Reviews & Scores
The 2015 Opus One is rich, sensual and super-polished. That said, 2015 has really shut down since I tasted it last year, which is probably a very good sign for the future. All of the fruit intensity and ripeness of the vintage is evident, but the wine feels a bit more compact and less exuberant than it did at the outset. Sweet floral and spice notes add a gentler touch as the wine opens up just a bit with air.
VM97January 2020
“This wine was too much—too much like a caricature for me,” winemaker Michael Silacci confessed to me while tasting the 2015 Opus One together again recently. “So, when we took it out of barrel to prepare for bottling we added a few more components.” Medium to deep garnet-purple color, it bursts from the glass with beautiful violets, lavender, rose hip tea and chocolate-covered cherries scents over a core of crushed blackberries, black cherries, cassis and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully bright and crunchy, with bags of fresh black and red berries and a wonderfully plush, finely grained texture, finishing long and fragrant.
WA97October 2019
The hottest vintage since 2008, this is full of spice and still an absolute baby. Touch of heat through the mid-palate, but it's seductive and luxurious, with cocoa, espresso and black chocolate notes that barely let up. A wine that you want to lean in to - and again a wine that needs time in bottle. If you can't wait, make sure you find an uninterrupted evening and a large carafe - this needs time and oxygen to edge towards uncurling these tight, rich flavours. Seam of acidity promises great things ahead. 2% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend, 21 days skin contact. Drinking Window 2026 - 2044
DC96September 2019
81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot and 2% Malbec. 21 days’ skin contact. 18 months in new French oak. Warmest year since 2008. Dry. Harvest started on 1 September and finished 8 October. Released to Bordeaux négociants in September 2018. Bright deep crimson. Really quite restrained and haunting on the nose. In this particular line-up (the previous wine was 2011), this was the first wine to incorporate some of the indigenous-yeast ferment. Pretty complex nose but much more richness on the palate. Lots of tannin. Not unlike a bordeaux 2015. A tad thick. 18+/20 points. Drink 2022 – 2038.
JR18+/20July 2019
Purity and brilliance on the nose with so much currant and flower character. Roses, currant bush and fresh leaves, too. Brightness is the word that comes to mind. Full-bodied and broad-shouldered. Juicy and so gorgeous now. Balance is so wonderful here. All about harmonious fruit and tannin balance. I like it slightly better than the excellent 2014. 81% cabernet sauvignon, 4% petit verdot, 7% cabernet franc, 6% merlot and 2% malbec. Drink or hold.
JS98December 2018