It remains a monument to the greatness of California wine. Today, the 1980 is firing on all cylinders. Cinnamon, cloves, menthol, hard candy, tar and licorice all flesh out on the rich, resonant finish. Absolutely nothing is out of place in this impeccably refined, layered wine. A wine of extraordinary richness and pure power, the 1980 impresses for its depth and size.

(JA) (5/2018)īlack cherries, plums, tobacco, incense, new leather, licorice and savory herbs take shape in the 1980 Opus One. It’s the kind of wine that, even before the first glass is halfway down, you are thinking ‘I hope there’s more of this’. Still so young, it has warmth and generosity in the fruits but remains balanced and nuanced – a knockout wine. It was a cool growing season for Napa, and that freshness has clearly helped this age. The director of the office, Laurent Delassus, spoke about how Opus owes a debt to Spurrier’s Judgement of Paris for the creation of the estate, as it gave Baron Philippe de Rothschild the confidence to go into partnership with Robert Mondavi: ‘The smart French winemakers weren’t angry but became interested after the tasting in the potential of California’. Maybe that made the tasting even more special, but the wine absolutely sang.

This is the second ever vintage of Opus One, tasted with Steven Spurrier at the Opus One offices in Bordeaux.

Opus one tasting