Despite its 29 years, this bottle is still very lively, starting from the brilliant color. At first the nose is boisé, with some plum. After it gets some air, chocolate and a richer variety of fruits come out. The finish is tasty, although at first a bit rough and dry. Given the age, the aftertaste is still fairly long.
The Opus One Winery was founded as a joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi to create a Bordeaux style wine based upon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
In the 1989 vintage, Cabernet Sauvignon clearly dominates, with 97% of the blend. The other two varieties, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, add only 2% and 1%, resp. Other vintages are less characterized by Cabernet Sauvignon, but nonetheless strongly based on this grape that in California reigns sovereign.
The stated purpose of the collaboration, which has its genesis in the early ‘70s, was to merge old world and new world wine styles into one grand opus. Beside the romanticism, it is clear that on the one side de Rothschild’s involvement added an air of respectability to the burgeoning Napa wine region, on the other side it helped marketing the French wine in the very lucrative American market (this was before Robert Parker).
The first vintage of Opus One has been the 1979 and for a while it was the most expensive Californian wine.
Didn’t have many expectations on this bottle. On the one hand because I don’t believe that marketing joint ventures can really deliver qualitatively superior products, on the other hand because the bottle appeared anything but perfect, with the cork all soaked. Instead: What an amazing surprise!
Country: USA
Region: Napa Valley
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Type: Red
Vintage: 1989
Producer: Opus One Winery
Price range: Luxury (>100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5