October 27, 2019 … So I decided to experiment with this wine. I am getting a lot of questions about decanting lately either by the glass or a full bottle so I decided to split this bottle into two. Half I decanted the other half I left in bottle. I also started with just one glass, or a splash in the glass, to see how a single-pour decanter would also work with this wine and give me a baseline.
Bottle: there were smoky, peppery, dark berry fruit (cassis / blackberry) cinnamon and spice with a touch of cedar; which I thought might blow off in a couple of hours, but then I made the decision to rush it a bit.
Decanted: fruit character is gone, coffee grounds and cedar dominate – I found this very unappealing.
After 2 hours: poured from bottle there is still life with dark berry / spiced blueberry, mocha, coffee but that cedary finish remains prominent – the decanted version seems lifeless and failing.
Advice … don’t decant / by the glass or the full bottle, you’re wasting a good wine … allow bottle to open up on its own naturally and you’ll enjoy the experience over the course of the night.