Decanting Champagne?

[Nick_Christie]

Opened a 2002 Pol Roger Blancs de Blancs yesterday at Humberto’s…

Needed 4+ hours of air to really blossom into something. Had a half glass every hour, but honestly should have shown even more patience and just let it alone for at least a full 3. Particularly as Humberto (who wasn’t back from doing Rounds yet) would gently chide me later for being initially optimistic that the '02 wouldn’t need at least a full 3-4 hours.

I think most people on the forum share this philosophy, but certainly my wine drinking has improved the more patience I’m willing to show with all top class wines (of whatever color/age): whenever possible, if a wine feels like’s not letting loose and displaying its potential, really make the effort and try letting it do so.

*I’m a bit of a coward when it comes to a flash decant with Champagne over the potential bubble loss to which Dan alludes, but maybe one day might give it a try. Pop and Air seems relatively reliable/flexible for Champagne so committing to a full decant hasn’t really entered my lexicon yet.

[jcoley3]

Splash decanted a young Ulysse Colin yesterday. No loss of effervescence.

[Ebbe_Bonde_Soerensen]

At the great Selosse tasting in New York at the Nomad(2016) arranged by Antonio Galloni and Vinous, it was discussed, the sommeliers all said it was a gimmick.
I agreed with them, I had some Champagnes , with Manu Lassaigne some years ago, which were decanted, for me less bubbles same wine, so nothing to benefit from, unless you hate bubbles
My best advise drink from a bigger glass, I use Zalto Universal.

[Ray.Tuppa_sch]

A the great Selosse tasting in New York at the Nomad(2016) arranged by Antonio Galloni and Vinous, it was discussed, the sommeliers all said it was a gimmick.
I agreed with them, I had some Champagnes , with Manu Lassaigne some years ago, which were decanted, for me less bubbles same wine, so nothing to benefit from, unless you hate bubbles
My best advise drink from a bigger glass, I use Zalto Universal.

So, does that mean decanting non-sparkling wine is a gimmick as well?

[ky1em1ttskus]

A the great Selosse tasting in New York at the Nomad(2016) arranged by Antonio Galloni and Vinous, it was discussed, the sommeliers all said it was a gimmick.
I agreed with them, I had some Champagnes , with Manu Lassaigne some years ago, which were decanted, for me less bubbles same wine, so nothing to benefit from, unless you hate bubbles
My best advise drink from a bigger glass, I use Zalto Universal.

So, does that mean decanting non-sparkling wine is a gimmick as well?

Also, a gimmick sold by who and to whom? It seems like most of us are ambivalent about the practice, at best, and more likely openly scared , about ruining our bubbles.

[John_Kight]

Champagne bubbles in youngish wines don’t fade out like that.

This is generally true, and often a Champagne, even left uncorked in the refrigerator for a night or two, will still have bubbles left. That said, I have certainly experienced some Champagnes (the exception rather than the rule) which appear to be in a huge rush to give up all or most of their bubbles, sometimes in the course of 1-2 hours after opening. Maybe that’s had something to do with recent shipping, storage or heat issues somewhere along the line, etc., I can’t be sure. But it does happen occasionally, and usually repeats with additional bottles of the same wine.

If the purpose of decanting is to get rid of some bubbles, then I question why they are in there to begin with. One post above refers to Cedric Bouchard as a producer they decant. Cedric himself is a big believer in decanting his wines, and he once asked me “Why would you want to take a terrific wine and then hide its flavors behind bubbles?..If you want to try a REALLY terrific wine, take this bottle, decant it overnight until it is a still wine, and enjoy!” (or something very close to that). That makes me question why he’s making Champagne to begin with (rather than a still wine). Ultimately, however, people should drink it the way they want, and if they believe decanting makes it better to them, go for it! I personally just drink the wine as it is, which frequently means I’ll have some left over the next day as well (and get to enjoy a ‘less bubbly, more decanted’ version of the wine).

[John_Kight]

A the great Selosse tasting in New York at the Nomad(2016) arranged by Antonio Galloni and Vinous, it was discussed, the sommeliers all said it was a gimmick.
I agreed with them, I had some Champagnes , with Manu Lassaigne some years ago, which were decanted, for me less bubbles same wine, so nothing to benefit from, unless you hate bubbles
My best advise drink from a bigger glass, I use Zalto Universal.

I agree with Voodoo Child.

[Ebbe_Bonde_Soerensen]

A the great Selosse tasting in New York at the Nomad(2016) arranged by Antonio Galloni and Vinous, it was discussed, the sommeliers all said it was a gimmick.
I agreed with them, I had some Champagnes , with Manu Lassaigne some years ago, which were decanted, for me less bubbles same wine, so nothing to benefit from, unless you hate bubbles
My best advise drink from a bigger glass, I use Zalto Universal.

So, does that mean decanting non-sparkling wine is a gimmick as well?

It was a gimmick amongst sommelier´s

[Ebbe_Bonde_Soerensen]

A the great Selosse tasting in New York at the Nomad(2016) arranged by Antonio Galloni and Vinous, it was discussed, the sommeliers all said it was a gimmick.
I agreed with them, I had some Champagnes , with Manu Lassaigne some years ago, which were decanted, for me less bubbles same wine, so nothing to benefit from, unless you hate bubbles
My best advise drink from a bigger glass, I use Zalto Universal.

So, does that mean decanting non-sparkling wine is a gimmick as well?

Also, a gimmick sold by who and to whom? It seems like most of us are ambivalent about the practice, at best, and more likely openly scared , about ruining our bubbles.

Sommelier’s can make a lot of trouble, some prefer natural wines no matter what, some thinks that a wine not made perfect is charming…Sommelier´s don’t trust them only your own palate

[Ebbe_Bonde_Soerensen]

Champagne bubbles in youngish wines don’t fade out like that.

This is generally true, and often a Champagne, even left uncorked in the refrigerator for a night or two, will still have bubbles left. That said, I have certainly experienced some Champagnes (the exception rather than the rule) which appear to be in a huge rush to give up all or most of their bubbles, sometimes in the course of 1-2 hours after opening. Maybe that’s had something to do with recent shipping, storage or heat issues somewhere along the line, etc., I can’t be sure. But it does happen occasionally, and usually repeats with additional bottles of the same wine.

If the purpose of decanting is to get rid of some bubbles, then I question why they are in there to begin with. One post above refers to Cedric Bouchard as a producer they decant. Cedric himself is a big believer in decanting his wines, and he once asked me “Why would you want to take a terrific wine and then hide its flavors behind bubbles?..If you want to try a REALLY terrific wine, take this bottle, decant it overnight until it is a still wine, and enjoy!” (or something very close to that). That makes me question why he’s making Champagne to begin with (rather than a still wine). Ultimately, however, people should drink it the way they want, and if they believe decanting makes it better to them, go for it! I personally just drink the wine as it is, which frequently means I’ll have some left over the next day as well (and get to enjoy a ‘less bubbly, more decanted’ version of the wine).

I read that too, I have met him in his cellar in Celles-sur-Ource, the wines we tasted were not decanted

[John_Kight]

I read that too, I have met him in his cellar in Celles-sur-Ource, the wines we tasted were not decanted

We also met with him and tasted “undecanted” Champagne in his cellar. That’s where he told us “If you really want to taste a great wine, decant this and drink it tomorrow.” In addition, he poured us his still wines, which he seemed more passionate about. But I prefer his sparkling wines.

[Shannon_Perdue]

Nope - if you must drink in a larger glass or go to still whites. I love my bubbles!

[B_Thorne]

Every time I click into the wine talk part of these forums I pray that this thread has finally disappeared because the thought of decanting a champagne is one that makes me uneasy in the stomach and mind.

never decant champagne.

[David_Glasser]

Tried it, didn’t like it.
I do like a larger glass.

[blarmston]

Every time I click into the wine talk part of these forums I pray that this thread has finally disappeared because the thought of decanting a champagne is one that makes me uneasy in the stomach and mind.

never decant champagne.

If just the thought of that makes you a bit uneasy, I suggest that you pass on watching tomorrow night’s episode of Game of Thrones…

[Ray.Tuppa_sch]

As I’ve posted in similar previous threads, I very, very rarely decant Champagne.

That said, the next bottle of '08 Cristal that I open will be one of the few bottles that I do decant.

[Kirk.Grant]

Back in 2010 or 2012 I decanted a bottle of the 1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des Millénaires. Not only was it better, it also seemed to ratchet up the complexity as the wine did truly “open”.

[S_Stevenson]

It’s bad enough people think they have to decant red wines, please, please, not Champagne.

The myth of letting wines breathe

[Nick_Christie]

(Shrugs)

Personally I don’t think even the average ‘experienced’ wine drinker experiments/samples enough with serving temp, decanting, glassware, and other techniques. It’s your wine, do as you wish with it… I’ve never gone Full Myhrvold (Robert Downey Jr. says to never go full Myhrvold), but if you want to try putting a wine in a blender, give it a shot.

Decanting and playing with the temperature spectrum of serving (fridge, cellar, room, etc.) will only generally only enhance an understanding.

[Blake_Brown]

How many times have I noticed a wine evolving and changing over time once poured and repoured into the glass? Numerous times and its true for champagne as well. This is beyond the increased taste profile when champagne warms up if left out of the chill. So, I theorize that it has to do with exposure to air/ oxygen and if that is true for any wine, it can benefit from decanting.

For this reason, I decant some champagnes,especially younger ones and have experienced less extreme changes just as I have with still wines.

When I have a few or many bottles of the same wine, I can learn from each time how long to decant by tracking the extent of change.

As stated above, “older” wines can fall apart rapidly once exposed to air, so I avoid doing so in this case.