I don't know a ton about wine, but since I started dating Jamie, I've been forced to step up my game.  She's a wino and just finished up her first formal wine course.  Needless to say she's schooling me when it comes to grapes.  Regardless, I love to pour a glass of grapes as much as the next guy, so today was a pretty special day.

A dear family friend came over this morning to wish us all a Merry Christmas and was slinging a bottle of wine under his arm.  He went on to tell us that the bottle was given to him by friends of his when he turned 60.  At this point I knew this wine meant business.  Boy was I in for a surprise.  After 15 minutes of talking, I still hadn't gotten a good look at the label.  What did he bring over?  Eager to see what we were working with, I strode around the kitchen island to find a bottle of 1996 Opus One.  Are you kidding me?!?  If you've been drinking wine for any amount of time, you've heard of Opus One.  It's the joint-effort of two vinicultural heavyweights: Roberts Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild (sadly, both have passed).  It's like if Claude Monet and Edouard Manet decided to collaborate on some serious French Impressionism.  Watch out.  

Here's what the fine folks at Opus One say about their 1996 vintage:

Now, as everyone knows, a wine is only as good as your taste buds say.  It doesn't matter if it's an $8 bottle of a $300 bottle.  But I have to admit, I'm psyched to see how this particular wine tastes.  I'm not sure when we're going to crack this open, but I'll definitely do a follow-up post with my un-wine-educated thoughts.  Until then, I'll be anxiously awaiting the opening.