Mike Evans

9.3

From 750ml with a couple hours of air, it’s showing bell pepper and ripe currant fruit with just a hint of leather, knit together by lovely acidity. At peak and excellent but with plenty of life remaining. — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Served alongside beef short rib, xo sauce, pickled mustard seed, cumin stir-fried asparagus. Yes, the 2003 Dominus is big. However, it is also balanced and showing classic Napa typicity with beautifully ripe and some slightly wizened black and red fruit, tobacco, cocoa, some purple flowers and baking spices. I found this to be quite balanced after all the air it saw. Wonderful structure for continued aging as well. Drink now through 2043. — 2 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

From a great looking bottle with a fill almost into the neck. Double decanted and left in the bottle for 5 hours before attacking it. Amber color. Good weight and haunting nose. Notes of old cedar, mocha, plums, cola, dark fruit, molasses and some sweet red cherry. Early on it’s all about the amazing nose. But with time the wine gains weight and you have a gorgeous old St Estephe in front of you. Still giving its all, and although the fruit is somewhat faded, this has complexity and structure that still drives the experience. And that nose is simply stunning. Great showing. — 4 years ago

Velma Cooper

9.4

Velma had this 9 years ago

Kyo Jin

9.3

Great cedar and cassis nose with a matching palate. Persistent without being boring. Earthiness coming out after an hour to balance chocolate covered berries. — 10 years ago

Matt Duncan

9.6

Crisp cranberry emerges after a few hours. Light acidity surrounds eucalyptus appeal. Oak tannins balanced and refined. Subtleties develop luscious progression. — 11 years ago

Nic Z

9.3

Star of the night. Needed more time to wake but full body super thick and sticky after taste — 12 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Opus One 2011
Napa Valley, California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A Bordeaux-style blend from one of Napa’s most iconic estates, co-founded by Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The 2011 vintage was a challenging, cool year in Napa, producing wines of lower alcohol, more restraint, and higher acidity compared to the opulent, sun-soaked vintages before and after. Blend typically centers on Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.

Aromas & Flavors
Opens with blackcurrant, cassis, and dried cherry layered with graphite, violets, tobacco leaf, and hints of cedar and espresso. As it evolves in the glass, notes of leather, savory herbs, and cocoa powder emerge.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied compared to more powerful Opus vintages, with fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins. Elegant and balanced, showing more finesse and structure than richness. The finish lingers with red and black fruits, spice, and a touch of earth.

Winemaking Notes
Aged in French oak for 18 months. The cooler season resulted in smaller yields, but a style closer to classic Bordeaux restraint rather than plush Napa ripeness.

Food Pairing
Beautiful with herb-crusted lamb, grilled duck breast, wild mushroom risotto, or aged cheeses like Comté.

Verdict
A vintage that divided critics due to its lighter profile, but for those who enjoy elegance and classical structure, the 2011 Opus One is a refreshing outlier. Drink now, though it still has a few years of graceful life ahead. Cheers!
— 9 months ago

John Malcolm

9.5

Blueberries, herbs, and cedar. Complex, elegant, and intense. Such a lovely wine. Decanted for about four hours and served with lamb — a magnificent combination. — 4 years ago

Allison Lyzenga

9.2

Medium pink; medium plus intensity aromas of ripe strawberries, raspberry, red currant, mushroom, forest floor, limestone mineral; dry, medium acid, high alcohol, full body, medium plus intensity flavors consistent with aromas; long finish, ripe red fruit and funky earthy perfume fills palate, big wine but well balanced, outstanding — 6 years ago

Pooneet K

9.3

Absolutely delicious Brunello from 2001. Intense aromatics, deeply mouth filling. Decanted for a couple hours. Had with prime dry aged steaks. Just an awesome pairing. Really an iconicly excellent wine. — 9 years ago

Matt Duncan

9.5

Very impressive. Wild mint aroma finds seamless balance in mid palate after pure Cabernet attack. Tannins rise subtly on palate and betray their youth only briefly at the resolution. — 10 years ago

Robert McCall

9.4

Pours clean dark purple into the glass showing no age. I'll be damned if one couldn't enjoy the dark fruit aroma from 5 feet away. Wow. Dark fruit, leather and pleasant oak quality supplemented with a silky tannic structure that gave a 60 sec finish. Not the most complex Latour I've enjoyed at this point but this bottle actually tightened up over an hour after opening indicating much life ahead. Sheeeit! — 11 years ago

Nose Reiko

9.5

Luxury aroma, with certain acid feeling — 12 years ago

Victor Hsu

9.5

Graceful as a ballet dancer—heady notes of yeasty and nutty roundness (think morning fresh baked bagel with almond and hazelnut) punctuated by the staccato of gently sour citrus (lemon, lime, citron, yuzu), balanced by minerals and delightful fizz. Drinks much younger than it is, so if you are lucky enough to have more of this ambrosia there’s no rush to empty out your cellar (20 is the new 10, as the Boomers would say). Enjoyed this gem at Hayato Restaurant in LA (best Kaiseki I’ve ever experienced) with my daughter Rachel and her friend Lindsay right after they finished taking the California Bar Exam. Best of luck, girls! — 9 months ago

Deborah M

9.5

Just wow! Blown away by this one. New private wine bar in Dallas had this on the list! Surprised to see this wine. The wine took some time to open up in the glass. I would have decanted this wine for hours if served at home, but not an option last night. Plenty of smiles as this evolved in the glass. Expressive nose, no tannins, nice acidity. Beautiful expressions of dark fruit peeking through, but not enough time to really shine. Still a fabulous bottle that I’m grateful I was able to enjoy with friends. — 4 years ago

Patrick Derdeyn

9.4

At first i picked up a lot of acetyl in this relative to the other wines. After an hour that had blown off and this blossomed. Everything you hope for in Monte Bello. — 9 years ago

David Langstaff

9.4

This wine needed about 3 hours to release. Initially tight with uncomfortable medicinal nose which then totally dissipated. Drinking now next day and you get the age of fully integrated but not fading tannins. Nose has a delightful dark fruit and smokiness. Great fit of nose and taste, meaning - when tastes after smelling the experience is consistent and not jolting. I think the color purple in a subdued way. Very nice. Memo to self: decant and watch for sediment, and enjoy three hours later. — 9 years ago

with Cynthia and Chris

Martin Frowde

9.2

Drinking the 1991 in 2016 after over 2 hours of decanting. Wonderful light sherry type nose with a hint of pepper and quite brick red colour around the edges. Such a soft texture on the tongue though still a little astringency on the finish. Very good. — 11 years ago

with Georgina

Aran Healy

Partner Ruby WIne, Carlotta Cellars, Thistle Cellars

10

I don't think I can drink another Napa wine after this...wow. Absolutely brilliant. — 12 years ago