Opus One 1998

Supple and lush, the 1998 Opus One shows an opaque purple color and intense aromas of blackberries, vanilla, roasted espresso and caramel. The wine offers a resilient middle body, with seamless texture, sweet tannins, and a long, persistent finish.

Already slowed by El Niño’s winter flooding, the growing season of 1998 was the coolest Opus One has seen since 1991. With foggy mornings and moderate temperatures recorded during summer, the season extended into late October, promoting slow ripening and a very long “hang time” for Opus One’s grapes. Excellent weather in September and October made for an orderly harvest of Opus One’s five classic Bordeaux varietals.

El Nino brought rain and changeable weather followed by exceptionally late Oct harvest. A vintage damned from the start. Cabernet Sauvignon 91%, Cabernet Franc 7%, Merlot 1%, Petit Verdot & Malbec 1%. Skin contact 36 days, 16 months in new French oak.

Very, very glossy crimson with some evolution already at the rim. Toasty, open nose. Sweet start to the palate. Nothing like the 1997 in nobility. Tannins and acidity crowd in at the finish. Jagged. Difficult to predict evolution. Slightly hot finish.