careful oxygen management = safety.
Great producers know this.
Lesser producers in the 90s/00s did not.
5. What Is DIAM, and Why Do Collectors Love It?
DIAM is a type of technical cork designed to eliminate cork taint (TCA) and, most importantly for premox concerns, provide consistent oxygen transmission.
A DIAM cork is:
- Made from natural cork that’s been ground up
- Cleaned with supercritical CO₂ to remove impurities
- Reconstructed with food-grade binders into a uniform closure
- Engineered so oxygen ingress is highly predictable
This consistency virtually eliminates:
- Random “one dead bottle out of a case” surprises
- High-OTR corks that accelerate oxidation
- Variation caused by cork density differences
Many producers who moved from natural cork → DIAM saw dramatic decreases in premox complaints.
6. How Big of a Problem Is Premox, Really?
Depends on who you ask:
For everyday drinkers:
They drink whites within 1–3 years → premox rarely impacts them.
For Burgundy collectors paying $200–$1,200+ per bottle:
Premox is a huge deal.
One bad bottle wastes money AND emotional investment.
For importers like me (and you as a client):
Understanding producer risk, vintage risk, and closure choices is essential.
7. Back to the Original Question — Should the Client Worry?
Looking at the provided photo:
2010 whites often stay very pale for a long time (classic high-acid vintage).
2012 whites often show deeper color naturally (tiny yields, more concentration).
PYCM is a safe producer.
Shipping can temporarily darken a wine until it settles.
Bottle variation exists.
Color alone ≠ premox diagnosis.
The only real test is opening and tasting, but nothing in the photo screams “dead” or “oxidized.”
Final Thoughts
Premox is one of the most fascinating, misunderstood, and emotionally charged topics in fine wine — especially for those investing hundreds or thousands per bottle. But with better closures, improved cellar practices, and much more rigorous oxygen management, the premox “epidemic” has calmed dramatically in recent years.