Decanting Burgundies

I recently read a comment for a YouTube video clip that quotes from a book…

I hope this resolves the issue here about the decanter. In the book “Romanee Conti - the World’s Most Fabled Wine” by Richard Olney, page 110-111 on a section about the serving of the wine, I quote: "There are no cradles and no decanters; Burgundians do not decant their wines. A wine needs to breathe for its boquet and its palate to expand, but red Burgundies, especially old red Burgundies, are more rapidly subject to oxidation and alteration, in prolonged contact with air, than any other wine."

Is this true? And even if it is…I’d think most vintages of DRC bought would probably be several years old and have been stored for perhaps 10…would it not be a good idea to still decant to separate the sediment? :slight_smile: Decanting as most of us know is not only to let wines breathe.

Leroy – Olney’s statement, written more than twenty years ago, was the accepted wisdom at the time. Since then, there has been a shift. I’ve been served older wines at DRC that have been decanted and others that haven’t. Some producers are still adamantly against decanting, others not. Similarly, in restaurants in Burgundy, many - but not all - will decant certain wines.

Hello Claude,

Interesting. I always assumed all wine varietals should be decanted. Regardless of age. If not to let the wines breathe but to remove the sediment from the wine before serving.

And can you tell me why you chose to serve some bottles of DRC without decanting?

Leroy – It’s not I who chose to serve some of the DRC without decanting, it’s been Aubert de Villaine. I think (I’ve never discussed this with him) that he feels certain wines need the exposure to air to blossom. But I don’t know how he chooses which ones.

Sediment is a different matter. Some people get hot and bothered if there’s the slightest bit of sediment in their glass, others don’t. I’m not troubled by sediment and I’ve found that sediment can be a powerful preservative, thereby providing an additional argument for not decanting wine that one fears might be fragile.

Truth is, I’m more inclined to decant older white wines, which often need a good airing to come together; for red Burgundies, it’s largely a matter of my mood at the moment and visual aesthetics.

Sorry Claude. Misread. You were “served” sometimes decanted other times not.

“…sediment can be a powerful preservative”. Can it? I never thought of it that way. Just as garbage that should be separated/removed before serving/drinking. I think I’ll continue decanting. Unless it’s a very young wine and am too lazy to decant.

Have a good week.

I know Allen Meadows favors decanting younger reds. He has repeatedly stated that in various publications.

Allen Meadows? Sorry, his name doesn’t right a bell. :slight_smile:

http://www.burghound.com/

Allen has emerged as a leading critic/writer/expert on Burgundy.

I was once at a dinner with Mme. Leroy and she said she actually likes the sediment in the wine and always asks for the glass in which the last bit of wine from the bottle is poured. She actually enjoys chewing on the sediment.

I get that some people like the sediment. I don’t. It’s gritty, bitter and frankly, not why I buy a wine. It doesn’t freak me out if there’s some there, but I do stand up a bottle with sediment and, if there’s significant sediment, I’ll decant the wine off of it if I can (the wine’s not old, fragile, etc). If not, I’ll pour carefully.

Leroy - as you get into it, you’ll find that there are very few universals in wine. Most people give most wines some air if they can… but some prefer to pop and pour. Myself, I decant younger burgs if I can because I usually find that they open up about 30 minutes into that and I want to see the wine show as well as it can. Older wines I’ll usually slow ox (open them, pour a small taste to check the condition and let the bottles stand for several hours with the cork out). It’s gentler and lets bottle funk blow off while not risking the wine going downhill precipitously because of being decanted.

I’ve heard similar about Aubert de Villaine, but it’s never happened in my presence.

Wasn’t even aware people “slow ox” older wines. Assumed most either poured directly from the bottles chancing some sediment or carefully pouring from the bottle. Many decant young or old. Etc.

Joshua…thanks.

Mssr. Audouze has written that he enjoys chewing the sediment. He can have it. I think even a little sediment adds a sour taste to the wine and lessens my appreciation, so I tend to decant when I can. I often double decant* before carrying a bottle to a restaurant–it allows me to assess the wine and determine whether it is corked, it aerates the wine and it avoids the sediment getting jumbled throughout the wine.
alan

*decant, rinse bottle, return wine to bottle and cork or Vacu-vin.

Decanting in general…while one group believes we shouldn’t decant Bourgs and another do (me). What I’m wondering is…some wineries recommend at least 1 hour. I’ve heard some sommeliers say 2. Some wines decanted for as much as 6. If we decant (leave in room temp) for over an hour (depending on particular room temp) would leaving the decanted wine for over an hour not raise the serving temp beyond 18C usually? My room temp is usually 21C. What do you guys usually do? How long do you usually decant old or young wines?

a complex and controversial subject, compounded by the “slow oxygenation” technique best described in another thread–for young wines, a longer pre-drinking decant than older wines. With older wines, I decant right before drinking as sometimes the wine collapses quickly. I’d rather follow its progress (ascent or descent) than wait a couple hours and miss the window.
alan

I’ve been decanting an hour before drinking. More less (depending on room temp). Till it reaches near 18C. I just found it odd that some “experts” would recommend 2-6 hours in some cases. A 6 hour decant??

Though, with most young wines (not older than 3-4 yrs old), I have skipped the decanting process totally. Just a few quick swirls in the glass before taking a sip.

for most wines, I just P&P (pop and pour). I often decant young wines to aerate and old wines to get rid of the sediment. I don’t know anyone who decants 6 hrs in advance though some remove the cork 6 hours before drinking (slow oxygenation).
alan

Hello Alan,

Removing the cork 6 hours before…is the bottle still in the fridge or cellar? I’m assuming it is and not sitting in the room (assuming the room temp is 21C).

Gary Vanerchuk from Wine Library recommends leaving decanted wines (ALL) in the decanter for 3-6 hours prior. Google his YouTube clip.

look up some of the slow oxygenation threads, the “Audouze” technique. Cellar temp, cork out, several hours before decanting and drinking.
alan

I agree [almost] totally. If they do not decant in Burgundy that does NOT indicate expertise in how to serve their wonderful wines. It just might indicate a humble peasant tradition where red wines were usually drunk young and casually as an accompaniment to a hearty meal. How differently do we approach their costly wines once we have saved them for a decade or two or three? Aside from the bitterness of sediment, it clouds the wine and ruins the beautiful color a Burgundy wine has. I like to shine a light into my Burgundy glass to see how much orange [age] is visible on the edge. With a cloudy wine all I see is mud. Anyone else out there who attended an expensive tasting of old Burgundies and got the last pour [of mud] from an undecanted bottle?
As for Vacu-vin, I have found that it removes the volatiles from the wine and leaves it lifeless. I prefer just recorking the bottle with minimal airspace. Double decanting does not advance the oxygenating of the wine as much as most people think.

Paul