Bottle was acquired via trade. Ullage was perfect, slightly depressed cork and wrung capsule but not of any real concern.
As per a posting about shut down wines, I followed a RMP suggestion of pulling the bottle outside of the cellar into a 65 degree setting a few days before opening. I had to settle for ~68-70 as my basement isn’t quite that cold.
Popped the bottle and smelled the cork, let it sit for half an hour then decanted for half an hour. Strong notes of cassis and kirsch, not very developed into secondary aromas yet. Had a bit more heat and grip than the last time I had it tasted in a vertical. Could have been due to the temperature, could have been due to the food it was served with or could have been because of the decanting time, could have been the stems. Wasn’t quite as nice as my last tasting, but still quite good. I’d hold onto these for another 5 years. I think they will be showing excellent by then, with the secondary nuances emerging and the pitch really shining.
**** with potential for more.