Decanted for sediment and placed back in the bottle, started drinking about 3 hours later.
I poured a little when I decanted to see where it was at, started off a bit old cupboard with musty aromas and a touch decay.
Coming back to it 3-4 hours later the wine had freshened up, picking up mint with strong cassis, hint of leather and dark fruits. The mouth has great freshness and zip that carries the fruit through the palate with ease, not weighty or tannic at all.
Finishing the bottle 6 hours later and the wine is so fresh and fragrant, smooth palate and juicy red fruits, really delicious if not understated. I don’t think this could go another 20 years but I would drink the rest of my case in the next 5 years.
I remember trying right bank ‘98’s back in ‘02 and they had this ripeness to them with tannin, I was on the fence about the vintage as I didn’t know how that ripeness was going to flesh out. This is only one so not a huge sample size but the wine is delicious and would be willing to give more of them a go.