2010 Opus One Napa

(96 Points  --   Wine Advocate)

 A glorious perfume of sweet charcoal, truffle, black currants and spice box soars from the glass of the saturated purple-colored 2010 Opus One. The gorgeous aromatics are followed by a beautifully knit, full-bodied red blend (84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.5% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec) displaying lots of spicy black currant fruit, medium to full body, velvety tannins, and not a hard edge to be found. The texture, length and richness are all impressive. This estate has been making great Cabernet-based wines for nearly a decade ... and this is another one. Drink it over the next 20+ years.Wine Advocate #209 Oct 2013 Reviewer: Robert Parker

The 2010 vintage will be remembered as a uniquely demanding year with unseasonably cold days, untimely rain fall, and surprisingly hot days. Having left a sufficient number of leaves on the vines, our grapes avoided sunburn from late season heat assuring the success of the vintage.  Harvest began on September 23 and concluded on October 23.

Aromas of blackberry, rose petals, chocolate and espresso accentuate fruity and earthy nuances.  Round velvety tannins enrobe a silky texture with a touch of minerality.  The flavors of dark fruit are enhanced by the well integrated acidity.  The acidity and tannin structure promise a very long life ahead.

Varietals:  Cabernet Sauvignon 84%, Cabernet Franc 5.5%, Merlot, 5.5%, Petit Verdot 4%, and Malbec 1%

Vintage 2010 Report from the Wine Advocate:

Up until 2011, 2010 was the longest and coldest growing season many producers had ever seen. The summer was quite cold, which tempted some winemakers to de-leaf, a big mistake when an unexpectedly long and brutal heat wave arrived towards the end of the season. Where growers were more prudent, the wines are utterly brilliant, with deep colors, precise fruit, ripe tannins and expressive aromatics. Because the growing season was so long, the vines achieved full phenolic maturity, which gave the tannins a level of textural elegance that is unusual in such big wines. At the same time, there is plenty of California richness, something Napa Valley has no problem producing in abundance. In other words, the best 2010s also possess stunning harmony.

The superiority of the 2010s vis-à-vis the 2009s is increasingly clear, in that the 2010s have much more finessed tannins, richer fruit and better balance. Another feature of the 2010s is that the wines are very site-specific, in other words, they are steeped in terroir. Yes, terroir does exist in California. More on that below.

Readers should do whatever they can to source the best 2010s, as they are magnificent. The top wines will reward cellaring and be long-lived. The weak spot for 2010 is the mountains, where the fruit didn’t ripen as well in all sites. In many places, the 2009s are superior to the 2010s, so a little more selectivity is required when looking at the 2010 Cabernets from mountain vineyards.  The Wine Advocate