I too had the same dilemma a while back and did a blind tasting with some friends with these bottles. Special Selection won. That is really the only way you can have an unbiased opinion without being influenced by the bottle in front of you. Opus One is very good. Is it 3 times better than Napa Silver Oak. Hell no. Opus is better than Caymus, I love Caymus but a lot of people find it too sweet and do not like it. It will be hard to find someone that says they don't like Opus One. Caymus Special Selection is one of my favorite wines of all time along with Dominus. But thinking practically, I would rather have 2.5 bottles of Caymus vs one bottle of Special Selection. Now there are a lot of guys/gals on here that are drinking wines that are several leagues above any of these but I think your taste is in line with mine. Do yourself a favor and get a bottle of Dominus, and it will change your life. Going away from Napa, you should try Sassicaia as well. Both are more expensive than what you want to always drink but they will be a treat for sure. I have had plenty of expensive wine that I thought tasted mediocre, and the person opening it thought was unbelievable. The last blind tasting I did with friends, I did Napa Cabs (or blends.) The rank in the end was: 1. Opus One 2. Silver Spur 3. Napa Silver Oak/ Scarlett 5. Alexander Valley Silver Oak. I was the only one that ranked the Silver Spur last ($17.95). Ironically, after the tasting we had a steak dinner. The only bottle that was not finished was the one ranked second. An experiment in human psychology I suppose.
I have a bottle of the 2013 and have been patiently holding. Any thoughts you could share on the 2014 would be appreciated. Also, I am not sure if Ferrari fate will bring us together at an event, but if so, I am drinking with you and @Pis7a2020!
It's super delicious, so much so that no coravin needed ... it shall be drunk by evening's end. I don't have a 13 to compare it to but I can't imagine the 14 getting better than it already is. And yes, I am always game for a get-together.
While I enjoy an aged wine from time to time (15-20 years+), not everyone does, let me explain. So a good wine will typically have primary, secondary, and tertiary aromas and flavors. The primary comes from the fruit itself, secondary comes from the fermentation process and tertiary from aging. With a younger wine, you will immediately get hit with pronounced primary flavors and then as the wine opens, the secondary and tertiary will slowly appear. With aged wines, a tasting is very different as many of the primary flavors are almost dissipated, you typically get the reverse starting with very funky tertiary flavors. Some of these funky flavors can include interesting things such as wet Forrest floor, horse, leather, and earth. So if one is expecting fruit flavors, they may be disappointed by an aged wine. Aged wines are delicious but it takes some time to get used to them. Even the body of an aged wine is interesting as the lees (dead yeast) and tannins have broken down and integrated into the wine. So I would enjoy the 2013 and perhaps save the 14 for another year or more. You probably want to let it decant for an hour or so in order to get a good level of complexity and balance. I personally love Cabernet Sauvignon as it is a very flavorful wine with high tannin, high acid, high body and lots of body. You should expect both red and black fruit flavors in both your 2013 and 2014; specifically cherry, black cherry, black currant and maybe plum. I would imagine some delicious oak flavors from the barrel to include vanilla, charred wood, and chocolate. This would be a generic description, I would be interested in hearing what your thoughts are after you have a chance to enjoy the wine. I typically go to the Ferrari of Washington event, are you in the area? Enjoy! Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Image Unavailable, Please Login Some goodies. The Hundred Acre is the Wraith and the Arm. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
A really nice pair tonight...Kistler Chardonnay as the opener and a 2005 Numanthia...perfectly in the drinking window. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I had a bottle of 2015 Dominus in Florida last week and honestly, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected to. I was worried my palate was broken. Then I had a bottle of Darioush Cab at dinner and it fantastic.
2015 is a triple 100 rated wine. I have had several bottles and they are always magical. Perhaps something was wrong with your bottle? Maybe is was kept in an uncontrolled environment? I recommend you try a 2015 again. 2013 is another amazing vintage, and 2016 is also very good. Darioush is delicious as well, but I would say not at the same level as Dominus. I feel the the body, the color, and the flavors on the Dominus are a step or two above the Darioush. There is a precision/balance to the Dominus that I don’t think you get with the Darioush. Darioush has been tough to find lately, I’m down to one case. Do you have a good source? Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
I felt the Dominus had to be slightly off. Tasted good, but not delicious. A hint of tartness to it. frustrating as I was looking forward to it. The Darioush blew me away though. Far better than I expected. Perhaps it just fit me well. I bought a case from Yiannis this weeek.
I’m a big fan of Dominus, so last week we did a blind tasting with Bond Vecina and a Dominus, both 2016. Knowing Dominus well, I was pretty sure that I had the Dominus figured out. I was heart broken when I scored the Bond higher. Although it makes sense for the Bond to be superior, I typically tend to root for the underdog. Is Yiannis online? Not familiar with them. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Very good with spinalis this evening! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login Just added these to the cellar. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Opened a bottle of Conundrum red blend a couple nights ago. It was pretty good for $20. I do enjoy Wagner family wines. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Absolutely the Wagner family knows how to make good wines!!!!! I just picked up another case of 2016 Caymus Special Selection in O.W.C., and six bottles of 2017 Far Niente Cabernet. Hopefully I can have some upscale dinner parties soon.......
Just a few of my “anniversary” wines. I’ve been holding onto these for well over a decade now. I plan on the Harlan for our 30th, if I can wait another 11 years. This year I think I’ll pop an ‘02 Phelps Insignia or Harlan Maiden. 19 years doesn’t seem to merit one of these... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
