1999 Chapoutier Barbe Rac CDP

[TheEngineer]

Opened and it was a bit thin and muted. Mushroom, foresty, cedary, nice but not great. After about an hour, it opened up nice, becoming more round, back with dried fruits, port like (but not that thick) and it was just great. Perhaps a bit more advanced than I had expected from a 9 year old bottle but might only be this one.

[Innkeeper]

Out of idle curiosity do you decant a wine when you find it isn't open enough, or do you just let the bottle breathe?

[TheEngineer]

Depends on the laziness factor [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

I will decant a wine that we believe to be too closed if I'm with a bunch of wine enthusiats (and if I don't they would insist on it anyways).

If I'm just by myself the laziness factor ("oh I'll just let it open up in the glass" gig) or at dinner with clients and business is the focus, I leave it in the bottle.

I'm trying to change my ways. I've actually purchased now single service decanters (they are really "cute") so that I will not be so lazy to wash the larger decanter....

[Innkeeper]

The problem is that you don't get much air through the dime size top of the bottle. If you decant into a wide mouth decanter, you air on the way in, and more as it sits. Your "hour later" could be reduced to twenty minutes or less.