This was consumed over 7 hours out of Zaalto Universal glasses with half of the wine in a decanter, and the other half being poured directly from the bottle. The first glasses were poured from each container side by side after about an hour. At that point the wines seemed fairly distinct.
From the bottle: Rich raisiny fruit, dark cherries, espresso, balsamic, and cocoa, with a touch of anise. While the nose was floral with violets and a jasmine like sweetness. Deeply concentrated.
From the decanter: The wine felt more tertiary, more elegant, less tannic, less concentrated. Notes of tart cherry, dried blackberries, saddle leather, black pepper and iron. While the nose was mushrooms and damp earth.
About an hour later, I revisited each. The wine from the bottle seemed to slowly catch up to the wine in the decanter which seemed to stabilize. By the end, the original notes from the decanter were truest. While if consumed quickly, the notes from the bottle are more like to be the experience found, but keep in mind that this was a magnum. I assume 750s are quite a bit more advanced at this point, and may be nearing its decline.
The wine was paired with a delicious Morgan Ranch Wagyu Beef Tri Tip Steak, which was cooked with a bit of olive oil from Dievole, one of my favorite olive oil producers. This particular oil consists of 4 different olives (Coratina, Nocellara, Peranzana and Carolea) from Sicily & Puglia.
2004 Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Case Vecie (Magnum) - ★★★★☆
