Split magnums

[jdaw1]

A magnum of Fonseca 1970 had been decanted the previous evening. Half went into an empty pre-chilled Claret bottle, that went straight back in the fridge. Half went into an empty room-temperature Burgundy bottle, which was left in a room that was cool but not cold. That was at about 11pm on Monday.

On Tuesday at about 5pm the Claret bottle came out of the fridge, and with its sibling and I went to the pub Hamilton Hall. At about 6pm or so we repaired to The Steak Exchange, and they were tasted at about 8pm.

!

It was suggested ! that this experiment was worthy of repetition.

Would people be interested in a theme of Split Magnums?

[DRT]

Yes, they would.

[benread]

Would it be carried out entirely with Fonseca 70 in an attempt to optimise its drinking potential?!

[DRT]

...and are split double-magnums allowed?

[jdaw1]

Would it be carried out entirely with Fonseca 70 in an attempt to optimise its drinking potential?!

I envisage difficulties arranging the necessary assistance from the TFP, but would be delighted to be proved wrong.

...and are split double-magnums allowed?

Allowed? No my dear fellow, absolutely encouraged. Indeed, if you still have that Imperial of Dow 1878, this should be its moment.

It might also be worth suggesting some means of splitting, and then deciding between them. The F70 was decanted early, half kept cool and half not. Some might recall a decanting experiment in February 2008 with a magnum of 1963 Hedges and Butler’s Quinta do Noval. What other means of split might be of interest?

[benread]

And of course if this were to be a truly scientific experiment, we should await the final findings of this investigation!

[Alex Bridgeman]

And we have also tried a magnum of Fonseca '80 at a 1980 offine. This was decanted into two bottle sized decanters that were treated identically. All 14 decanters were served blind.

Even knowing that two of the 14 glasses in front of us were the same wine from the same decanter, only one person out of six was able to correctly pick them out!

[Alex Bridgeman]

I have few magnums available for such an event. I have on hand only a single magnum of Smith Woodhouse 1977.

[RAYC]

Ship's decanter (large surface area exposed to air) vs whisky decanter (v. small surface area exposed)? (kept at same temp)

Or, if split 4 ways, large surface area exposed vs small surface area exposed vs no surface area exposed (eg: into croft lbv half bottle) vs vacuvin vacuum pump

I have a couple of magnums.

[jdaw1]

Even knowing that two of the 14 glasses in front of us were the same wine from the same decanter, only one person out of six was able to correctly pick them out!

I know of two people who identified the pair.

[jdaw1]

Ship's decanter (large surface area exposed to air) vs whisky decanter (v. small surface area exposed)? (kept at same temp)

Or, if split 4 ways, large surface area exposed vs small surface area exposed vs no surface area exposed (eg: into croft lbv half bottle) vs vacuvin vacuum pump

My preference would to keep a bottle-worth of tasting sample, so to separate these two tests. I particularly like the idea of taking away the air: is what matters the air that is mixed at the time of decanting, or the air that later flows through the surface?

[DRT]

I particularly like the idea of taking away the air: is what matters the air that is mixed at the time of decanting, or the air that later flows through the surface?

I think both will have an effect, with the former being the most influential.