Lots of opinions on each side. I opened a 375 of the 76 recently that was still very young. Frankly, if in the company of other wine geeks I’d consider immediately decanting half the bottle into a 375 to then slow ox from there (with a little extra air introduced from pouring). I’d then put the rest in a decanter and do a side by side a few hours later. Finally, I’d report back the results on this thread.
Of course any group of non-wine geek friends might have you committed for such wacky behavior, so there’s that…
Either way, I’d be shocked if a correct bottle of that vintage deteriorated with a few (or even several) hours of air.
There is really no limit on decanting.Have had open bottles in my fridge for unlimited( years ) periods of time with very little degradation.An hour or 2 should be enough for a 75,younger vintages I’d decant longer, depending on age.
Ended up decanting at the start of dinner. Beautiful aroma filled the room when I pulled the cork. Wine spent three hours before being served in glasses. Incredible power and length, with certainly no sign of slowing down. Agree with some of the cellar tracker notes - this wine has years ahead of it. Unbelievable for a 44 year old wine, and great first time tasting Yquem.
Many thanks for all the guidance!