Blessed by a long and sweet chain of tannin. A garden of perfume, the most Bordeaux-bent of the tasting and a mineral reverberation carried on through a seemingly never-ending finish. Will it age like its older siblings? Yes, but not as long.Ģ009 ( WineAlign) The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon (81 per cent), Cabernet Franc (9), Petit Verdot (6), Merlot (3) and Malbec (1). The immediate and obvious cerebration is all about its incredible sense of balance. It’s ripe, anything but green and manages an admirable level of elegance. Even this formidable ’10 will struggle to find immunity from the weird vintage. Layers upon layers of fruit powered by audacity and prowess. Dense texture, high acidity and exceptional length. Imminently modern, reeking of toothsome Napa and working without Old World parental support. Fiercely approachable, a rope of gemstones falling effortlessly into the palm of a velvet glove. Notes from the March 2014 tasting: Opus One, Napa Valley ( 26310, $399.95 – 2009 vintage)Ģ010 ( WineAlign) The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon (84 per cent), Cabernet Franc (5.5), Merlot (5.5), Petit Verdot (4) and Malbec (1). Like walking into your childhood and being handed the keys to Charlie’s factory. Another M gem. The full gamut of red and black fruit, vanilla, mocha and chocolate. Dark, sultry, full of all things berry and oak. In harmony with every part of itself fruit, tannin, acidity. What every great 22-year old New World wine should strive to become. In September of 2012 I had the pleasure of tasting the Opus One 1989. Opus One is a brilliant and gorgeous red. Saying that the price of a bottle is inflated by a historical elevage of personality and fashion branding neither does Opus One an injustice nor does it relegate the commenter as a castaway to a deserted island. That can’t be said for many Napa Valley brands that seek more hedonism than is often necessary. The Opus team considers their winemaking “minimalist” and though in wine-speak that is certainly a relative term, as a group the wines do present with a meritorious level of fruit purity. After tasting a stunning set from 2010, 2009, 20, the solicited clarity was revealed.Īll natural acidity, an ever-earlier picking stratagem and less frequent racking define the Opus direction. Silacci joined Opus One in March 2001 as director of viticulture and enology and became winemaker in January of 2004. The exercise seemed simple enough, especially with a level of clarity made readily available by the fact that all four vintages poured were fostered and nurtured by current winemaker Michael Silacci. Pearson asked that the group of sommeliers and wine scribes decide which of these wines have left their parent’s home. Pearson, Craig de Blois and Mark Coster of Noble Estates brought four vintages of Opus One to Luma Restaurant on March 27th. He sees its growth has now reached a maturity stage for individual vintages to be judged as either that child or as an adult. “The wine is a child that resembles its parents,” notes Pearson. It started as a pure concept, with no actual vineyard, in the Baron’s bedroom back in the 1970’s. Thirty-five years later “we’re just at the beginning of the process,” explains Pearson, “In evolution, of developing this great marriage.” For the uninitiated, Opus One is a Bordeaux table blend of the traditional five varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, made in a “California style.” The soft-spoken David Pearson is Opus One. Can there be another brand, anywhere in the world (not called a First Growth) that carries such weight or specificity of concentration? The job requires serious moxie and intuition. He is the caretaker of a single bottle of wine. Pearson is responsible for all production, marketing, sales and administrative activities at Opus One. The wine is a blend of Mondavi and Mouton, a reflection of the character of two families. “At its core, Opus One is an idea,” relates Mr. Two legendary wine men, California’s Robert Mondavi and Bordeaux’s Baron Philippe de Rothschild combined (in 1978) to create one of Napa Valley’s most iconic wines. His job is both simple at heart and complex of mind. David Pearson has been the CEO of Opus One since February of 2004.
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