80% of this Napa Valley Red is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% is Cabernet Franc, 6% is Merlot, Petit Verdot accounts for 5%, Malbec for 2%, the Bordeaux blend that Opus One has built its name on. Due to the 2014 drought, yields were reduced in many areas of the valley, and the harvest period spanned from September 5 to October 7.
Under director Michael Silacci, the grapes were macerated on the skins for 20 days and then aged in 100% new oak barrels.
Decanting is recommended when serving this young wine. It will be at its best until 2042.
Robert Parker (96)
Blended of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, the Opus One 2014 Proprietary Red Wine sports an inky purple color and nose of crushed black and red currants, black cherries and mulberries with touches of underbrush, sautéed herbs and pencil shavings plus a waft of spice box. Medium-bodied, finely crafted and with an energetic line lifting the red and black fruits, it has a bold frame of grainy tannins and a very long, earth and spice-layered finish.
James Suckling (97)
Mesmerizing aromas of flowers, bark, currants and blackberries. So perfumed. You just want to smell it. Exquisite tension and finesse with an almost Burgundian texture, yet it?s Napa in its soul with ripe fruit, stones, spices and Chinese tea leaf flavors. Savory and delicious.
BOW (9-)
Falstaff (96)
Dark ruby garnet with purple reflexes and a touch of edge brightening. Liquorice and cassis mark the somewhat restrained nose, with some cardamom, fresh orange zest and fine wood spice in the background - it will benefit from some air. Complex and very elegant on the palate, with a tightly woven structure that's pronounced in fruit texture and supported by fine acidity. A chocolaty aftertaste rounds off a full-bodied and persistent palate, with black cherries dominant on the long finish.
Owen Bargreen (98)
The 2014 Opus One Red Wine is aromatically incredible on the nose. Red rose petals alongside loamy soils, dark currents and cocoa powder dusted loganberry notes all combine on the nose. The palate is soft and inviting with silky tannins that frame an ebullient core of cassis, anise and blackberry flavors, with espresso ground and salty soil accents. Showing great weight, texture and length, this is beautiful, refined stuff that is drinking beautifully right now.
Jane Anson (95)
The texture of the tannins sits somewhere between slate and velvet, filled out by creamy blackberry fruit, laced with cappuccino, intense espresso, liquorice, rosemary, crushed rocks and black pepper. In a sweet spot where you can begin to drink at full maturity, although once again worth a reminder that these wines are way too often drunk too young, and you should be totally confident in putting it away for another five years at least. Harvest September 5 to October 7, Michael Silacci director, 100% new oak for ageing, 20 days skin contact.
