Oak is a spice, not a mask. We age our Cabernet eighteen months in French oak so cedar and structure arrive without burying the blackcurrant at the wine's core.
New barrels give toast and tannin; seasoned barrels let the fruit lead. Our cellar uses a mix of both, tasting every cask before deciding its place in the final blend.
It is slow work, but patience is the whole point of a reserve wine. Decant your bottle thirty minutes and taste what the barrel gave back.