Description

Winemaker Notes

The 2014 Opus One exudes subtle aromas of fragrant florals, fresh garden herbs, and forest floor that give way to a concentrated blend of red cherry, blackberry, and black currant. Fine-grained tannins offer a velvety texture and complex structure that builds to a long, vibrantly fresh finish with a touch of mocha. Enjoyable now, the wine will delight for years to come.

Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 2% Malbec

Critical Acclaim

JS97
James Suckling
Mesmerizing aromas of flowers, bark, currants and blackberries. So perfumed. You just want to smell it. Exquisite tension and finesse with an almost Burgundian texture, yet it’s Napa in its soul with ripe fruit, stones, spices and Chinese tea leaf flavors. Savory and delicious. Drinkable but better in 2020.
RP96
Robert Parker s Wine Advocate

Deep garnet colored, the 2014 Opus One opens with youthful notes of warm blackberries, chocolate-covered cherries, redcurrant jelly and blackcurrant pastilles with hints of bay leaves, tobacco leaf and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy with a lively backbone and tightly wound black and red berry layers, it finishes with a compelling herbal lift.

WS93
Wine Spectator
Youthfully packed, featuring currant and cherry paste notes balled up at the core, while savory, menthol and sage flavors stay buried in the background. Offers a singed alder frame, with a telltale cast iron bolt emerging at the very end. This still has a ways to go before peaking. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Non-blind Opus One vertical. Best from 2027 through 2036. 27,000 cases made.
D93
Decanter
A cool bouquet of fruit compote and wild plum mingles with notes of clove, incense and lilac. On the palate the wine is youthfully taut, with a good line of acidity and fine but assertive tannins. It s quite a serious, savoury Opus which will need a few years in the cellar to unwind.