How much is a bottle of Opus One from a decent year?!
How much is a bottle of Opus One from a decent year?
Sure it is the "Barbie Doll" of the wine world, but I have a French friend that wants to entertain a bottle. I live in San Francisco; how much does a man have to pay for a bottle of "Disney Land"?
Answers:
Opus One, a vineyard started by Robert Mondavi and Madame Rotheschild, is a well known wine. While it had amazing quality at the beginning, over the past 10 years, the quality had drastically declined.
The best recent vintages are 1997 and 1999. 2001, 2002 were both big appointments, especially since other vineyards in Napa were making tremendous wines at the same year. The 2004 vintage, which is to be released, is said to be rather promising. However, given the track record, I am a bit pessimistic.
I have a vertical collection of Opus for over 9 years, since 1995, so I know plenty about Opus One. A newly released Opus One should cost $150-170, depending on how they will price the wine. Traditionally, you can get them cheaper at various wine stores, maybe $120-140. A more decent vintage like 2001 and 2002 now may run about $150-180, while older good vintages will get up to $200's. Classic Opus One like 1995 and 1996 may fetch up to $300 each bottle.
If you just want to entertain for the name of it, just buy the most recent vintage - 2004 if released, and if not 2003. If you are willing to pay for the Darling vintages, 1997 or 1999 would be my bet, in term of cost to quality value.
If you are willing to drive to the vineyard/winery in Oakville, you can get their second wine called Overture, For $55 per bottle, you can get a wine that is very good and ready to drink, as compared to Opus One, which really should be cellared for a few years. It's only 1 1/2 hours drive from SF, and while you are at it, you can go get some other better wines to wow your French friends.