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89 Wine Spectator
Firm and structured, with spicy currant, herb, dill and berry, picking up a cedary lead pencil edge. Finishes with a firm, rich core of flavors and tight tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2012. 22,500 cases made. –JL
84 Robert Parker
The 2000 Opus One marks the third straight vintage where this winery has produced a surprisingly feeble offering. Similar to several previous vintages, the 2000 reveals tremendously intense, horsy, sweaty saddle leather/locker room aromas, and lacks concentration. Neophytes might find some charm in this medium-bodied red’s softness, sweet tannin, and easy-going red and black currant fruit. However, there is little depth or finish in this 2000. The cheesy aromas are not expected in a wine that costs $150. To date, this is the biggest disappointment of the vintage.
Producer
Opus One Winery
Unarguably the most well-known European wine families, the Rothschilds, paired up with one of the great New World wine pioneers, Mondavi, to create this legendary Californian estate. What started as a joint venture between the two, Robert Mondavi of Napa Valley and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Bordeaux’s Château Mouton Rothschild back in 1978, the Opus One Estate is now one of California’s most high-profile wineries. They released their first vintage, the 1979, in 1981, at a then astonishing price of fifty dollars a bottle. When the Cabernet blend was released, it was originally named Napamedoc, but in 1982, they began to label it under Opus One - accentuating the bond between the old and new world. A blend of all five Bordeaux varieties, the icon wine consists of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. This flagship wine, along with the duo’s innovative vision, has made the Opus One Estate Napa Valley’s leading cult-winery.