Edward Nelson

9.1

Last night for Turkey Day dinner with my boy. We are still deer hunting. Joshua bagged a deer today. Special day. — 15 days ago

J Choi

9.5

Favorite house nv — a month ago

Jenks

9.1

Bing cherry, prominent acid, 13.2%, nice wine. Will save the rest for a bit. Love School House. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Opened about four hours prior to service and allowed to breath. Two bottles were opened tonight from the same cellar and one of the corks showed some small signs of seepage but both wines showed equally. No formal notes. The 1997 Opus One pours a fairly youthful looking deep ruby color with moderate signs of sediment and a near opaque core. The nose exhibited powerful aromas of dark fruits, organic earth, tobacco, leather, horse blanket (brettanomyces?!), and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry and the structure remains quite firm but the texture is plush and almost chewy. The notes on the nose are confirmed and the finish is long and satisfying.

But the tasting notes only tell half the story here. This was consumed alongside a 1990 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Had these been served together double-blind, I would have absolutely understood if someone called both as left-bank Bordeaux. Yes, the texture was plush and yes, the color was dark(er), but only just. It was just waaaay more Old World leaning to me with the earth and presence of brett. Which makes me wonder, why hasn’t brett been noted very often in other TN’s for this wine? Only (Charlie Carnes and OneFive) really address it directly and maybe this is what most are getting at when they mention “Bordeaux-like” and all the Pauillac vibes. What I can confirm is that these notes were consistent between two bottles from the same case, still in their tissue paper, so I’m reasonably confident that this is characteristic of the 1997 Opus One. I digress; I liked the wine. There, I said it. It was a bit of a one foot in Old School Napa, one foot in New School Napa, handled with an Old World touch. I liked it even better side-by-side with the ’90 Mouton, especially considering the relationship between the two. That being said, folks that can’t get down with a little brett will be turned off by this vintage of Opus. In my case, I would enjoy another opportunity to drink the 1997 some time. Great now with some air to stretch its legs and should be enjoyable through the next decade.
— 5 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2001 vintage (great Napa cab year). Good, upper-shoulder fill. Dryish cork. Decanted with plenty of sed. Lots of color. Tasted immediately. Smoky plummy nose. Still medium-heavy body. Showing well with plenty of front-palate richness evident in the gums. Overt "oakiness" gone with only complimentary, flattering oak framing the composition at this point. A hint of tannins on the finish but you've got to know where to look. Summer-school hedonism. Slightly better than expected. 11.30.23. — 9 days ago

Erica Wiggins

9.0

Very good, easy drinking. — 3 months ago

Tom Elliot

Founder Northwest Wines

9.3

Still fresh and great with Osso Buco. — 3 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

Drinking well at 48 yrs. Old school style of Bordeaux from an owc showing red & black fruit, cedar, leather, savory spice & tobacco. — 21 days ago

Tanya Brown

9.9

Happy Birthday to me x’s 2!! 🎉🎉 — 2 months ago

with Wes

Jess

9.0

Pale-medium ruby color.
Aromas of red cherry, strawberry, raspberry.
Dry. Flavors of red cherry, raspberry. Light tannins, high acidity, higher alcohol.

Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 1/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — 4 months ago