How to best show young Bordeaux?

WINE TALK
1

Hi everyone–

Long time wine forum lurker here. I’m having friends over for a wine tasting party of some young wines. I would love some expert opinion on how to let them breathe to show their best. Pop the cork and slow ox? Flash decant? Extended decant? Pop and pour?

We are mostly drinking 2016 Bordeaux:
2016 Sansonnet
2016 Tour St-Christophe
2016 Larcis Ducasse
2016 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge
2016 Lagrange (also opening the 2005 for comparison)

Also opening:
2016 Beaucastel
2016 Domaine Charvin
2017 Bosquet des Papes Chante le Merle
2016 Musso Pora Barbaresco

Any advice would be appreciated. The audience is mostly new world wine drinkers–mostly WA reds. [thankyou.gif]

2

What is it you hope to achieve with this tasting?

3

Slash decant and start the tasting party.

Tell people “small pours” and track how the wines develop through the evening.

Nothing too serious.

And, by the way…welcome!!! [cheers.gif]

4

Seconding this, and welcome [cheers.gif]

5

Small pours and watching the evolution–that’s a great idea. Thanks Anton and Yao [cheers.gif] . In terms of my goals for the party…just want people to enjoy and appreciate the wine…didn’t want the tannic structure to turn people off if they were more used to fruit forward, easy drinking Washington wines.

6

Just one thought I’d toss out there: The tannins on the Musso Barbaresco might taste pretty nasty if you put that alongside the Chateauneufs, because grenache usually has very soft tannins. It’s an interesting contrast, but you might want to think a little about the arrangement. If these will be served with food, it would be less of a problem.

7

That’s a good point. I’ll open the Barbaresco early to let it breathe and serve it next to the Bordeaux. We have cheese, finger foods, and the like, but not a full fledged meal.

Thanks for the input everyone [cheers.gif]

8

Serve something like greasy sliders. Cheese is usually too harsh for tannic wines.

9

Good idea–discussing it with the wife