Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Case Vecie blossoms in the glass with a spicy blend of crushed cherries and blackberries, complemented by violet pastille and hints of sweet smoke. This is cool-toned and sleek with silky textures and admirable weight, yet all is kept perfectly in balance by a core of brisk acidity. Depths of tart wild berry fruit saturate while bitter dark chocolate and inner rose tones swirl throughout. The 2013 leaves the palate reeling with tension as crunchy tannins take hold and notes of licorice and orange slowly fade. This is built for the cellar and is slowly maturing in bottle. (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2024)
— a month ago

Joe Gillies

9.5

Drinking while decorating for Christmas (not hosting Thanksgiving this year Nov 2023), aged perfectly. Decanted for about 30 minutes, beautifully aged barolo with rose petal and prune aromas. More prune flavors along with tar and blackberry. No rush to drink! Highly recommend! — 5 months ago

Martijn

9.1

Remarkable syrah with tons of cocoa and cherries. Also some typical (italian?) acidity.
Good effort. — 8 months ago

Austin Hohnke

9.2

Worth a check in at 10 years. Always an outstanding nose. Needed hours of air and still pretty shy, fruit in particular is closed. Paired with NY strip tonight. Have half a case left of this vintage and will check in again in a couple years. — 2 months ago

Daron Watson

9.7

complex potpourri perfume with a surreal sultry Sangiovese palate 🦄🍷🤘 — 4 months ago

Jan A

9.2

Like the sour mouth watering effect of the wine on the palate. Already my last bottle of the case but this still has years of runway ahead. — 5 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.
— 9 months ago

Ralph DiBiasi

9.4

The 2020 is drinking lovely. Aroma of licorice, dark fruit , slate, grapefruit on palate firm tanins , enjoyable but will age well. — 2 months ago

Pooneet K

9.4

Happy Valentine’s Day! Continuing our tradition of pulling one of these each year - 11 down, only 1 more to go after this! Reminder that we need to choose a new case of something soon.

This is excellent as always but I’m not sure hits quite the same high note as last year’s bottle. Fine mousse, nose a bit more restrained. Palate is explosive and so deep with wonderful candied caramelized lemon peel. Wonderful pairing with carbonara! — 2 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.5

An amazing vintage for this legendary wine — 8 months ago