Opus One - $202.99

Wine Details

Price: $202.99
Producer: Baron Philippe de Rothschild
Region: Napa Valley
Varietal: Bordeaux - Red
Container Size: 750 ML
Flavors: cassis, earth, licorice, spice box
  • Red Wine
Add to Cart Add Case
Add to Tasting Journal

Product Description

  • A moderately deep garnet, the 2003 Opus One offers aromas of blackberry, plum, hazelnut, graphite, olive oil, cocoa and dried cherries. The wine presents a soft entry with rich, flannel-like tannins supporting a sweetness and purity of balance. Showing the vibrant blackberry and black cherry fruit of Oakville, the wine also recalls the elegance of Bordeaux. Nuances of dark chocolate, black licorice and herbs linger on the finish.
  • Since the early 1900's, Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA, located at Pauillac in the Médoc, has been motivated by a constant ambition and a devotion to skilled wine making. In 1932 Philippe de Rothschild began to sell low-cost Bordeaux under the name "Mouton Cadet ". The product became so successful that he eventually had to purchase grapes from vineyards throughout the Bordeaux region just to meet the demand. Today, Mouton Cadet is the number-one-selling red wine in the world.

Expert Ratings

Ratings   Vintage Source Flavors
WineAdvocate - 89 Details: An improvement over recent vintages, the 2002 Opus One boasts a dense ruby/purple color as well as an attractive bouquet of damp earth, cassis, licorice, and spice box. Medium-bodied with noticeable, but supple tannin, excellent purity, and a moderately long finish, it is excellent, possibly outstanding, but remains significantly over-priced vis a vis the finest wines in this price range. It will last for 10-15 years. Tel. (707) 944-9442; Fax (707) 948-2497 2002 WineAdvocate cassis, cedar, new oak
WineAdvocate - 87 Details: A significant improvement over the superficial, deficient 2000 Opus One, the 2001 boasts a dark plum/ruby color as well as a clean (brett free), elegant, restrained nose of plums, black currants, and anise. Medium-bodied with dry, hard tannin and a short finish, it is a pleasant, Bordeaux-styled red to drink over the next decade. Tel. (707) 944-9442; Fax (707) 948-2497 2001 WineAdvocate anise, plum
Tanzer - 91 Details: ($150) Deep ruby-red. Aromas of dark berries, spice cake, beefsteak tomato and meat. Suave, smooth, lush and mouthfilling, with sweetly oaky flavors of dark berries, mocha, smoke and game. Generous, pliant wine, finishing with chewy but ripe tannins and lingering sweetness. A return to form after a few difficult vintages for this bottling. 2001 Tanzer dark berries, game, meat, mocha, smoke, spice, tomato
WineAdvocate - 89 Details: An improvement over recent vintages, the 2002 Opus One boasts a dense ruby/purple color as well as an attractive bouquet of damp earth, cassis, licorice, and spice box. Medium-bodied with noticeable, but supple tannin, excellent purity, and a moderately long finish, it is excellent, possibly outstanding, but remains significantly over-priced vis a vis the finest wines in this price range. It will last for 10-15 years. Tel. (707) 944-9442; Fax (707) 948-2497 2002 WineAdvocate cassis, cedar, new oak
WineEnthusiast - 95 Details: Starts with tons of rich new oak in the aroma, showing the most inviting notes of cedar, cigar box and pencil lead that segue to the remarkable fruit. The attack is powerful, with a punch of cassis spreading broadly and deeply across the palate. With its sturdy, clean tannins, this beautiful wine displays classic power, elegance and balance. 2001 WineEnthusiast
Tanzer - 85 Details: ($139) Deep red-ruby. Somewhat herbaceous aromas of leather and smoke. Lush and silky in the middle palate, with strong game and smoke notes but little sign of primary fruit. Then finishes with an offputtingly dry edge. A disappointing vintage for this wine. 2000 Tanzer chocolate, herbs
WineEnthusiast - 92 Details: Made in the Opus style, which is graceful, limpid and elegant, but with hidden depths of authority and power. The blackberry, cherry and oak flavors are pretty, but the wine is most notable for its harmony and grace. Tannins play only a supportive role, but they will let this wine age effortlessly for many years. 2000 WineEnthusiast
WineAdvocate - 84 Details: 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. I tasted this wine twice, once at someone else’s expense, and once from a bottle I purchased in Napa. Both tastings were consistent. This wine gets my vote as one of Napa Valley’s most over-priced offering. Tel. (707) 944-9442; Fax (707) 948-2497 2000 WineAdvocate blackberry, cherry, oak
WineAdvocate - 87 Details: A significant improvement over the superficial, deficient 2000 Opus One, the 2001 boasts a dark plum/ruby color as well as a clean (brett free), elegant, restrained nose of plums, black currants, and anise. Medium-bodied with dry, hard tannin and a short finish, it is a pleasant, Bordeaux-styled red to drink over the next decade. Tel. (707) 944-9442; Fax (707) 948-2497 2001 WineAdvocate anise, plum
Tanzer - 85 Details: ($139) Deep red-ruby. Somewhat herbaceous aromas of leather and smoke. Lush and silky in the middle palate, with strong game and smoke notes but little sign of primary fruit. Then finishes with an offputtingly dry edge. A disappointing vintage for this wine. 2000 Tanzer chocolate, herbs
1 2 3 4 5

Food Pairings

Category Pairing
Sauces Red Wine Sauce

Wine Terms

Name Value
Napa This tiny strip of land just north of San Francisco is home to America’s most prestigious wineries. Its climate is ideal for viticulture. Ironically, it was deemed too ideal for some vintners, who have moved their vineyards from the valley’s flat plain to the hills in the east and west, adhering to the idea that grapes that struggle to grow yield better wine. The climate, soil, and individual wineries are enormously varied, so it’s impossible to identify a singular trait of Napa wines. In addition, nearly every noble grape is grown here, although Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the primary grapes. In the past, Napa’s wines have alternated between extremely fruity and fat to lean and subtle. Today the best Napa wines have achieved a balance between these extremes. Many are made to be drunk young and have abundant ripe fruit; others can be initially hard and tannic, but soften over four or five years to perfumed, cedary fruit. White Napa wines are excellent with fresh-grilled fish and chicken, but can also cope with more spicy and creamy flavors. Many Napa reds will overwhelm delicate cuisine, but rich red meat and cheeses do make good companions.
United States Wineries exist in all fifty states, but the most predominant (and best) wine comes from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington State, with New York gaining a foothold in the industry. American wines make up about 75% of all wine sales in the US. The appellation system uses the term AVA (American Viticultural Area) to determine where wines were produced, but grape varieties can be planted anywhere in the country. American wineries generally use varietal labeling, and government regulations require that the variety on the label must make up at least 75% of the blend (in Oregon it’s 90%). The words reserve, special selection, private reserve, classic, and so on have no legal definition in the US. Some wineries use these terms to indicate their better wines; others use the words as a marketing tool to move lower quality wines off the shelf.
California California produces the majority of wine made in the United States. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir dominate the wine production in California, but many other varietials thrive in the California climate. Many fine wines are produced in California using Mediterranean grapes.
Napa County Napa County is located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. At the north end of Napa County is the Bay Area's second tallest peak Mount Saint Helena, and to the far south of Napa County lays the section of the Napa Valley that bleeds into Carneros. When the first white settlers arrived in the early 1830s, there were six tribes in the valley speaking different dialects and they were often at war with each other. The Mayacomos tribe lived in the area where Calistoga was founded. Napa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Napa Valley is widely considered one of the top wine regions in California and all of the United States. By the end of the nineteenth century there were more than one hundred and forty wineries in the area. Today Napa Valley features more than two hundred wineries and grows many different grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Zinfandel. The region is visited by as many as five million people each year, making it the second to Disneyland as the most popular tourist destination in California.

Tasting Notes

Please login to view your personal tasting notes.Login