2017 Opus One, Napa Valley, California, USA

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 1% Malbec. 20-day maceration and then aged for 17 months in 100% new French oak. Wet spring delayed flowering by two weeks, and then came a very warm summer. A big heat spike in early September shut down ripening for a while, so the alcohol level is 'only' 14%. Picked from 5 September a little 'earlier than expected') and 91% was harvested by 8 October when the fires started. Two lots eventually were rejected.) 54% native yeast, which they call Dog, was dominant. They made about the usual quantity.

Lustrous shaded garnet with some shading towards the rim. Interesting top note of tobacco with some candied fruit. It's quite heady but well-tamed. A combination of savoury and something as sweet and chalky as Edinburgh rock. It was much livelier than the Overture, with tannin in evidence and a dry finish. Not a trace of smoke taint! It's very mid-Atlantic and really pretty sophisticated. Very appetising but quite youthful. Lightly angular and muscular. Drink with food now! It may need to take on a little bit of puppy fat for perfection.

Drink 2022 - 2036

August began cool but September saw record temperatures, followed by a cooler, rainy spell. So a mixed year overall. Although not yet bottled, this 2017 is open on the nose, with lush, juicy, vibrant blackcurrant and blackberry aromas, cut by a sprig of mint. The palate is equally stylish, sleek and intense, with tremendous concentration but with freshness too, ending with a very long, spicy, minty finish. Great potential.

Drink 2024 - 2042

A remarkable wine for the year, the 2017 Opus One is a dense, full-throttle beauty. Plush fruit and soft, silky contours give the 2017 its racy personality. Exotic, beautifully perfumed and impeccable in its balance, Opus One is one of the most complete wines of the vintage. In 2017, Opus One has a distinctly red-toned fruit profile that distinguishes it from the surrounding vintages.

Drink 2023 - 2042

Lots of currant and floral notes on the nose. Hints of mint and spice. Medium-to full-bodied, round and savory with creamy, juicy tannins. Hints of citrus underneath. Bright, fresh, and delicious.

Drink or hold

The 2017 Opus One, bottled in July 2019, is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4.5% Merlot and 1% Malbec.

Opus One had picked 91% of their fruit before the fires started in 2017, and only two lots were eliminated from consideration. Medium to deep garnet-purple coloured, it slowly grows on the nose, revealing compelling notes of baked black cherries, mulberries, black raspberries, warm cassis and blackberry pie with nuances of spice cake, yeast extract, tapenade, liquorice and dusty soil with a waft of wild sage. Medium-bodied, the palate has a lively skip in its step, featuring bags of juicy raspberry and cassis-laced fruit and a refreshing line supported by ripe, plush tannins, finishing long and graceful.

Drink 2021 - 2036

Twenty days of maceration is around half what it would have been a decade ago. 54% native yeast as part of their native yeast project. 5% Merlot and 1% Malbec complete the blend. Harvest spread out from September 5 to October 8, just before the fires, when less than 10% of the fruit was still on the vines. 3.7pH.

A fist of late summer cherries, raspberry and bilberry fruits set out their stall, all with the juicy character that confirms, even in a hot vintage like 2017, Opus can deliver balance and sculpted elegance. Beautiful grip, creamy texture with a strikingly powerful tannic frame. As the wine stays in the glass the floral aromatics begin to bloom up—a brilliant Opus.

Drink 2023 - 2045