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Opus One Proprietary Red Napa Valley 2018  - First Bottle

Reviews

99 James Suckling -
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.
98 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -
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.
98 Decanter -
Power and concentration from the start but with a lovely vein of cool blue fruits and an invigoratingly fresh core. Dark chocolate, coffee, blueberries and pomegranate combine to give a seductive nose and follow through on the palate with an immediate burst of juicy acidity and plush tannins. Layered and nuanced, the texture is striking, elegant and precise with juice that his the side of the mouth supported by oak spice that gently frames the overall feeling giving balance. Abundant in a sense but also reigned in making you want another glass straight away. 80% wild yeast fermentation for the first time as of the 2018 vintage.
97 Jeb Dunnuck -
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.
95 Vinous -
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.

Technical Details

  • Blend84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec
  • WinemakerMichael Silacci
  • CountryUS
  • RegionCalifornia North Coast
  • AppellationNapa Valley
  • Aging/Cooperage17 months in new French oak
  • Alcohol14%

Opus One Proprietary Red Napa Valley 2018

Proprietary Blends  |  US
JS99, WA98, D98, JD97, VN95

Too late, we are SOLD OUT!

Arguably one of the finest Opus’ ever! We wish we had a bit more, alas, this will likely go down as one of the greats. James Suckling's #15 US wine of 2021 and an absolutely seductive wine from start to finish.

The genesis of Opus One wine can be traced to 1970 at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii, where Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild met for the very first time and began their collaboration to merge old world and new world wine styles into one grand opus. The joint venture between Mondavi and Baron Rothschild was announced in 1980, and well, savvy wine collector that you are, likely know the rest!

2018 is a fantastic Napa vintage, and this will undoubtedly go down as one of the best Opus' made. The wine is seamless, finessed, strikingly rich and polished, pure and true to its Bordeaux/Napa heritage. BRAVO!!

PAIRING IDEAS: Elegance rules the day on this wine, so if you do a meat with it, make it sexy -- béarnaise sauce, a killer demi-glace, maybe some fresh shaved truffles...just go all out!!

MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: Listen to an iconic band or singer, while drinking a wine from an iconic producer... makes sense, right? “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra, or any tune by the legendary Rat Pack!

About the Producer

Opus One is the dream project between baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi. They both had a single dream of creating a single wine dedicated to uncompromising quality. Nearly four decades later, they still continue to refine the complex subtleties of Opus One by honoring traditional methods. The estate is made up of four estate vineyards, 100 acres are within the famed To Kalon Vineyard and another 70 acres are within the Ballestra and River parcels. The winemaking is lead by Micahel Silacci who combines intuition and technical acumen and has his hands in both the winemaking and vineyard practices.