CHÂTEAU HAUT-BRION: What Every Wine Collector Needs to Know!

Today I'm going to be doing a first growth Bordeaux focus on Chateau Opryon. I'm going to start by discussing a little bit about Opryon's illustrious history, then I'm going to get into discussion about what it is that makes Opryon so special. I'll then identify and briefly discuss the different wines that Opryon produces, and there is more than one, and then I'll get into some buying strategies and potential investment strategies for Opryon, including an identification of some of my favorite vintages and current and best buys for Opryon. Interestingly, I did originally start out planning to make a video on all first growth Bordeaux. However, I got so carried away with Opryon, I realized that that video was going to be way too long. So if you're interested in a similar video about one or more of the other first growth producers, please let me know that in the comments below. First, a little bit about Opryon's history. Vines were first grown on the property that became Opryon as early as 1426. Wine from the vineyards that later became Opryon's vineyards were produced on a regular basis as early as 1521. In 1663, famous diarist Samuel Pepys authored what is one of the very first tasting notes about wine, and he did this after he enjoyed a glass of wine at the Royal Oak Tavern in London. Specifically, he wrote about a, quote, French wine called Hobrian that hath a good and most particular taste that I never met with, close quote. And certainly today, when many people enjoy Opryon for the very first time, they reflect similar sentiments, albeit in much more modern language. In 1787, Thomas Jefferson, one of the very first presidents of the United States, and someone who was known for his great taste in wine, visited Bordeaux and Opryon in particular. Opryon was definitely one of his favorite wineries at that time. As an interesting side note, Thomas Jefferson also ranked his top four wineries. They were also the very same as the four wineries that became the first-gross in the 1855 classification. Of course, now there are five first-gross, but Mouton did not become a first-gross until 1973. During the original 1855 classification, there were only four first-gross, including Opryon. And what's special about Opryon is that it was the only winery in the 1855 classification that wasn't on the Médoc, or the left bank of Bordeaux. Opryon, of course, is in Graves, and it's not so far from the city center of Bordeaux, so it's a completely different area than the Médoc. And yet, Opryon was such a prominent producer, even at the time, that it was important for it to be included in the first-gross. What is it that makes Opryon so special? Every time I taste Opryon, there's always something unique and distinctive about it, even relative to the other first-gross. There's just really nothing quite like it. It has a magical combination of gravel and earth and tar, blackcurrant. There's certainly some fruit, but not as much fruit as with some of the other first-gross. But it's just really, really unique and a special wine, and one that I always enjoy very much. In terms of what makes it so special, one of the things you certainly have to discuss is the soils. The name for Opryon comes from the Celtic term briga, which means a rise or mound in the land. The soils that form the mound of land that is now Opryon are very special for at least a few reasons. First, that soil creates slopes, which provide beneficial aspect to the vineyard and which helps the grapes to ripen. Second, these mounds contain substantial deep gravel, and the gravel contains quartz. The quartz in gravel has extremely favorable drainage, so when there's heavy rains, the soil is able to drain properly and prevent mold and rot from forming, which could definitely harm the vineyards. Third, gravel can absorb heat throughout the day and then radiate it again to the vines at night, which can again help to ensure that the grapes ripen adequately, and also help to ensure that late ripening grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon are able to ripen before the fall rains come. Opryon has been at the forefront of a number of innovations in the winery over the years. Opryon is known for having tremendous expertise and know-how when it comes to winemaking. For example, Opryon was one of the very first producers to top off the wine barrels that are aging in the cellar. This definitely helps to preserve freshness and age-worthiness for the wines. In addition, way back in 1961, Opryon was one of the first producers to do a fermentation in stainless steel temperature-controlled tanks rather than wood or concrete. One of the things I appreciate about Opryon is their motto. The motto is, The greatness of a vintage depends on the optimal quality of each harvested grape. And so even though they have a sense of the big picture, they also have a focus on all the little details and minutiae which combine to result in a tremendous wine. Next, I'll discuss the different wines that Opryon produces. There's actually three primary wines. The first is the most famous, of course, the Chateau Opryon Premier Grand Cru Classé. The website reveals that it's generally around 45% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Opryon recommends that you wait at least 10 years on average to taste its wines, but most vintages, especially top vintages, are certainly capable of aging far longer than that, many of them for decades. And in fact, many of the wines don't even begin to reveal their complexity for at least 20 years or more. I had a 2001 a year or so ago and it was still quite primary and definitely has a lot of room to improve in terms of developing tertiary flavors and aromas in more complexity. I did, however, have a 1955 a couple years ago that was still showing incredibly well. The Clarence Opryon is the second red wine. This was first released under this name in 2007. This is generally a blend of about 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and then equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot. On the website, Opryon recommends waiting at least five years to enjoy this wine and it certainly is capable of aging more than that. I've had some from the 2010 vintage, for example, that I had with 10 years or more and it was still showing very well. Opryon also makes an incredible white wine. In fact, probably one of the top white wines in the entire world and that is Chateau Opryon Blanc. This is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc that can be enjoyed after it's released but will certainly benefit from substantial aging as well. I opened the 2002 vintage for my birthday and it was absolutely phenomenal. It's not easy to locate. It's definitely one you should put on your bucket list if you're an Opryon fan. There is a fourth wine as well that utilizes some of the fruit from Opryon. However, it's not 100% Opryon fruit. It's essentially a second white wine for Opryon but only some of the fruit comes from Opryon and the rest comes from Le Mission Opryon which is next door. Before I get into my buying strategies, if you're enjoying this video, please be sure to hit that like button so it gets distributed to more viewers and if you're a regular viewer, please do subscribe to my channel. It really does help me a lot. With that, let's get into my buying strategies for Opryon including a discussion of my favorite vintages. It's not uncommon for Opryon to cost less than some of the other first growths. Certainly, it's generally less expensive than Lafite, Latour, and Margaux and with Mouton, it kind of varies by vintage. Sometimes the Mouton's a little bit less. Sometimes the Opryon can be a little bit less. This presents an opportunity as far as I'm concerned because Opryon is definitely one of my favorites of the first growth, if not my very top favorite and yet you don't have to spend as much as you do for many of the other first growths. Part of the reason for this is that Opryon has not resonated with certain components of the market the way that Lafite has, for example. And so Lafite, a while back, had a huge run-up such that even the second wine for Lafite was getting crazy prices. Opryon didn't quite have that. It's still very popular in auctions and with collectors but it's definitely at a price point that's a little bit below Lafite and some of the others. One of my favorite tactics with Opryon and other wines as well is to buy wines on the secondary market that have good provenance. And so for example, you can oftentimes buy back vintages from the 90s for less than you can buy some of the more recent vintages. And the other good part about that is that those older vintages are going to be more ready to drink and enjoy. They won't have to age as long as some of the newer releases. And so certainly if your time horizon is shorter, somewhat like mine is, then you definitely want to focus more on the back vintages and not so much on the current releases. Some of my absolute favorite vintages for Opryon include the back-to-back vintages 1989 and 90. Of course, 1989 is regarded as one of the best Opryons ever produced and the market definitely reflects that with its pricing. 1990 is not far behind, however. You can buy the 1990 on the secondary market for less than half of the 1989. So certainly that is one that I recommend if you're looking for a bucket list type experience. The 1998 is also an exceptional wine and one that offers compelling value, especially when you compare it to the price of some of the newer releases and consider the time horizon that you may have to wait if you buy a younger wine instead. Certainly in terms of the newer vintages, or the relatively newer vintages, 2000, 2009 and 10, and 2015 to 2020 are all top-notch and you can't go wrong with any of them. But the thing I really appreciate about Opryon is for me, they really don't have any off vintages. I still remember one night where I was drinking with a few friends. We'd had a bunch of excellent wines throughout the night, some of which were even regarded as 100-point wines by famous critics. At the end of the night, one of them opened up a 1994 Opryon. Of course, that vintage is not very well regarded in Bordeaux. Nevertheless, after we opened that wine, we quickly realized that this supposedly off-vintage Opryon absolutely outclassed everything else on the table and was just an incredible experience and one that I remember to this day. If you have not yet tried Opryon and you're wondering if you would enjoy it before making a substantial investment in it, one thing you could do is try to buy the second wine, perhaps from a strong vintage such as 2010 or 2009. You'd be able to get a feel for the house style and be able to better tell if you'd appreciate it. Of course, the other thing that you can do is team up with a few friends of yours and each chip in to buy a bottle, and that way you only have a fraction of the cost. Also, you can look for other tasting opportunities such as might be available at various wine dinners, but this is definitely a wine that's expensive, and so if you haven't tried it yet, I would recommend tasting it to try to make sure that you enjoy it before you invest substantial resources in it. And of course, if you do enjoy it, then this is such a consistent and outstanding producer, and there's really not many off-vintages, so you can pretty much buy with confidence and just make sure you shop around to find the best pricing you can and also to make sure that the source is one with good provenance and that it's had proper storage. Please be sure to check the links below. I have a few videos that may be of interest, including one on how to buy wine on Premour, and also my thoughts regarding the 2020 vintage in Bordeaux.