Luca D’Ambrosio

9.9

Hate to be a typical wine drinker, but there was a smooth and velvety taste with a continuous bite at the end. Completely coats the tongue with flavor from start to finish. — 6 months 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

Norma Munoz

9.8

Deliciously dry. Sprinkly on the tongue. Good finish. I can taste the oak. I can smell the dirt these grapes came from. Love! — 4 years ago

with Roy

Kristen Grimes

9.0

Explore Chile and Argentina wine class! The only one I want to remember. Bold nose, SP and PG get "happiness". Herbs, leather, some vanilla, almost a chocolatey taste. Stewed black plums. Lots of tannins, some minerality. — 8 years ago

Mike Bennett

9.0

Extreme vanilla taste, full bodied red. Love the bourbon hint! Would drink again for sure — 9 years ago

Katie Erickson

10

At first taste wasn't sure about the powerful grapefruit, but now love this wine — 10 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.2

Always a reliable taste profile. They seem to never score really high. They definitely craft to a particular style and not to illustrate what the fruit did that year. I haven't had the 12 or 13 it will be neat to see if they step it up a notch.
It's very good but I can't say it's great. However., for some reason it's still my wife's favorite!! Lol — 10 years ago

with Christine

Andrea Tidwell

9.1

Pretty good!!!! A little dry. Good taste. — 10 years ago

William Leslie

9.9

First off. You have heard about decanting.... This is a great example. Open and it tastes flat, give it time to breath and the flavors come out. The nose has a nice oak, smokey texture. Taste has a predominant black cherry flavor with nice ripe fruit flavors. Oak remains throughout the taste from start to finish with american oak flavors. An almost cigar smokiness hits immediately with a slight spice....not sure where to compare this to because it's not like a Zinfandel pepper, but more like an allspice. The overall feel is medium bodied with rich cherry flavors and well balanced for a smooth feel. This is a great introduction to Stags Leap without spending $150. — 11 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.2

Finally talked this dude into drinking.

I don't know, maybe I'm getting old but aged Riojas are starting to taste/feel weighty to me. It's very good. Muddled fruits, resolved tannins, nice and round, leather notes. But somewhat boring. Probably my mood.

92+ points — 6 months ago

Walter Fahr

9.0

At 9 years old very smooth and nice taste of cherries. paired well with a filet and a variety of red meats. drank in August 2025. — 10 months ago

Robert Swart

9.0

Smooth, well-balanced, medium tannins. Strong smell and taste of cocoa and lush dark cherries. — 4 years ago

Dillon Ladenburger

9.0

Very dark red, nose is vanilla, ripe cherry and whyskey, taste of vanilla, a lil oak, ripe cherry and jam. — 6 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.2

Color of bubbly egg white. Nose of honey , a bit gasoline, pineapple, and actually a bit nutty and oaky note. Taste is sweet honey, some zesty peel, Sprite, citrus, lemonade like flavor, light yet refreshing. Aftertaste is a bit short, but definitely a crowd pleaser. — 8 years ago

Monica Ramirez

9.4

Smooth finish, love this addition from Mondavi. Can taste the hint of bourbon — 9 years ago

Steve Lazarus

9.0

Has aged well. Smooth as can be. Great to enjoy with good friends who appreciate the taste of a really good bottle. — 10 years ago

Scorewine

Wine writer http://www.israelwines.co.il

9.1

Lovely Mouton still young and needs time to open up. Deep dark red, this iconic Bordeaux blend is rich elegant and tempting. Aromas of black current, chocolate, coffee, and spicy wood, all blend into a full bodied elegant rich wine, with lovely robust round tannins, splendid with layers of fruit and taste. Long chewy rich finish that stays with you almost 30 min after you finish your glass. The wine was still tight and needed time to open up, through a bit of sediments. My score 91, drink to 2024 — 10 years ago

Angel Martinez

Brand ambassador GHMumm Spain, Wine reviewer www.theluxury.es"

9.1

Un infanticidio terrible. El próximo dentro de 20 años. — 10 years ago

Kate

9.0

I had this a few years ago and didn't love it. Just tried again. When I first opened the bottle it was a strong berry at first then evaporated but once bottle open the tastes softened and the first taste and finish blender more smoothly. — 11 years ago

Rebekah Polster

10

Didn't get to taste but I'm keeping this on my list!!! — 11 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Barón de Ley – Varietales Tempranillo – 2014
Rioja DOCa – Spain 🇪🇸

Overview
A 100% Tempranillo from Rioja’s esteemed Barón de Ley Varietales Collection, crafted to highlight the noble face of the region’s flagship grape. Although structured in a crianza style with a projected drinking window of 10–12 years, opening it in 2025 revealed the wine perched right on the twilight edge of maturity. This is bottle #04400, now showing the soulful evolution that Rioja Tempranillo is famed for.

Aromas & Flavors
Initially faint cherry fruit, now firmly in the tertiary spectrum: leather satchel, dried rosemary, forest floor, and faint cigar box. Gentle hints of balsamic and dried fig linger in the background.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with softened, polymerized tannins. Acidity remains fresh enough to carry the wine, but fruit presence has largely faded, leaving savory and earthy notes to dominate.

Food Pairings
A fine match for aged Manchego cheese, braised lamb shank, mushroom-stuffed peppers, or even a rustic stew where earthy and herbal notes harmonize.

Verdict
This Tempranillo no longer plays its youthful cherry trumpet but rather resonates like the old violin sound of Rioja—mellow, textured, and contemplative. A fascinating study in maturity, best enjoyed with reflection rather than exuberance.

Did You Know?
Rioja wines are often classified not just by grape but by aging designations (Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva). This bottle leaned into crianza timing, showing beautifully at first but demonstrating how Tempranillo gracefully transitions from fruit-driven vibrancy to complex tertiary elegance. — 7 months ago

Joy Hammons

9.7

Excellent! It took very little time to breathe which was unexpected for a 2011. We will be buying more of this if we can find it. — 2 years ago

Eoin Danaher

9.0

Stephens day tipple... Beautiful — 5 years ago

Natalie Griffin

9.4

Great champagne blend with sharp bubbles and toasted caramel notes. Some green apple. Excellent especially at $25. — 7 years ago

Anita Grizzard

9.7

One of the smoothest blends I've had. Used a decanter so it could breathe and it lightened up the taste. Slightly fruity with little tannins. Would definitely get again. — 9 years ago

Alicia Cypress

9.2

Not quite over the hill. Always a treat to taste the butterscotch and sweeter tones coming from aged champagne. — 9 years ago

with Art and Berg

Tim McCoy

9.0

Friar Tuck-14.99
Mellow taste — 10 years ago

Mark Lipton

9.4

If you have to drink a 2011 Napa Cabernet, this is the one. Overcomes the flimsiness and off-centered taste of many of its peers. Blueberry, suggestive of Alexander Valley cabs, is present in spades, and wonderful, smooth, and satisfying midpalate and finish. — 10 years ago

Barb

9.7

Wow... So many flavors in this wine. It's quite a treat to your mouth. Smooth with a great mid taste and a long finish — 10 years ago

Anthony Erben

10

Amazing wine!!! Great taste and great for pairing with cheddar. Brings out spice especially with hummus and blue cheese. — 11 years ago