This kept improving after the cork was pulled but it took at least an hour to blow off its bottle stink. At the two hour mark it finally hit its apogee. If opening soon, give it some air. From a vintage that does have its issues, this showed very well. Ruby in color with some browning, clear. The nose initially had some wet cardboard, but thankfully that blew off, so doubtful it was an off bottle. In fact, at the two hour mark it showed cherries, dust, cedar and slight dry forest floor. Medium bodied. At the two hour mark, the palate had nice cherries, some slight macerated cherries with underlying Earl Grey tea notes. Good acidity. Light tannins. Moderate finish. It has some complexity but doesn't seem to have the fruit to go much further (to be fair, it is already 26 years old). Drink up. This drinks well on its own but would be better with food. Beef stew would be a good match.
