2019 Opus One | 6l

The 2019 Opus One shows off the more opulent side of the vintage to great effect. Sumptuous dark fruit, spice and floral accents wrap around the palate, with a fair amount of new oak adding volume and exotic flair. This is an especially showy Opus One that will drink well with minimal cellaring.

- Antonio Galloni (12/2023)

The purity of fruit is really something else here, with currants and fresh flowers, such as violets and roses. Flower stems as well. Fantastic length and structure to the wine, with tightness and focus. Wonderful fruit. Graceful. A blend of 78% cabernet sauvignon, 8% merlot, 7% petit verdot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% malbec. Try after 2028. (04/2022)

The 2019 Opus One is brilliant and certainly a worthy follow-up to the 2018. Pure cassis fruits, notes of violets, rose petals, and lead pencil, medium to full body, nicely integrated background oak, and terrific tannins all define this beauty, and while it has the vintage's up-front charm, it's going to age beautifully for 20+ years as well. The blend is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Malbec. (02/2023)

Deep purple-black in color, the 2019 Opus One has an incredibly showy nose, with exuberant scents of warm cassis, blackberry preserves, and redcurrant jelly leading to suggestions of candied violets, dark chocolate, and clove oil. The medium-bodied palate shimmers with tension, delivering impactful red and black berry preserves layers, framed by very fine-grained tannins, finishing with epic length and energy. The blend this year is: Cabernet Sauvignon 78%, Merlot 8%, Petit Verdot 6%, Cabernet Franc 6%, and Malbec 2%. It was aged for 19 months in new French oak. (05/2023)

Elegantly styled, despite some serious heft, this offers a mix of alluring mulberry, griotte and cassis notes bearing a gently mulled edge, while flashes of apple wood, sweet bay leaf and red tea flicker along the edges. Very refined in feel, with seamless structure extending the finish so the fruit can linger. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Drink now through 2038. 27,800 cases made.

- J.M.

Winemaker Michael Silacci commented that usually the blends are finished in January or February after the vintage. This year, with the 2019s, he was still tweaking the blend, but he did mention that this is "pretty close to the final blend." Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Opus One leaps from the glass with notes of Black Forest cake, Morello cherries, mulberries and fresh blackcurrants plus hints of licorice, wilted roses, Sichuan pepper and iron ore. Full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with juicy black, blue and red fruits, framed by velvety tannins and background freshness, finishing on a compelling earthy/mineral note. Tasted as a barrel sample, this is a truly magnificent Opus One in the making!

- Lisa Perrotti-Brown (03/2021)