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Description
Opus One is the realized dream of two men: Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux and Napa Valley vintner Robert Mondavi. Together, our founders set out to create a single wine dedicated to the pursuit of uncompromising quality. This singular mission shapes every vintage, today and for generations to come.
Tasting notes

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Opus One bursts from the glass with ripe blueberries, black cherry jam and crème de cassis with hints of violets, dark chocolate, cedar chest and cardamom, plus a touch of charcoal. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, the palate delivers layer upon layer of opulent stewed black fruit with amazing tension and firm, ripe, fine-grained tannins, finishing long with a whole array of exotic spices coming through.

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Opus One offers up bold, expressive black and blue fruits: warm black plums, black cherries, blackcurrants and wild blueberries with a beautiful undercurrent of lilacs, roses, fertile loam, underbrush and Indian spices. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is a tightly coiled spring ready to explode, with fantastic tension and wonderfully ripe, very fine-grained tannins, finishing very long with a mineral lift.

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A blend of 77.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1.5% Malbec, the 2016 Opus One was recently bottled in July and August 2018. Very deep purple-black, the nose reveals profound notions of chocolate-covered cherries, crème de cassis, blueberry compote and licorice with touches of tobacco, cedar chest, Sichuan pepper, eucalyptus and violets. Full-bodied, super concentrated and packed with black and blue fruits, the palate is built like a brick house with firm, ripe, finely grained tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and perfumed. This a very decadent expression of Opus One with a provocatively effortless harmoniousness that is truly difficult to resist.

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Opus One is a wine of real breadth and power. Black cherry, plum, leather and spice flesh out effortlessly, but what stands out most is the wine's textural intensity and sheer power. Readers will have to wait a number of years until the 2016 is at its best, but it is clearly another in a line of gorgeous recent Opus Ones from Michael Silacci and his team.

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Opus One has turned out beautifully. In this mini-vertical, the 2016 most closely resembles the 2014, although it has more mid-palate sweetness and overall depth, along with a slightly darker profile. I expect the 2016 will enjoy a long drinking window that will start to open relatively soon. Of the last four vintages, the 2016 is certainly the most open-knit in the early going. The blend is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec.

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 is shaping up to be another fabulous Opus One. Bright, focused and medium in body, the 2016 is all finesse. Freshly cut flowers, dark red berry and mocha all develop in the glass. The 2016 is an especially plump, juicy Opus One that still shows quite a bit of primary intensity. Usually Opus One is a bit more formed at this stage, which makes the 2016 a bit hard to read today. I suspect the wine will come together nicely over the next year and beyond. The blend is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec.
About the Producer
The world-renowned Opus One was created in the 1970's as a result of a merger between two visionaries, Baron Philippe de Rothschild (lengendary Bordeaux wine magnate and owner of Château Mouton-Rothschild in Pauillac) and Robert Mondavi (an icon in the history of American wine with a namesake wine empire in California). It was their aim to develop a New World equivalent to a Bordeaux First Growth in the Napa Valley region of California. The exceptional style of Opus One resulted from the combination of their talent, their vision and the unique terroir of the Oakville AVA (an Eden for Cabernet Sauvignon). Today, this highly sought-after wine is produced from four different parcels, two parcels making up the famous 40-hectare To-Kalon vineyard, along with the River and Ballestra Parcels surrounding the Opus One winery. While the exact proportions depend on vintage, the blend is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec, reminiscent of Bordeaux's Left Bank. The wines are vinified separately before being matured in French oak barrels for a period of 18 months. They stay in the cellar, ageing in bottle for another 15 months, before being released on the market in October of each new year.