Two bad bottles!

[hotwine]

Thanks, Foodie. The corks were wet, but might have dried in transit and shrunk, then become wet again in shop storage. It's probably oxidation, as you describe, maybe due to a long stay on a loading dock, or in a hot warehouse. I don't want to think about what those bottles might have gone through between Chile and Texas....(or what went into 'em in the first place...)