I’ll be hosting a tasting on Tuesday and the first wines will be mature bottles. Wines will be served one by one.
1976 Jacques Prieur Clos Vougeot
1974 Louis Martini Napa Cab
1975 Beychevelle
1977 Mondavi Cabernet
Looking for recommendations in regards to the following.
Wines have ben standing for a week.
Thanks in advance.
If I was serving these wines I would decant through un-bleached cheese cloth, wash out bottle and then pour the wine back into the bottle and slow-o.
I would have a clean decanter at hand, and then I would carefully season it: pour a small amount of the wine into the decanter, swish and swirl the wine in the decanter until all the surfaces of the decanter have been touched by the wine. Then dump that out. Carefully pour the wines into their decanters, and just leave an inch or two in the bottle. You can go back later and check in on the dregs. I would never pour the wines to be served back into a bottle that had been rinsed with water - I see no purpose. You want wine on wine, not wine on water.
I can only speak for the Napa Cabs: I would give them 30-60 minutes in the decanter. I would not introduce a variable such as cheesecloth - never saw the reason for that. You stood them up, got the sediment settled, and now just leave that sediment in the bottle. If no one is looking, I would run a clean fingertip around the inside of the neck of the bottle to remove any deposits that are there as a result of the wine being stored on its side, and that did not naturally fall to the bottom of the bottle upon standing.
Carlos,
I can only repeat what I´ve written in MANY postings here before:
Slow-ox for 5-6 hours … then (if necessary due to sediment) decant softly immediately before serving.
That´s what I do with all my mature wines - and my experiences are highly positive over the last 6+ years, certainly better than with a) decanting for hours, and b) P+P
Thanks to all.
CD