Opus One - Napa Valley 2018

Opus One, the best of both worlds

Opus One was founded by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, legendary proprietor of Château Mouton Rothschild, and renowned Napa Valley vintner Robert Mondavi. By combining the great winemaking traditions and innovations of both families, the founders’ singular goal was to create an exceptional wine in the heart of Napa Valley.

Opus One, like any great work, arose out of passion. Dedicated to uncompromised quality, Opus One’s sole purpose is to express this vision and passionate spirit for generations to come.

The 2018 vintage

Michael Silacci talks about the vintage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4opi44vPlE

Weather conditions

The vineyards enjoyed idyllic growing conditions with consistent weather and milder temperatures in 2018. The beginning of the year was notably dry; however, well-timed rainfall just before budbreak provided the necessary water for canopy development. Flawless conditions ensued during flowering and fruit set which led to higher-than-average yields. While the season got off to a later start, veraison occurred only seven days later than the average which gave the fruit the necessary time to ripen perfectly. Harvest began on September 19th with a steady pace that continued until the last fruit arrived on October 25th.

Tasting notes

The Opus One 2018 offers profuse aromas of blackberry, cassis, and black cherry. Elegant notes of violets, white pepper and rose petals follow and together they deliver a very seductive bouquet. The seamlessly layered flavors build to a crescendo of fresh and juicy black fruit, accented with hints of orange zest, licorice, and dark chocolate. Beautifully balanced, the smooth round tannins and fresh acidity combine to create a soft, creamy mouthfeel and extend the flavors into a long persistent finish.

Anthocyanes

byYohan Castaingthe10/4/2021

Mentholé, très frais avec un superbe bouquet de fruits noirs, d'épices, de graphite et de très belles notes de bourgeon de cassis. Délicatesse et subtilité. Bouquet magnifique. Superbe toucher de bouche, cristallin et droit, de beaux tanins, un grain ciselé et d'une grande précision. Un Opus One d'une grande délicatesse avec une supplément d'âme magnifique. Un très grand vin.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

byJane Ansonthe9/6/2021

As is so often the case with Opus, the wine expands slowly but surely, seducing you with the quality of tannins and the depth of the fruits that are wrapped around them. Silky at first, but as the wine expands you feel a grainier, slate texture that holds your interest. Rosebud, black cherry, cassis purée, espresso, juicy and elegant finish, extremely moreish. Similar vintage style to the 2005, a wine that I loved during a vertical of Opus I did in 2019, and the result of a mild and moderate growing season. They have eliminated green harvest as of 2020, and instead anticipate how to balance the crop earlier in the season during shoot thinning. 18 days skin contact in the cellar, another sign that this is a gentle vintage where everything came naturally so no need to macerate too long (over the years maceration has varied between 9 days and 43 days). Tasted twice.

Jamessuckling.com

byJames Sucklingthe8/2/2021

Extremely perfumed and floral with lavender, lilacs and violets to the sweet, ripe berries, such as blackberries and blackcurrants. Some slate and graphite, too. It’s full-bodied, yet ever so balanced and refined, with super fine tannins that last for minutes. Fresh herbs, such as bay leaf and lemon grass highlight the dark fruit. The quality of tannin is exquisite with wonderful polish and refinement. Lasts for minutes. So wonderful to taste now, but better after 2026.

Jeb DUNNUCK

byJeb Dunnuckthe4/30/2021

The 2018 Opus One is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, and the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc. This deep purple-hued effort leans to lively, fresher side of the vintage but has a brilliant, utterly classic style in its crème de cassis and blue-tinged fruit as well as notes of lead pencil, candied violets, damp earth, and chocolate-like nuances. With a Pomerol-like elegance and purity, it's medium to full-bodied and has wonderful tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It plays in the finesse-driven end of the spectrum yet is concentrated and seamless, with serious length. It offers pleasure today but should benefit from 4-5 years in the cellar, and my money is on it evolving for 30 years or more.

Wine Advocate

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe2/26/2021

Very deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Opus One soars out of the glass with bright, bold boysenberries, warm cassis and ripe, juicy black plums notes, plus emerging nuances of lilacs, oolong tea, cinnamon stick, tilled soil and black truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with tightly wound layers of crunchy black fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing with lifted fruitiness and on a lingering mineral note.

Vinous

byAntonio Gallonithe1/4/2021

The 2018 Opus One is incredibly elegant and polished, right out of the bottle. Silky tannins and lifted, perfumed aromatics add to an impression of finesse that distinguishes the 2018 from some of the preceding vintages in a pretty big way. It will be interesting to see if the 2018 gains body with a bit of time in bottle. It is pretty rare for Opus One to be so approachable at this stage.

Vinous

94-96

byAntonio Gallonithe1/6/2020

I tasted the 2018 Opus One from three working blends, one of which will very like be the blend. All three wines share a core of inky dark fruit laced with hints of graphite, lavender and mulling spices. The 2018 is clearly embryonic, and yet it shows tremendous finesse, with more refinement than pure power. It is going to be a fascinating wine to follow, that much is clear.

Wine Advocate

95-98

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe10/31/2019

This is a barrel sample of the final blend, made up of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 1% Malbec. It will be bottled in 2020. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes prancing out of the glass with energetic notes of freshly crushed black cherries, boysenberries, raspberries and crushed black currants with nuances of star anise, yeast extract, lilacs and cardamom with a waft of dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, the palate explodes with intense black fruits, even more intensified by fantastic freshness and super fine-grained tannins, with great length and depth.

Information:	Details:
Couleur	Rouge
Cépages	Cabernet Franc 4 % Cabernet Sauvignon 84 % Petit Verdot 6 % Merlot 5 % Malbec 1 %
Appellation	Napa Valley
Millesime	2018
Contenance	Demi-bouteille (37,5 cl)

Information:

Details:

Couleur

Rouge

Cépages

Cabernet Franc 4 %
Cabernet Sauvignon 84 %
Petit Verdot 6 %
Merlot 5 %
Malbec 1 %

Appellation

Napa Valley

Millesime

2018

Contenance

Demi-bouteille (37,5 cl)

Un repas	Autour du repas
Un cadeau	Faire une découverte !

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Opus One - Napa Valley 2018

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