Tasting Notes
Vinous 97
The 2013 is a powerhouse. Dense, heady and massively structured, the 2013 is impossibly young. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of intense dark red fruit in this potent, brooding wine. Graphite, smoke, cedar and tobacco run through this virile, statuesque wine. The wine’s sheer youthful intensity is truly remarkable. I wouldn’t dream of touching a bottle before age ten, and even that may not be enough. The 2013 Opus One is shaping up to be an iconic wine.
Anticipated maturity: 2023-2043
JancisRobinson.com 18.5
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot, 2% Malbec. The product of 18 months in barriques and the same period in bottle before release. Dark crimson. Extremely intense and even savoury on the nose – much less obviously Napa than the multi-vintage Overture tasted immediately beforehand. This has real verve but also wonderfully supple tannins. Heady with an edge of iodine, this is the taste of luxury. (It’s not difficult to imagine how much discussion between winemaker Michael Silacci of Opus and Philippe Dhalluin of Mouton went into this.)
Anticipated maturity: 2016-2030
Robert Parker 98
Deep garnet colored, the 2013 Opus One needs a little swirling before exploding with preserved black and blue fruits—blueberry compote, blackberry pie and blackcurrant cordial—giving way to notes of unsmoked cigars, new leather, beef drippings and menthol with wafts of roasted rosemary and rose oil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is both powerful and ethereal, charged with energy and backed up by profound black fruits, supported with plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and beautifully perfumed.
Anticipated maturity: 2021-2046