There are very few things that will get me out of the office around lunch time. Unfined and bottled one year prior to release, the 2008 Opus One is composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Malbec. A satin texture enrobes the wine’s smooth, round tannins, its bright acidity supporting a juicy and elegant mouthfeel.ĭuring fermentation and maceration, component lots received an average of 22 days of skin contact prior to 17 months of barrel aging in new French oak. Initial aromas of rose petals and spring flowers in the 2008 Opus One give way to cassis, cola and black cherry, with notes of marzipan and sandalwood. Harvest began on September 18th and ended on October 16th with the ultimate reward: resilient grapes of exceptional quality. The growing season demanded particularly careful, patient and intuitive vineyard management the result was the smallest per-acre yield in thirty-two vintages of Opus One. September’s heat delayed ripening, causing reduced berry weights and an even smaller crop. Variable temperatures during bloom drove down the number of berries per cluster on the vines. Vine shoots- chiefly on the perimeters of the vineyards- sustained frost damage, as freezing spring winds diminished the warming effect of our wind machines. Extreme weather conditions prevailed, from an unseasonably cold April to an extended heat spell in early September. Mother Nature willfully asserted herself in Opus One’s vineyards in 2008. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Full-bodied, gaining on the finish, then firming and drying. (92 Points) Graceful and elegant, very understated and delicate, with floral, spice, mint, bay leaf, currant, cedar and tobacco notes that are complex and vibrant. Even the French tasters, Pierre-Emanuel Taittinger, Eric Rousseau and Pierre Lurton had nice things to say about this first growth of the Napa Valley. The 1979 showed brilliantly on that occasion as it did last year when we showed it at the great wine seminar with Opus’s CEO David Pearson. We have always been big fans of Opus One and have hosted several events over the years with this winery including an event that put all 26 consecutive vintages released at that time of Opus One on the table. Well, it is kind of ironic that the wines from this winery are now getting the best press ever. Are there two men that walked the earth over the last 100 years that were more important to the wine industry as a whole? I am talking about the two original partners in the Opus One project Robert Mondavi and the Baron Philippe de Rothschild.
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