I love the additional background information you included in your video, I found it informative and entertaining. I've tried Opus One 2013 and 2016 and fell in love. I've been saving my Opus One 2010 in my cellar to age longer, I'll have to keep an eye out for a 2005. Thanks for the video!

@TrophyWineHunter

2 жыл бұрын

kayari866: thanks so much for viewing my channel and your kind comments. I think what I can add it the background story behind the wine, not how it tastes, smells and how it is rated. The story is what makes each wine uniques. I think your patience with Opus will be rewarded. If you like this video, you might want to check out my video on Caymus and Robert Mondavi Reserve. Keep watching, liking and commenting. Cheers!

Super cool channel! Happy that I found this. Subscribed with all notifications. Looking forward! Cellar review maybe? Or some super Tuscans? Huge Italian fan.

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

Stefan: thank you for visiting my channel, subscribing and your comments. I don't have a very big cellar at home. A buy a lot at auction and just bring in stuff when I am ready to drink it. I go through bottles pretty quickly so dangerous to have that much wine with me! Yes, others have been asking about Super Tuscans so that will be upcoming. Keep watching and I love the comments!

Great review. I have never tried Opus, but I've had their Overture wine a handful of times, which I actually found quite good. I can only imagine how this would taste. It really was a brilliant idea by both of them to start this project. Cheers!

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your support. I have had younger Opus but not as impressed at this time. It really needs 10+ years to show its stuff

Really enjoy these historical and business backgrounds!!

@TrophyWineHunter

2 жыл бұрын

Dana: thank you for viewing my channel and your kind comments. I don't think of myself as a wine critic/expert but more of a wine color commentator. I do believe I give the most comprehensive and understandable history and context for each wine. I don't have the palate of the experts but what I do have is insights into how consumers/buyers look at wines and why I would buy one wine over another. Most experts don't buy their own wines so they don't know anything about budgets or price/value ratios so I hope a fill a space in the wine youtube world. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers.

Nice review of an excellent wine and vintage in Napa Valley. Thx.

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for viewing my channel and your kind comments. Yes, I think you can tell from the video that I was thrilled to drink this wine

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for viewing my KZread channel and your kind comments. I hope you will enjoy some of the reviews

Hi Trophy Wine Hunter, thanks for the awesome review. I so happened to have acquired the same bottle couple days ago in HK. May I ask how long did it take to breathe (in bottle) until it’s fully opened up? Of course I will enjoy the ever evolving process. But it would be great to have some ball park figures. Thank you again!

@TrophyWineHunter

2 жыл бұрын

Isaac: thank you for viewing my video and your question. I think it only took a few hours for this wine to open up. Please also see my Napa Trophy Night February 23, 2022 when I open 3 vintages of Opus. I find with Opus, you actually don't need a lot of aeration but it continues to improve/evolve with time and you can almost never over aerate Opus. Hope this helps. Please like, subscribe and keep watching! Cheers!

@isaaclam9440

2 жыл бұрын

@@TrophyWineHunter thank you!

I had the 97 and it was very was impressive as well. Can definitely stand off against aged bordeaux. You mentioned this is one of the best one from all the tasting so far, is this the best wine you had in your life?

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

Steven, the Opus 2005 is best wine I have reviewed for the site and perhaps this year. But I have been pretty fortunate and tasted some ridiculous wines. I think the 1997 is probably the best vintage of Opus I have tasted but that was many years ago so I am not sure how it would taste now. Keep watching and hopefully I will have more opportunities to open some stunning wines.

Hi Could you please share by making another video on how you have ben scoring such great wines that are trophy wines for you. I would greatly appreciate it. A new subscriber!

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

Rashmi: thank you for watching my video and your question. Wow, that is a great question so I will try to do a short video on wine ratings in general. I score based on what I think a reputable source like Wine Spectator would score the wine. The difference is that I score as a consumer not a wine professional. So I only drink and score the wines I want...there is no pressure to score a certain way and I don't have any personal relationships to worry about. So my scoring is, in general, lower than most scores you will see. I don't think the score is that important...it is more important that scoring is consistent. I also acknowledge that I have certain tastes and regions that I like better than others so what is 95 for me might be very different for someone else. The other difference is that I score the wine on how it tastes now not its potential. So I am pretty sure I would not score an Opus One 2015 a 95 pts wine today but it has the potential to be a great wine. In my mind, wine reviews are only valid, at most, for 2 years. Any more than that, the review is useless as the wine has probably changed quite dramatically. Thanks again for the question and keep watching and providing feedback!

@Rashmibhattachan

3 жыл бұрын

@@TrophyWineHunter Hi I'm sorry by "scoring" I meant how you procure or gain access to buy such great wines at great prices. I do appreciate your response on scoring the wines. That's great to know actually. But i'd like to know where you purchase your wines at great deals. With so many Online outlets, it gets quite confusing sometimes. Thank you very much.

@Rashmibhattachan

3 жыл бұрын

@@TrophyWineHunter also is Estate Wine Brokers a legit site/biz? I've never bought from them.

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

@@Rashmibhattachan ahh sorry for the misunderstanding. You can tell my "cool" factor is pretty low. So I buy my wines from the local liquor stores and store them for a number of years, I have great relationships with wine agents and I also buy at auction. Since I am not in the US, I don't use online buying services as they can't ship into Canada so I can't comment on these. For auction, I buy from HDH. They also have a retail online division but I have bought from them for 5 years and I can't remember a bottle that I was unhappy with. I am a bit old school but I won't buy from anyone I don't know personally. So if I am buying direct from the winery, I have either visited the winery or have chatted (in person, online) with someone from the winery. I have met people at HDH. That way if something is wrong, I can get answers. For me the most important thing when buying high end wines is provenance or where the wine came from. Also because everyone knows that I open a lot of the wines immediately, there is less chance of issues. I think too many "trophy" wines are purchased and put away for years, only to figure out after 20 years the bottle is not tasting up to your expectations....so then it hard to assess whether it was storage or a bad purchase. Wine is meant to be drank and enjoyed. So eventually, I will do a video about how to buy wines at auction but let's let the site grow a bit first before I let out more secrets of the wine world!

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

@@Rashmibhattachan I have never bought from them but my advice is try to buy some entry levels wines first and see how it goes. For older wines and expensive wines, see my other reply...I would never buy from someone I didn't know or a trusted source. Too many things can go wrong with an older/expensive wine so I would be much more careful. Hope this helps...keep the comments coming and please continue to view my videos!

I just had 2006 opus one for my birthday today!

@TrophyWineHunter

2 жыл бұрын

Sanjay: firstly happy birthday and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous year! How was it? Cheers!

Cool review! I had this wine not too long ago called Duff that was an incredible experience. (Around $155 pre tax.) have you heard of it? I’d like to see your review there.

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

M.P: thank you for viewing my channel and your comment. No, I have never heard of Duff wines and not sure I can get it here in Canada. Please let me know if you can give me more details about the wine as I am intrigued...I normally would have at least heard of the wine if it is over $150 so it must be a small production winery?

@m.p.sutherlandjr.6905

3 жыл бұрын

@@TrophyWineHunter Dunn* Vibeyards from the Howell Mountain of Napa Valley. $155.99 for the 2015 vintage, which I believe James Suckling gave a 98 rating

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

@@m.p.sutherlandjr.6905 ah yes, Dunn Vineyards. I haven't had their wines for many years but really enjoyed my last experience with their wines. Exceptional winemaker. Let me see if I can find a picture of what I drank in the past to post on Instagram. I see it in BC on for $250 + tax.

@m.p.sutherlandjr.6905

3 жыл бұрын

@@TrophyWineHunter ouch! Much more than here (Texas), but yes, it’s wonderful. Only the third wine I’ve splurged for over the $150 mark and probably my second favorite.

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

@@m.p.sutherlandjr.6905 a good one to splurge on. Cheers!

I started collecting wine recently. I’ve bought 2017 opus one, 2018 bin 407, 2018 bin 707. You’ve reviewed bin 407. Compare this to 407, how would you rate it? Do you think opus one is much better than 407? Btw have you ever tried bin 707? Thanks!

@TrophyWineHunter

2 жыл бұрын

Tun Win: thank you for viewing my video and your question. I think all of them need a lot of aging but all very nice. Here is my take on the wines: Opus 2017: I love what Opus is doing now but 2017 was an "off" vintage so you might get a bit of greenness. Having said that, you need 10 years minimum before you open it. Bin 407/707: 407 is supposed to be a mini version of 707 but different style of wine. 707 is matured in new American oak. 407 is matured in French & American oak but not all new. So 407 would drink earlier than 707, which is Penfolds top flight Cabernet Sauvignon wine. I have had 707 but really young and tannic. Again you need lots of patience with this wine. 407 is approachable much early so I would drink that first in 5 years times. If you gave me a choice of gifting me these 3 wines, I would take the Opus hands down. It is the most famous and best quality built for aging (and most expensive). But all of them are great wines built for long term storage. Please like, subscribe and keep watching! Cheers!

@tunwin5305

2 жыл бұрын

@@TrophyWineHunter thank you. Already liked and subscribed. You’re doing great wine reviews. Appreciate it!

@TrophyWineHunter

2 жыл бұрын

@@tunwin5305 thanks so much for your support!

I always notice nobody mentions the importance of Charles Thomas’s involvement at Mondavi and particularly Opus ones first 12 vintages. (Fun Fact Scott Shirley was the oenologist Now Justin winemaker). Also The original deal if you read the mondavi book is so well structured in how they had clauses just in case what happened to them did in 2004 the way “Opus” could buy out keep control or sell with “Lucente” and “Ornellaia” was very well crafted to how Mondavi set up their stock when they went public in 1993 all very intelligent. Was well worth the read and the bigger face is Baron and that was a big decision when made great review !

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

thanks Wyatt for your comment. I actually bought the book right after this review and still going through it. Haven't got to those chapters yet.......still in the years right after his lawsuit with his brother Peter. Very intriguing family history and amazed everyone was willing to talk to the author so candidly. It would be interesting to taste from the original vintages but my suspicion is that they won't be as complete as the current vintages as they was so much uncertainty and the 2 winemakers didn't help. I truly believe Opus and other wines like Caymus are producing the best wines they have ever produced as now they understand what they are about, have found a market and have stability at the top of the chain. Please keep viewing my videos and keep the comments coming!

@Rashmibhattachan

3 жыл бұрын

@@TrophyWineHunter What is the name of the Mondavi book? Thank you!

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

@@Rashmibhattachan The book is called "The House of Mondavi". I just finished it. Pretty sad tale of how envy and greed can tear apart a family. But we shouldn't feel too sorry for them since everyone one of the is a mulit millionaire now.

If it has been sitting upright, in a cabinet until today 8.15.22 do you think it is still okay?

@TrophyWineHunter

Жыл бұрын

Jocelyn: thank you for viewing my video and your question. Are you talking about the 2005 vintage or another vintage or wine? Depends how long it has been sitting upright in your cabinet and what temperature is the room. Direct sunlight on the cabinet or dim place? If it has been sitting in your cabinet for under 3 years, you should be OK but if you talking 5+ years, could a problem. The chances the bottle is spoiled exponentially grows with time so that after 10 years of that type of storage, I would say likely the wine has changed somewhat. Only one way to find out! Even putting back in a cellar and lying it flat right now is not going to undo damage. So I would just pop and open and compare to my cork/color in my video. Key is when you smell and taste it, is it OK? If it is OK to you, then it is good. If you are not going to open, then might as well keep it in your cabinet as a souvenir/decoration as it is worth more to you in memories than opening it. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

@jocelynhong2018

Жыл бұрын

@@TrophyWineHunter We opened it tonight! It was perfect!! Thank you for responding.

@TrophyWineHunter

Жыл бұрын

@@jocelynhong2018 spectacular! I never think it is a bad decision to open a wine. Your lasting memories are more than any money can derive from the sale of the wine. So happy for you! Cheers!

aint no 500 buck on current 2016 2017 opus..Is avg price is $350

@TrophyWineHunter

3 жыл бұрын

bigboymarket: are you in the US? Up here in BC, Canada, the current vintage (2017) sells for $599 a bottle. So you are fortunate in the States to get some pretty good pricing and selection of wines. Cheers and keep watching!

@kayari866

2 жыл бұрын

My 2013 Opus One current market value just hit $580+ here in the US. Some select vintages have more than withheld their value. I enjoyed the video Trophy Wine Hunter!

@214steven

2 жыл бұрын

I also paid $650 for 2018 Opus One from Toronto. Great review Trophy Hunter

For the price of the Opus, save your money and buy a first growth Bordeaux instead.

@TrophyWineHunter

2 жыл бұрын

Teng Vang: thank you for viewing my video and your comments. Not sure what pricing is like in your market but here in B.C., the price of a first growth is 2.5 - 3 times the price of Opus. Based on this, what would you buy? Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

@vangstr

2 жыл бұрын

@@TrophyWineHunter hello there! A magnum bottle of Opus 2013 is $850 USD. A 750ml bottle of Lafite 1989 is $1200 USD. As a collector, I would just go for the Lafite. Comparing the Opus One to others from Napa like Purlieu, Mondavi Reserve, Paul Hobbs etc.. one cannot say that Opus One is better. It’s going to ultimately be determined by one’s taste and willingness to pay regardless of the hyped up pricing scheme.

@TrophyWineHunter

2 жыл бұрын

@@vangstr based on that pricing, yes I would agree that you should take the Lafite because of the vintage difference and the price. If is was 3 bottles of 97 Opus vs 1 bottle of 97 Lafite, I would take the Opus. The other thing is the 89 Lafite at $1200 is a great price...where do you get it? Consumers have to look out for 2 things: 1/ provenance and 2/ what I call landed cost. So no good to search the internet for a price...you have to see what you actually will pay to have that wine in your hands to drink. For Canadians, that means 100% tax. You have to account for shipping costs and I think there are some places where you can't ship so that would mean you would have to travel to somewhere to get it. I will do a video on this as many consumers get trapped into what "theoretically" it costs and what it actually costs. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

@vangstr

2 жыл бұрын

@@TrophyWineHunter Will definitely keep watching your channel! The Lafite is at my local retailer in their cellar. Btw, don’t ever buy older wine from anyone unless one knows it was properly stored. I’ve had Opus One and can’t say that it tasted soo much better than Paul Hobbs. 🤔 At times I wished Napa valley would institute their own 1855 type of rule to govern the ridiculous pricing from each Napa Valley vineyard.

@TrophyWineHunter

2 жыл бұрын

@@vangstr I agree that with older or Trophy wines, provenance is the #1 important factor. Napa is too varied for a classification system and a classification system is an Old World concept and would created too many enemies/critics who disagree or disregard the system. Cheers!