Had a whack on the head reminder that cold is the enemy this past weekend : )
Took a bottle of champagne (06 B-S Cuvee Louis) to a friend’s house, thinking 45 minutes or so out of the fridge (had moved the bottle from cellar to fridge that morning) would be about right. First glass didn’t SEEM too cold, but it was far more crisp/green than I remembered from previous bottles. I was a little disappointed. About another half hour into it, it fleshed out dramatically, with the yeasty notes emerging, the complexity coming on. Another 15 minutes and it was singing, layers of joy. And I was left regretting that first pour couldn’t be a do-over. So really an hour and half out of fridge (and 45 minutes open) before it hit its sweet spot.
Now, was it just the temperature? Or was it also just exposure to air? Not sure, I’m thinking more the former, but also the latter. Also a reminder that decanting for air exposure could have been a good idea on this one.