Tasting Notes
Vinous 98
The 2023 Opus One is a super classic wine. Brisk acids, fine tannins and lifted aromatics signal an Opus One of exquisite finesse and class. Red/purplish fruit, mint, orange peel and chalk are all woven together in a fabric of nearly indescribable class. The 2023 floats on the palate with understated finesse and lightness, but it’s not light in any way. This is class personified.
Anticipated maturity: 2031-2053
Robert Parker 96
Hand-bottled from the blending tank (the wine went through the bottling line one week prior to my visit), the 2023 Opus One looks to be the most complete of the last three vintages. It weighs in at just 13.5% alcohol but comes across as medium- to full-bodied, featuring a mix of cassis and black cherries on the nose, gently touched by hints of sage and pencil shavings, plus an exquisitely silky mouthfeel supported by a base of fine-grained tannins that linger elegantly on the extended finish. Picked from September 14 through October 16, this vintage is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec.
The Drinks Business 100
Divine aromatically and utterly ethereal. We re in the laboratory at the back of the florists where the florist is concocting and concentrating the floral essences in their purity and we have the fresh petals alongside. Violet, lily of the valley, a little wild thyme and the hint of coolness that imparts. So gracious, the tannins so filigree. Intensely layered. Reasonably ample. Crushed blueberries, wrapped in velvet with freshly grated dark black chocolate. Delightful and sublime but with massive aging potential.
Jane Anson 98
A measured, balanced growing season, dry but without the heat spikes of 2022, and this Opus is a pretty stately beast, deep rich purple, intense, structured, edges of violet set against black fruits, cassis, bilberry, damson. This is one of the slowest unrolls that I have had with Opus, it rewards patience to showcase the chalk and slate texture of the tannins, and you can safely put this away for a few years before drinking. Cabernet Sauvignon dominant in terms of its construction and architecture, 95% new oak. A long slow harvest in this exceptional year, from September 14 to October 16, Michael Silacci winemaking director. Sustainable farming initiatives significantly increased in this year, with the addition of Kimberlee Marrineli to the team, including planting of cover crops across the vineyard to lower soil temperature. The oak is a little higher than in the Overture but less evident in the armatics.
