I opened bottles of 2000 Opus One and 2001 Sassicaia last night with friends. Ive never been a fan of Opus One as Ive always found it overpriced and underperforming however I bought the 2000 on closeout at about $60 and held it. The Opus was medium red in the glass and a bit cloudy with just a faint hint of brick at the rim. Aromas of mature Cabernet with cedar and leather notes framed around stewed red fruits and plums. The tannins were well resolved and the wine was smooth and easy to drink on the palate. Perfectly mature yet still a significant amount of fruit hanging on. Not bad. B+

The 2001 Sassicaia was still deep dark purple in the glass. Overwhelming notes of anise and blackberries on the nose. Very deep flavor profile showing very little age. Lots of cassis, black fruits, espresso and minerals. Abundant tannins on the finish and a well balanced acidtiy lead me to think this will last for years to come. A

On Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at 4:27:09 PM UTC+1, Bi!! wrote:
> I opened bottles of 2000 Opus One and 2001 Sassicaia last night with friends. Ive never been a fan of Opus One as Ive always found it overpriced and underperforming however I bought the 2000 on closeout at about $60 and held it. The Opus was medium red in the glass and a bit cloudy with just a faint hint of brick at the rim. Aromas of mature Cabernet with cedar and leather notes framed around stewed red fruits and plums. The tannins were well resolved and the wine was smooth and easy to drink on the palate. Perfectly mature yet still a significant amount of fruit hanging on. Not bad. B+
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> The 2001 Sassicaia was still deep dark purple in the glass. Overwhelming notes of anise and blackberries on the nose. Very deep flavor profile showing very little age. Lots of cassis, black fruits, espresso and minerals. Abundant tannins on the finish and a well balanced acidtiy lead me to think this will last for years to come. A

Always wondered about the opus one and sassicaia. At Sequoia Grove and B.V. they always refer to opus one "cambrium is us taking on opus one!". From the notes, it seems the cab reserve does fine with that. Sassicaia I see often in the supermarket here in Italy near my in-laws. Quite steep price. Finding opus one at 60$ is quite good. thats the typical price of a good reserve cab, or a good brunello, wihtin my spending on a good wine.

From the notes I might have grades opposite. Anis would have really detracted. Of course, the softness from the Opus1 might also have detracted as I like some coarse grip in wine.