2005 Opus One

DATE CONSUMED

Sunday, March 31, 2013 (Easter)

VINTAGE

2005

WINERY/PRODUCER

Opus One

WINE NAME

Opus One

TYPE OF WINE

Red blend

COMPOSITION

88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/APPELLATION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Napa Valley, California

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.0%

PRICE PAID

N/A (this wine was a gift from my dad’s cousin)

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

This wine was a gift for my dad from my dad’s cousin, who used to have a liquor store and bought all kinds of wines by the case(s).  Since we have a wine cooler/fridge, we stored this wine for my dad until he was ready to open it. 

BOUQUET

This wine explodes with black fruit and herbs, along with hints/suggestions/rumors of earth and oak.  This wine smells like it’s going to be a rich, creamy, fruity, spicy, delicious Bordeaux blend.  Let’s see if the bouquet properly foretells how the wine will taste………

 

TASTING NOTES

WOW, this wine is indeed a rich, creamy, silken, gorgeous blend with tons of black fruit (plums, black cherries, and blackberries), as well as secondary tones of red fruits like raspberries and cherries, along with savory herbs, creamy oak (which contributes a touch of vanilla in the background), and still-firm, ripe tannins supporting a rock-solid structure.

This Bordeaux blend’s elements are all beautifully integrated; the black/red fruit, spices, earth and oak, tannins and acidity, exceptional fruit and flavor extraction, with a beautiful, smooth, well-balanced and lingering finish. 

My dad’s cousin gave Arthur and me a 1997 Opus One years ago and it was FANTASTIC.  We had this 2005 Opus One for Easter dinner, along with a 1993 Opus One (see my notes on the 1993 as well; it was VERY different from this 2005 version).  Of the three Opus Ones I’ve tasted over the years, I would have to say the 1997 was the best, followed by the 2005, and then the 1993.  The 1993 Opus One was very Old School (austere, lower alcohol, etc.), while the 1997 was more “modern” while this 2005 is a VERY modern Napa Valley Cabernet/Bordeaux Blend.  In other words, this blend is indeed extraordinarily rich, creamy, fruity, and delicious.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with lamb chops topped with a roasted garlic, rosemary, and parsley pesto-like sauce.  The combination of the rich, creamy, ripe fruit and the wine’s savory spices paired gorgeously with the savory, spicy lamb. 

This wine would also pair well with just about any other red meat dish, especially a thick ribeye, curried lamb shanks, or prime rib.

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine is drinking GORGEOUSLY right now and has the structure to continue to mature and age beautifully for another 20+ years.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

94

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

Unknown (don’t know what this wine cost years ago and I’m not sure you could even find this bottle anywhere anymore)

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.opusonewinery.com/

1993 Opus One

DATE CONSUMED

Sunday, March 31, 2013 (Easter)

VINTAGE

1993

WINERY/PRODUCER

Opus One

WINE NAME

Opus One

TYPE OF WINE

Red blend

COMPOSITION

89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/APPELLATION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Napa Valley, California

ALCOHOL CONTENT

13.5%

PRICE PAID

N/A (this wine was a gift from my dad’s cousin)

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

This wine was a gift from my dad’s cousin, who used to have a liquor store and bought all kinds of wines by the case(s).  We had Connie over for dinner one night and she graciously gave my parents and us a bottle of 1993 Opus One.  How sweet was that?!?!

BOUQUET

The bouquet on this 20-year-old wine screams red fruits (as opposed to the more normal (nowadays, at least) black fruits), such as raspberries, sour cherries, and currants, along with suggestions of oak and earth.  There’s also a touch of petrol on the nose; it’s not real obvious or overwhelming, but I detected a subtle hint of it in the background.  Perhaps that’s a common trait of 20-year-old Napa blends?  I don’t have enough experience with Napa blends that old to really know for sure.

 

TASTING NOTES

This wine, 19.5 years-ish after the grapes were harvested, is VERY interesting.  We all know that Bordeaux varietals can age for decades, and I assumed this wine would have aged brilliantly.  We cooled-down the wines and then decanted them (we also had a 2005 Opus One with Easter dinner, which I also wrote some notes on) for about two hours, which really helped with the bouquet as well as the sediment that had developed almost twenty years after harvest. 

One major precaution: DO NOT expect a modern, fruity, rich, creamy Bordeaux blend out of this wine.  Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild made wines much differently twenty years ago.  Wines (in general) from twenty years ago were much more austere, had much lower alcohol levels, and were picked earlier during harvest (probably in September back in 1993, versus late November nowadays (ok, I’m exaggerating a bit there, but you get my point)).

This wine tastes VERY much like my favorite California Zinfandel: Caparone out of Paso Robles.  They do not make typical Paso Fruit Bombs; they make a fascinating, spicy, interesting, unique Zin (in addition to their lovely Italian varietals) unlike any other Zin I’ve ever tasted.  Their Zin is more like Grenache, and this Opus One tastes more like a Caparone Zin and/or a Grenache than a typical Napa Valley Bordeaux blend. 

The wine is VERY bright and viscous with a mostly red fruit profile of raspberries and sour cherries (just like the Caparone Zin!).  There’s also a generous helping of savory herbs (thyme, Herbs de Provence, white pepper, and rosemary) and gritty, mature tannins with earth and oak undercurrents.  This wine has plenty of acidity and like most well-aged reds, the fruit has taken a backseat to the spices, oak, and earth elements.  I was actually expecting some leathery undertones but couldn’t detect them.

This is a delicious, smooth, well-balanced, deeply complex wine with a fascinating flavor profile.  It is past the classic Napa “fruity phase” and may be running out of steam.  If anybody still has this wine in their cellar, I would recommend opening and finishing it soon.  We have one more bottle and will definitely finish it this year.  Again, do NOT expect a big, rich, creamy, fruity Napa Fruit Bomb.  This wine is graceful, mature, delicate, and pretty (kind of like Meryl Streep).  If you’re more into the big, brash, crude/rude, obnoxious, trashy reality T.V. show types (like the Cuntdashians), look elsewhere.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with lamb chops topped with a roasted garlic, rosemary, and parsley pesto-like sauce.  The combination of the savory, spicy wine paired gorgeously with the savory, spicy lamb. 

This wine would also pair well with just about any other red meat dish, as well as spiced/marinated pork and/or chicken dishes.

AGING POTENTIAL

As previously mentioned, this wine is drinking well right now, but I don’t believe it has much life left in it.  If you have this wine, drink it now before it’s too late.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

91

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

Unknown (don’t know what this wine cost years ago and I’m not sure you could even find a bottle this old anywhere)

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.opusonewinery.com/