2015 Opus One

Silky, lush, polished and rich, the concentrated, full-bodied wine delivers all of its chocolate covered dark cherries, blackberry, licorice, spice box and floral character with ease. With all the fruit, freshness, plush personality and balance, this is a gorgeous style of wine that will age quite nicely. The blend could easily come from the Left Bank of Bordeaux using 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec.

“This wine was too much—too much like a caricature for me,” winemaker Michael Silacci confessed to me while tasting the 2015 Opus One together again recently. “So, when we took it out of barrel to prepare for bottling we added a few more components.” Medium to deep garnet-purple color, it bursts from the glass with beautiful violets, lavender, rose hip tea and chocolate-covered cherries scents over a core of crushed blackberries, black cherries, cassis and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully bright and crunchy, with bags of fresh black and red berries and a wonderfully plush, finely grained texture, finishing long and fragrant.

The 2015 Opus One is rich, sensual and super-polished. That said, 2015 has really shut down since I tasted it last year, which is probably a very good sign for the future. All of the fruit intensity and ripeness of the vintage is evident, but the wine feels a bit more compact and less exuberant than it did at the outset. Sweet floral and spice notes add a gentler touch as the wine opens up just a bit with air.