Chateau Lafite Rothschild

[Wallace]

Are we talking decanting or breathing here? One decants a wine only if it is throwing sediment and one lets a wine breathe only if it stinks; which almost never happens in this day and age. Why does it always taste better after breathing for awhile? Because you've already tasted it and your palate isn't shocked on the second time around.

Letting it breathe was introduced back in the days when they were still topping with olive oil and most anything else they thought would keep oxygen off the wine until it was ready to drink. All of this started before the cork which, as it turns out, is another expensive habit/tradition.