Oak blows off?

[ShortWiner]

So I was at a little in-store tasting a few days ago. One of the wines was a mid-level California Zin (sadly I forget the name) that I thought was disappointingly oaky. I said so, and the guy who was pouring told me that if it was decanted or otherwise aired out for a while that this would blow off somewhat. I've heard of that happening with other aromas, but not oak. Is this true?