Opus One Vertical

Watson's, Hong Kong
Tasted Thursday, April 26, 2012 by DonalOB with 868 views

Introduction

Introduced by the Opus One representative in Asia, Yvonne Chiong. Opus One was famously started by Baron Philippe of Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi in 1979 to create a 'Bordeaux style' wine in California. This was more than just using the Bordeaux grapes (they use all five in the blend); it meant adopting similar techniques to create elegant wines.

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

  • 1999 Opus One 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Poured from Magnum and decanted about 2 hours.
    Strong blackcurrant nose with spice and some oak evident. Fine tannins and medium acidity. A little thin on the mid-palate, with plummy flavours, and hot on the finish. Not very impressive, especially for the price.
    Apparently this spent 40 days in contact with the skins and 17 months in new oak. I suppose this is the new Bordeaux style.

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  • 2006 Opus One 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    The nose was very different from the wine above - less of the 'big fruit' and more savoury, with forest floor and chocolate. Smooth but firm tannins on the palate. This only spent 26 days in skin contact and did not feel at all highly extracted. Much preferred this to the '99.

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  • 2007 Opus One 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Cola, mocha, tobacco and some dark fruit underneath. Also light touch of violets. Quite intense on the palate. Mild tannins. Balanced acidity. Good length. This is still very young.
    This was a cool vintage and so quite long. 20 days of skin contact.

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  • 2008 Opus One 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Similar nose to the '07 but a bit closed. Quite dark still but very easy to drink now, with open fresh fruit on the palate. Firm tannins. Nice length. Obviously lots of evolution to go.

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Closing

These wines were certainly interesting - it's clear that they are elegant in the Bordeaux sense, recent vintages particularly so. While I enjoyed them, it's hard to justify paying the price for them. If they're in all respects like a Bordeaux wine, why not use the same money to buy a better aged, better quality second-growth. That having been said, I can understand why people in the States might want to have some in the cellar - they're an impressive achievement.

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