1988 | Opus One | Napa Valley

A layered, impeccably graceful wine, the 1988 Opus One is all about textural harmony and balance. Sweet, silky tannins wrap around the expressive fruit in a wine that stands out for its overall harmony. Dark plums, leather, tobacco and spices linger on the polished finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Medium to deep garnet-brick colour. Savoury/ earthy notes of soy, hung meat, sweaty leather, tobacco, truffle, a suggestion of cardamom and a slight medicinal/menthol character. The palate gives a high level of acidity with a medium level of silky tannins and a good concentration of spicy, savoury fruit. Long finish.

• Decanter: This wine stands out in the line-up, with spicy black olive and rosemary notes, great concentration of fruit and an expansive feel through the mid-palate. Low yields from a growing season that was not easy, and interstingly here the alcohol has tipped over 13% and we don't see it under that level again. Firm tannins that are still very much holding court, and this has plenty of life ahead. 28 days skin contact.

Producer Information

Opus One is one of the world's most famous wines, and among the most expensive produced in the Napa Valley.. Although it is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Opus One makes use of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec in smaller percentages. The wine was initially established as a partnership between two of the biggest names in Bordeaux and Napa Valley: Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi. Opus One was the first premium California wine sold in Europe, and is one of the original "Cult Cabernets", along with the likes of Harlan Estate and Screaming Eagle. The collaboration was conceived in the 1970s and then first realised in 1979, when the first vintage of Opus One was created. It was released to the public in 1984, but had already attracted considerable attention, as a single case of the wine had sold for $24,000 at the first Napa Valley Wine Auction in 1981. Opus One's brand continued to grow considerably through the 1990s, particularly in markets outside of the United States, and in 2004, when Robert Mondavi Winery was acquired by Constellation Brands, Opus One also became part-owned by the multi-national company. From 1993, following Bordeaux's tradition of second wines, Opus One began to make a second tier label, known as Overture. Still a deluxe bottling, this is made from the fruit that does not make the cut for the flagship offering.

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