Does anyone decant white wine? Which varietals?
I decant Rieslings sometimes because I notice that they often open up nicely over time, but since they are so delicious and low ABV, I can easily drink them before they have the chance to do so.
I have decanted young rieslings, viogniers, chardonnays - they can be just as ‘backwards’ as red wines. How about yourself?
Aubert chardonnays
Once I open any wine of any color, I consider if it might benefit from some time and swirl in the decanter. I usually check CellarTracker for any notes on air time. I haven’t decanted champagne largely because I enjoy the bubbles too much. So, yes, chenin blanc, chard/chablis, roussanne (almost always), rioja blanc and condrieu viognier. Not riesling, gewurztraminer nor sauvignon blanc yet. I like an edge on my SB anyway. Riesling and gewurz that need air I just uncork and sit.
I haven’t decanted any white wines but I’m stocking up on some white wines that I’ll do some decanting.
Doesn’t have as much to do with the variety as with the wine making. Especially if you don’t drink only monovarietal wine.
At various times, we’ve decanted Albarino, Verdejo, Chardonnay, Arneis, and Godello.
Top shelf Chablis. I don’t find Riesling needs it so much.
Most of my older white Burgundy appears to have already been decanted for several months, so I don’t need to do it.
+1 recently opened a 2007 Vrignaud Fourchaume Chablis for a wine tasting group. No decant and several of the group thought it was older and going over the hill. Re-corked the half bottle and put in a cold garage temporarily. 2 days later I went back and the wine blossomed into a ginger, apple honeyed wine with a long mineral finish. Slight hint of oxidation but it was really lovely. Dumb, dumb. Will always decant 10+ yr old Chablis from now on.
This makes sense to me. It seems like young whites that have been handled fairly reductively during elevage often benefit from some air in the decanter. Most often, that applies to Riesling and white Burgundy for what I drink, but many others would qualify.
I opened a 2011 Collier Saumur Blanc (the baseline bottling) recently and it seemed oxidized right out of the gate. I put it back in the fridge and two days later it was showing well. In fact I need to update my CellarTracker note on it.
Nearly always decant young whites. White Burgundy, especially Chablis, Chenin Blanc, but most of the whites that we might drink young. Often put back in the bottle. I think the initial aeration can have as much impact as extended air time - Im still feeling my way on that aspect, anything form 10 to 60 minutes. I only started doing this as a matter of course a few years ago after reading a comment by Jancis Robinson about the effect on Wolf Blass Yellow Label Chard (Thats Yellow LABEL, not TAIL!).
Had an amusing experience at a couple of ‘A’ list Quebec city restaurants a couple of years ago. Friday night at Chez Muffy we kicked off with a young 1er Cru Chablis, and I was pleased to see the sommelier decanted the wine without my having to ask. (Meal was excellent all round by the way). Saturday night at Le St Amour was less smooth … another young 1er Cru Chablis to start. I asked the waiter to decant the wine and he declined saying it was not needed, we had quite the “discussion”. Eventually he did it, however, and the wine certainly benefited. (Otherwise the meal was mostly excellent).
I decant white Burgundy, especially if it’s made in a more reductive style.
almost always.
More often than not. Yes.
Yes. Primarily Chardonnays that are a little young, especially from California, especially from the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Also white Bordeaux, especially Semillon-based wines.
For me this applies to ageworthy whites opened before fuljl maturity. I now hesitate to decant white Burgundy, as per Chris Seiber’s post. As per a thread I started many years ago, the worst thing that has happened in the world of wine in the past half century has been premox. And I’m taking no chances with the limited amount of white Burgundy I still own and buy.
Dan Kravitz
Rhone varietal based wines and young chards.