I’m sorry if this has been discussed on here before (or if this is a silly question), but I couldn’t find anything after a couple of searches.
I’ve noticed that some 2018 Rieslings are going to be available soon, and since 2018 is my wedding year and I love Riesling, I’m going to stock up. A lot of late harvest Rieslings that I enjoy are sold in half-bottles, which I normally like as they are less expensive and I don’t usually need a full bottle of dessert wine; however, I’m wondering if half-bottles won’t age too well or will age too quickly. I’d love to get some 2018s to drink over the next several decades. Do you think half-bottles will be suitable for very long term aging?
I am a big Sauternes fan and drink as many 1988s (birth year) as I can get my hands on. Almost all are half bottles - same reasoning as you. Never had any issues.
I’ve heard that magnums age the best or longest, I believe due to the different ratio of oxygen to wine contact/interaction (however, this could be inaccurate), so I was wondering if the inverse was true as well – that smaller bottles are less suitable for long term aging. I am still a wine novice and trying to learn as much as possible, so I very much welcome any corrections and/or enlightenment!
The (unproven) theory is that half bottles will age more quickly than a full bottle (or a magnum). So the first question is whether the wines you’re considering would age well over the next several decades in a 750. If the answer to that is yes, then chances are the 375 will age over that period, perhaps more quickly. But then the question is whether that’s a good or bad thing. If the optimal point at which to drink the 750 is 70 years from now, then perhaps you’re better off with a 375, when the optimal point is, say, 50 years instead.
One of the greatest wines I ever had was a 1962 Delas Freres Hermitage La Tourette as a half bottle in 2011 at that place in Tampa. Their storage is very cold, but still, it was a virtually perfect wine.
I’ve heard that Eddie Haskell died of an overdose in Vietnam. No proof of that either. Whether there is a difference or not, it would not discourage me in the slightest, as the difference could not be material in the 20 year range.
While I will not say anywhere near the greatest, I had that same bottle at that same place after reading that same guy’s CT note. It was mighty fine. Also had a killer 1961 Pavie from there as well. Only bringing this up socially, not as an anecdote on aging, but my personal opinion is that they age just fine for us normal, mortal humans. If we are talking the 40+ year cycle, I’d go Maggies.
A decent anecdote are the 1970s vintages Cantemerles that I grabbed at auction. Cannot recall which vintages, but they were all quite lovely, perfectly matured and not doa.
No problem at all ageing halves in my experience. One of the best wines I ever tried was a half of Belgrave 1945 - once it blew away a bunch of other more reputable wines at the same sitting, including several first/second growths from exceptional vintages. With riesling I wouldn’t worry in the slightest.
I have found some differential in regards to half bottles versus full bottles. But it is not so significant. In fact, it is usually beneficial to me. I noticed some 2005 Sauternes to blossom out of their shell in half bottle before the 750’s did. But then they are on their plateau for many years. I would expect sweet Rieslings to do the same. I’ve also had experience with some age worthy reds in half bottle that have reached maturity a little bit quicker than normal bottles.
Yes, the proportion of oxygen to wine in the bottles varies by bottle size. Or, it can. Without sparging, or with inadequate sparging, that’s the case…and you can detect the difference in the wines early on, as in with current release wines. I was subjected to a double-blind tasting of a current release Cab from 375, 750 and 1.5 and they seemed there was a two vintage maturity gap from one format to the next. With the best bottling equipment, that difference shouldn’t exist (but, that would be rare). Small production mags are often hand bottled, so depending on methodology may actually get more oxygen exposure, or less.
After that initial effect, the oxygen is “consumed”. But, then you have the cork. The range of oxygen ingress rates of various corks from the same batch varies greatly. Most won’t be on the fringe, but a “bad” cork could have an effect that dwarfs the effect of format size. The same ingress rate on different formats should have proportionally different results.
Anyway, I’ve had plenty of great dry reds from half-bottles in the 30-40 year old range. In the context of bottle variation and provenance among 750s of that age, it’s not a big deal.
With sweet wines, sugar and acidity are preservatives. A little more oxygen exposure may not even be a negative, depending on the wine. I’ve had plenty of various types of stickies from half-bottles. No concern at all for me, and often the best size bottle for the occasion.