New Wold Meets Old World - Opus One!

Wednesday brought some great wines to the club. A duo of 1985 Opus one and 1980 Opus One were the first bottles to be opened. The 80 was just gorgeous and reminded me why I love aged California Cabernet so much!! While the fruit was moving towards the end of it life there were plenty of intricate complexities to keep the wine alive. Notes of lavender, prune, tobacco, and clove were a treat to enjoy with every sip on this 40 year old bottle.

The 1998 Shafer Hillside Selection was another excellent aged California Cabernet. The SHH was much more powerful on the palate with massive black cherry and black raspberry but shared similar notes of tobacco and cooking spice with the Opus.

If you are looking for a new Barolo to fall head over heels in love with, look no further than Roberto Davide Voerzio! This producer has quickly made its way to my 5 or 10 producers in Piedmont! Some say nebbiolo is the epitome of wine bringing the elegance and finesse of pinot noir together with the power and structure of cabernet. Well, Voerzio has captured that perfectly! Smokey red cherry paired beautifully with cigar leaves, coco powder, and forest floor. Well balanced acidity and raw tannin made this a wine that I simply couldn’t put down! While it was a treat today, with another 10 years in the bottle I fee that this wine would stand tall against any other bottle of the region.

#opusone #shafervineyards #barolowine