Exactly! I agree with GF.
One other thing I learned the hard way is weather matters. I have a cold house in the winter, which clears my wines and meads beautifully. However, if I bottle it when it's still chilly, the wine "holds" onto the co2 and when the weather warms, I get bubbly wine. It will degas naturally on its own eventually in the carboy, but I always check it now to make sure.
When you take a sample, it should be perfectly still. Perfectly. Not one bubble. Shake the sample gently- it still should be still. If you see bubbles rising quickly, it's gassy.
Rely on successive FG measurements to ensure the fermentation is finished, use your eyes to ensure clarity and lack of gas, and even then you could wait another year to bottle.
Usually, my wines are about a year old when I bottle, and the meads are older, but I have a rhubarb wine that's been in the carboy since May 2008. I can bottle anytime, but it's nice to bulk age wines that are a little harsh.