2018 Opus One Proprietary Red Napa Valley
There’s a new Opus on its way and the Wine Advocate has already marked it as a must-have vintage: “the 2018 Opus One soars out of the glass with bright, bold boysenberries, warm cassis and ripe, juicy black plums...” Lisa Perroti-Brown calls it “a triumph... and a testament to the subtle changes that Silacci and his team have been conducting in the vineyards and winery over the last 15+ years. Bravo!”
Opus One is a member of an elite group whose members you can count on two hands: Napa Valley’s “First Growths.” It is a celebration of the relationship between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The two wine icons first met in Hawaii in 1970 where the Baron, proprietor of first-growth Château Mouton-Rothschild, first mentioned the idea of making a wine with Robert. Eight years passed, until a fateful meeting in Bordeaux sparked this monumental joint venture. Today, as ever, the wine is made entirely from Oakville fruit, including two prime parcels in the legendary To Kalon vineyard. Even beginning with such great raw materials, the fruit is still sorted meticulously by hand, ensuring only the finest fruit makes it into the fermenter. And then only the finest barrels of wine become Opus One, with the rest directed into the Overture bottling, a great wine in its own right.
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.
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.