Yesterday evening I opened a 1985 Warre on the spur of the moment, but I was able to give it 3 hours in the decanter. This is the second of three bottles I bought at one time. This one, like the last a couple of years ago, showed a wine that’s fully mature and actually in a state of decline. The color was medium ruby with a brown rim. The nose was dominated by plums. The wine was only medium sweet but with a dry finish, and no alcohol heat at all. The cork looks great, so that’s not the problem. Could this be a bad set of three bottles, or is this wine not holding up to the quality of the vintage?
John,
Although it’s been about a year or so since I last had this, and several times prior, I’ve never had one that was close to being past it’s prime. And while I prefer it with about 8-10 hours of decanting, it has always been a solid VP that has plenty of life left. I’d suspect whoever stored yours prior to you getting them may have done them some harm.