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Guard & tasting
Essential parameter of the cellar for optimum conservation and evolution of the wine, the temperature must be monitored. Contrary to popular belief, variations are welcome, provided they are not brutal and excessive. Thus, the wines of Chatain pass a very beautiful winter as they do not undergo temperatures lower than 10 ° C. In the summer, no problem either if your cellar does not exceed too long the 18 ° C. The ideal: an average temperature of 14 ° C. There is no evidence that it needs to be stable, but a gradual evolution is desirable.
Moisture, it must be high enough to prevent the dehydration of the cork, and thus the evaporation of the wine. Not too much though: the labels would degrade. A relative humidity level of the order of 75-80% is generally satisfactory. The bottles are kept lying down.
Aging
For our wines, aging is the way to become better. It is a new aromatic world that is revealed after fifteen or twenty years, deeper, more delicate and more mysterious, our vintages 2001 and 2002 have their tannins melted, it is time to enjoy ...
With the years, the wines gain sweetness and sweetness without losing freshness or length. How long do we keep our wines?
The only rule that counts is the pleasure of drinking them. Some great vintages can reach after decades, a supreme level of refinement, elegance and complexity. Year 2016 in bottle, it is recommended to wait 5 years to reach a mature and powerful wine and give it time to reach its full potential. This patience can be doubled for magnum conditioning. ! Some of Château Chatain's wines are actually delicious to drink from an early age: their fruit is pure, their mouth full, and always harmonious. Our 2014 vintage is the perfect example.
There are also solar vintages, the 2015 is one, it can appreciate young and its aging potential can allow it to be forgotten a few years.
Decantation
From a certain age, the wine will be decanted, in order to separate the venerable nectar, natural deposits generated by time.
The main purpose of decanting red wines is to separate the wine from the sediments that may have formed in the bottle over the years. This deposit essentially corresponds to tannins rendered insoluble by the chemical reactions responsible for aging. The transfer operation is accompanied by a certain oxygenation, often beneficial to young and powerful wines, but which can be harmful to the oldest wines.
For young wines, the decantation is not necessary because there is not yet, in general, deposit in the bottles. But a slight aeration often helps them to "open up", that is to say to better exhale their aromas. You can choose either to transfer them or to leave them for a moment in the glasses before drinking them.
The tradition is that the big Bordeaux are served "chambered", ie at room temperature, between 17 and 18 ° C. Beyond, the nose loses finesse and alcohol overwhelms the delicate scents of the bouquet, or even the fruit of young wines, the tannins seem less fleshy and drier. When the temperature is too low, the aromas are exhaled with difficulty, the wine seems duller and shorter.
Testing session
One of the facets of our work that we prefer: contact us to organize a tasting-sale at your home when you receive your friends. We appreciate this direct exchange and its conviviality.
The progress of chemical analysis is today edifying. However, nothing can match the accuracy and taste experience to detect certain defects or anticipate the evolution of a wine.
Tasting is also the working tool of an increasing number of professional critics who project on our wines a different experience and culture. This diversity is a wealth. The tasting also conquers more and more fans among the amateurs in the world. Tasting a wine is rarely solitary exercise. This usually gives rise to opinions expressed in a particular language that does not need to be mysterious.
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