Situation: I’ll be driving to Reims (6 hour drive) later this week. I’m bringing a Château de Fonsalette 2007 and Château de Marsannay Clos Vougeot 2002 along with me. The wines will be consumed on the night of my arrival. So they will be shaken about during the drive and then served shortly thereafter.
Most of the time, I don’t worry about this too much and just pop’n’pour on arrival, decant or not, and let breathe during dinner. But with a Fonsalette that might benefit from a lot of air and a Clos Vougeot that might not, I’m in a bit of a conundrum. And they will be served as BYO in a restaurant (not setup for proper decanting).
I’m thinking of opening the Fonsalette before leaving, having a taste and probably double decanting to remove the sediment for the trip. The Clos Vougeot could undergo the same treatment to remove the sediment but I’m a little worried about double decanting and the amount of air that early before drinking it. I’ll probably pop it open, have a taste and make a call then and there but having the sediment stirred up in bottle if I don’t double decant is not something I’m looking forward to.
So any advice on either or both of those is welcome. Thanks!
Hi Phil, I would definitely gently double decant the Fonsalette prior to travel. If it were me, I would give it a squirt of Argon before putting the cork back in.
For the.Clos Vougeot, my (probably herertical) approach would be to bring a small plastic coffee filter holder and a filter and run the wine thu this prior to serving.
Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about sediment being stirred up just driving. Pack the bottles so they stay upright, and enjoy. A little cushioning will be good, to absorb any potholes lol.
I’ll treat that as battle plan B and will bring one along. But, I agree, I won’t double decant this before the trip. I’m too wary of it showing as tired once there. Thanks!
6+ hours is a long time, so if you didn’t want them to have a lot of air before consuming, I’d stand them up in styro-shipper and place that on a lot of blankets or towels to help absorb the bumps in the road.
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