Should Pinot Noir Be Decanted?

There are only 3 reasons to decant a wine:

1. Decant if a wine is very young.

Oops, you opened that 2005 Chateau Lafite Rothschild because you just couldn't help yourself. But with the first sip you realize you might have just wasted $1000. The wine is so uptight it makes your mouth squeak. Your only hope now is to decant... possibly for several hours.

2. Decant if a wine is very old.

This is when that candle comes into play. If a wine is very old, or just old and unfined and/or unfiltered, it's going to have some sediment. Start by standing that bottle upright in your "cellar" for a couple weeks. If i has been lying on its side, that's where the sediment will be, and it's a lot harder to decant that way. After the sediment has made its way to the bottom of the bottle (usually allow at least 2 weeks), gently pour the clear wine out of the bottle and off the sediment, into a decanter. The candle is to help you see through the bottle so you can tell when to stop pouring because the sediment is in danger of pouring out.

Usually, though, when a wine is very old it doesn't need to breath to unlock its potential. It has already reached its potential in bottle and the exposure to oxygen is now going to degrade it quickly. So only decant an old wine just before serving.

3. Decant because it looks cool.

Serving wine out of a decanter is great presentation. It has show value. It turns Fetzer into Foley. Your guests don't have to know it's $10 Pinot Noir from the corner liquor store... let them think it's a $50 mailing list only, single vineyard selection.

Don't overly decant a Pinot Noir:

Usually a few minutes of swirling in your glass will unlock a restrained pinot's aromatics. If this doesn't work, cork the remaining bottle and try it the next day. Because of pinot's delicacy, full scale decanting of an uptight bottle can overly diffuse its nose before softening its bite. Decant as a last resort.