Seattle LawDawg Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 2001 Hedges Red Mountain Reserve: This is a big bordeaux style blend that went well with my steak / escargot / mushroooms. It was drinking well as soon as we opened it and it only got better with a little time. I think this must be about the peak for this wine. 2003 Bressler Cab Sauv: Needed quite a bit of time to open up but by the end of the evening this wine was singing. Early in the night I was getting a little olive on the nose, some blue berry up front and a little pepper on the finish. After some time in the decanter it came together and was amazingly smooth and well balanced with very long finish. There aren't going to be a lot of standout CA cabs from 03 but this will be one of them. 2001 Opus One: I've never been a huge fan of the Opus Ones....even in the 90s when they were getting great ratings, but at least then I could see why people liked them. All I can say about this one is: Oh how the mighty have fallen. No structure, way too much acid, poor finish and no fruit. I don't know what kind of ratings this vintage got and maybe this was an off bottle, but it was a waste. Half of this bottle went down the drain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Count me in the "what's the deal with Opus" gang. No excuse for 01 not to be pretty damned good but your description reminds me of most of the Opus wines I've tasted. I don't know, perhaps they're trying to go after a bordeaux flavor profile with more nuance and less abundant fruit but that's not the hand that Napa deals you. Napa deals you opulence and that's what you should run with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Opened a 99 about a year ago this time. I would give it the same description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Opened a 99 about a year ago this time. I would give it the same description. Once again, no excuse. 99's are downright slutty. That baby should have been ripe and tasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Once again, no excuse. 99's are downright slutty. That baby should have been ripe and tasty. Overall it was very subtle and I guess you could describe it as delicate but I would expect more from this wine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Overall it was very subtle and I guess you could describe it as delicate but I would expect more from this wine. like somehitng bigger from a cali cab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundaynfl Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 (edited) A winery that has doubled then tripled it's production in two decades is truely showing the greed of it's ownership over the last 4-5 years of releases. I would have to disagree on the assement of the 99 Opus as I have found it to be one of their last good wines. The leather and earth restrict the 'opulence' of the fruit but I still find it to be a complex wine. I would have to agree that the 2000's have sucked and are way overpriced! The winery that has definitely pulled off the mass production, high quality trick is JP Insignia which I prefer over the Opus. But the wife "loves" Opus, so I still have to drink my fair share, but have quit buying anything that is in the 00's! Hedges always seems to put out some pretty good juice, I have only had one Bressler and liked it... P.S. Just cracked open an 04 Termanthia (10 year anniversary today) and the other bottles are going to be YUMMY in 10+ years! Long live Jay! LOL We'll be drinking some Cristal, Salon (90) and some other wines this weekend; I will try to report on them after trying the assorted hangover cures I got a few weeks ago! Edited May 4, 2007 by sundaynfl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 A winery that has doubled then tripled it's production in two decades is truely showing the greed of it's ownership over the last 4-5 years of releases. I would have to disagree on the assement of the 99 Opus as I have found it to be one of their last good wines. The leather and earth restrict the 'opulence' of the fruit but I still find it to be a complex wine. I would have to agree that the 2000's have sucked and are way overpriced! The winery that has definitely pulled off the mass production, high quality trick is JP Insignia which I prefer over the Opus. But the wife "loves" Opus, so I still have to drink my fair share, but have quit buying anything that is in the 00's! Hedges always seems to put out some pretty good juice, I have only had one Bressler and liked it... P.S. Just cracked open an 04 Termanthia (10 year anniversary today) and the other bottles are going to be YUMMY in 10+ years! Long live Jay! LOL We'll be drinking some Cristal, Salon (90) and some other wines this weekend; I will try to report on them after trying the assorted hangover cures I got a few weeks ago! Maybe I drank a bad bottle but at $150+ a pop I'm not going to chance it that I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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