Aged in 100% new French oak for 17 months and in bottle for 14 months prior to release, the 2004 Opus One is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It boasts a dense ruby/purple color along with a sweet bouquet of lead pencil shavings, black currants and a hint of toasty oak. More evolved than usual, this full-bodied, opulent 2004 is part of the new wave of Opus Ones made under the administration of Philippe Dhalluin, the administrator of Mouton Rothschild, who has begun to exploit this estate’s enormous potential. This beauty can be drunk now or cellared for another 20 years. - WA, RP (4/2014)
Bordeaux-like in its structure and balance, showing cedary oak, dusty berry, dried currant and mineral, with hints of herb and sage. The flavors firm up on the finish, and this is rich and intense without being heavy. Needs decanting. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Best from 2009 through 2015. 22,000 cases made. –JL
Good full ruby. Roasted black raspberry, blackberry, spicecake, licorice, minerals and nutty oak on the nose. Denser than the 25 and a step up in intensity but nicely light on its feet. There's lovely sweetness to the black fruit and licorice flavors. Finishes with big but sweet tannins and a lingering minerality. This makes the 25 seem a bit dry by comparison. Bottled in July of 26, for the first time without being fined. (I continue to find the '3 too herbal, lean and dry to recommend. The '2 in March was less herbal and minty than my sample two years ago but still high-toned, truffley and a bit vegetal, with a note of black olive and a rather chunky texture. This rather backward wine needs time but I find it disappointing in the context of the vintage, rating 87+?. The wild, distinctly Old World 21, on the other hand, was wonderfully dense, sweet and lush without coming across as heavy, showing complex notes of cassis, graphite, spicecake, leather and game; lovely inner-mouth perfume; and an explosive finish featuring fine-grained, suave tannins that reach the front teeth. This very sexy and showy wine, rated 91 in Issue 118, merited 92 in March.)- Stephen Tanzer (5/27)
Producer: Opus One
Vintage: 2004
Varietal: Proprietary Red
Country: USA
Region: CA - North Coast (Napa,Sonoma)
Sub-Region: Napa
Appellation: Napa Valley
Sub-Appellation:
SKU: #
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