Opus One 2015

JAMES SUCKLING: "Purity and brilliance on the nose with so much currant and flower character. Roses, currant bush and fresh leaves, too. Brightness is the word that comes to mind. Full-bodied and broad-shouldered. Juicy and so gorgeous now. Balance is so wonderful here. All about harmonious fruit and tannin balance. I like it slightly better than the excellent 2014. 81% cabernet sauvignon, 4% petit verdot, 7% cabernet franc, 6% merlot and 2% malbec. Drink or hold."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "“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 WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "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."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Bright deep crimson. Really quite restrained and haunting on the nose. In this particular line-up (the previous wine was 2011), this was the first wine to incorporate some of the indigenous-yeast ferment. Pretty complex nose but much more richness on the palate. Lots of tannin. Not unlike a bordeaux 2015. A tad thick."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Angenehme schwarze Beerenfrucht, zart nach Cassis, ein Hauch von Feigen, dezente Kräuterwürze, reife Kirschen, feine Mineralität, Kokos und Orangenblüten im Hintergrund. Kraftvoll, engmaschig, extraktsüßer Kern, etwas präsente, fordernde Tannine, zarter Bitterschokolade-Touch im Abgang, es fehlt etwas an Länge im Moment, wirkt in der Jugend eher unkompliziert, verfügt über gutes Entwicklungspotenzial."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Pure, rich dark berry, plum and gravelly earth flavors are framed by spicy, cedary oak notes, ending long, clean and elegant, with just the right touch of tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Best from 2020 through 2030. 21,600 cases made."