x
  • Country ranking ?

    163
  • Producer ranking ?

    7
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    from 2025
  • Food Pairing

    roasted Beets with Goat Cheese

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Story

Time is expressed in Opus One by the character of the vintage: sometimes with a personality that is highly defined and sometimes with a shade of difference quite subtle from other vintages.  Through the minds and hands of the vineyard workers we capture time and the essence of the season – coaxing concentration and tempering abundance.

Place is often defined as terroir and denotes the special characteristics that geography, geology and climate bestow upon a vineyard.  Place is best expressed in the mouthfeel of Opus One; it is the balance of power and finesse, structure and texture.

Complementing both time and place is the essential human element: the attitude, will and soulful attention embodied in the team of individuals who prune, harvest, cellar and embrace the vision of our founding partners.

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Wine Information

Opus One knocks it out of the park with three excellent, if very different, takes on the the last string of vintages: 2015, 2016 and 2017. Already previously reviewed as a barrel sample, the 2015 was a show-stopper from barrel and is equally impressive in bottle. 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.

2016 is the vintage winemakers can't remember because it was so uneventful. "We had plenty of rain in the early part of the year," commented Opus One winemaker Michael Silacci, "followed by an early budbreak. 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.

 

2017 was, of course, another vintage story altogether and one that I will cover comprehensively in my full Napa report at the end of October. 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. 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. 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. Tannins generally aren't as plush and ripe as in previous vintages, but it's nothing that judicious extractions can't manage. 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.

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Vintage 2017

The winter of 2017 ended a five-year drought with January recording the most rainfall in over 20 years. The abundant rainfall continued into March, causing a modest delay in budbreak, and pushing bloom back by two weeks. Increased soil moisture allowed for healthy vine growth and development. The summer, in turn, was warm and punctuated by occasional heat waves. Despite Mother Nature’s variability, favorable weather in August provided optimal conditions for fruit development and maturation. Superb flavors and excellent ripening led to an earlier than expected harvest, which commenced on the 5th of September.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

<10 tasting notes

Tasting note

ending

Smooth

flavors

Blackcurrant, Plum and Leather

nose

Intense and Generous

taste

Complex and Fragrant

Verdict

Well made

Written Notes

The Opus One 2017 offers a harmonious aromatic balance of rich dark fruit, stems of roses, and earthy forest floor. The juicy entry offers a round, silky mouthfeel with just enough acidity to complement the satin texture. This seductive wine shows flavors of black cassis, black cherry and a hint of cocoa powder. The fine-grained, plush tannins evolve into a long, supple finish.  A supremely age-worthy wine, it will delight now and for many years to come.

The winter of 2017 ended a five-year drought with January recording the most rainfall in over 20 years. The abundant rainfall continued into March, causing a modest delay in budbreak, and pushing bloom back by two weeks. Increased soil moisture allowed for healthy vine growth and development. The summer, in turn, was warm and punctuated by occasional heat waves. Despite Mother Nature’s variability, favorable weather in August provided optimal conditions for fruit development and maturation. Superb flavors and excellent ripening led to an earlier than expected harvest, which commenced on the 5th of September.

This features currant and plum fruit, with tobacco, loam and singed savory notes, maintaining range and driving through the finish. The structure is fine-grained, delivering a lingering hint of acidity. A more subtle expression of Cabernet. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Best from 2022 through 2036. – Wine Spectator 93p

  • 93p

Ruby. Cassis, blueberries, anise, spices, vanilla, liquorice, some coffee, layered nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, dark fruits, juicy, spices, liquorice, detailed and layered, nuanced, intense and superb length. 96

  • 96p

Lots of currant and floral notes on the nose. Hints of mint and spice. Medium-to full-bodied, round and savory with creamy, juicy tannins. Hints of citrus underneath. Bright, fresh and delicious. Drink or hold.

  • 95p
Good looking in an good condition. On the nose it is intense and generous. The taste is fragrant and with complex structure. On the palate it is layered and has plum, blackcurrant and leather flavours. The finish is smooth. This wine is fine. Perfectly stored bottles are still very worthy and will last well for another 10-15 years.
- (Tasting note created by Tb's AI)
  • 91p
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Information

Origin

Oakville, Napa Valley

Inside Information

The Opus One 2017 offers a harmonious aromatic balance of rich dark fruit, stems of roses, and earthy forest floor. The juicy entry offers a round, silky mouthfeel with just enough acidity to complement the satin texture. This seductive wine shows flavors of black cassis, black cherry and a hint of cocoa powder. The fine-grained, plush tannins evolve into a long, supple finish.  A supremely age-worthy wine, it will delight now and for many years to come.

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