The juicy entry offers a round, silky mouthfeel with just enough acidity to complement the satin texture. The Opus One 2017 offers a harmonious aromatic balance of rich dark fruit, stems of roses, and earthy forest floor. Smoke taint? I certainly didn't pick up any in this Opus One sample, although Opus One had nearly finished harvest (90%) by the first night of the fires. Tannins generally aren't as plush and ripe as in previous vintages, but it's nothing that judicious extractions can't manage. Readers can generally expect elegant, refreshing, medium-bodied wines-like this 2017 Opus One-with pretty perfumes, red fruit signatures and subtle dried herbs in the background. After all is said and done, I only judge what's in the glass, and what I've tasted so far (admittedly from some of the very best wineries in the Valley) is not too shabby at all. It was a year that started with a deluge, got blasted with heat during Labor Day weekend and then suffered the most devastating wildfires this area has seen just at the tail end of harvest. We were able to pick fairly regularly with an even flow in the cellar." The more 2016s I taste, the harder it is to fault this decadent, rich, blue and black-fruited vintage.Ģ017 was, of course, another vintage story altogether and one that I will cover comprehensively in my full Napa report at the end of October. "We had plenty of rain in the early part of the year," commented Opus One winemaker Michael Silacci, "followed by an early budbreak. ![]() The last of the "drought" years and a rather warm one at that, the resolute nature of these impeccably tended Oakville vines is apparent in the complex layers, beautiful freshness and rock-solid frame of this wine.Ģ016 is the vintage winemakers can't remember because it was so uneventful. Already previously reviewed as a barrel sample, the 2015 was a show-stopper from barrel and is equally impressive in bottle. The finish is long and supple, lingering long on the palate.Opus One knocks it out of the park with three excellent, if very different, takes on the the last string of vintages: 2015, 20. On the palate, the Opus One 2017 reveals itself to be medium-bodied, with juicy cassis and raspberry fruit flavors upon a creamy layer of ripe and juicy tannins. ![]() Swirling the glass releases some of the wine’s more nuanced fragrances, especially fresh summer florals and wild sage. On the nose, the Opus One 2017 reveals balanced aromas of rich, ripe dark fruit (black cherries, black raspberries, mulberries and cassis), roses and forest floor. ![]() The Opus One 2017 shows off a beautifully deep garnet-purple color in the glass. Ĭabernet Sauvignon (80%), Petit Verdot (9%), Merlot (5%), Cabernet Franc (5%), and Malbec (1%) The maceration period for the 2017 Opus One was 20 days and the wine was aged for 17 months in new French oak barrels. Optical sorting at the winery ensures only the best fruit goes into the blend. Out in the Opus One vineyards, winemaker Michael Silacci (who has been at the winery for over two decades) begins tasting grapes rather early in order to pinpoint the perfect harvest date. Harvest began earlier than expected, on the 5 th of September. The summer of 2017 brought warm temperatures and optimal conditions for the ripening of the fruit. In fact, the rain pushed the budbreak date back two weeks and the water reserves of the soil allowed for healthy vine development throughout the rest of the vine cycle. The 2017 vintage will be remembered for its abundant rainfall, with January recording the most rain in the past 20 years. The Opus One vineyards are planted with classic Bordeaux grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. ![]() The grapes from here are blended with fruit from the River and Ballestra Pacels, forming 70 acres that surround the Opus One winery. The first two parcels form the world-renowned To-Kalon vineyard, measuring roughly 100 acres in total. The 2017 Opus One is produced from four different parcels situated in the western region of the Oakville AVA in Napa Valley, California. Opus One stands as a brilliant example of the enormous potential of American wine country, conceived as the must-have Bordeaux First Growth of California. Together, these two wine giants have developed a California wine that brings together the unique New World terroir of the Oakville AVA with unparalleled Old World French savoir-faire. The legendary Opus One wine brand was created in the 1970’s through a merger between two visionary individuals: Baron Philippe de Rothschild (owner of the famous Pauillac First Growth Chateau Mouton-Rothschild ) and Robert Mondavi (an iconic American wine producer whose namesake wine empire stretches across California). A Legendary California Wine With A Nuanced Aromatic Profile
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