Here's a comparison of a wine I first tasted in August of last year. I've included both my notes from Friday and the previous bottle.

Only 15 minutes air time in glass. No decanting. Deep ruby red to rim. Almost opaque. Aromas of cherries, plums, strawberries. Medium-bodied, fresh tasting. Replays from nose. Short finish, 5-10s. Fleshed out a little bit over a couple hours, but still only 85 points. (10/03/2003).

Crystal clear deep ruby colour, almost sparkling when held up to the light. Intense colour, nice legs. Nice fruit, plum and jam on the nose and mouth, medium-full bodied. Slightly hot and acidic still, will improve with time. Went great with the rare steak I had. 88 points. (8/03/2002).

Apparently I was wrong about improving. It didn't seem shut down at all. I returned the remaining bottle I had.