2014 Opus One, Napa Valley, California, USA

2014 Opus One, Napa Valley, California, USA

Product: 20148015994
Antonio Galloni, Vinous95+
Wine Advocate96/100
Jancis Robinson MW17+/20
James Suckling97/100
Prices start from £1,560.00 per case Buying options
2014 Opus One, Napa Valley, California, USA

Buying options

Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
Case format
Availability
Price per case
6 x 75cl bottle
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £1,560.00
You can place a bid for this wine on BBX
Place a bid

Description

Dense, almost opaque in the glass with initial herbal/menthol top notes and clean oak/new leather aromas underneath, then in comes beautifully fresh fruit - dark cherry, blackberry and blueberry with a complement of vanilla and milk chocolate. There is plenty of firm but measured tannin here and great texture lifted by bright acidity. There is more savoury complexity of earth and forest floor on the palate and whilst the length is open and fresh the tannins gently nip in the finish so as not to reveal everything too early. A beautifully balanced Opus and elegance personified as we have come to expect from this leading estate.
Peter Newton, Private Account Manager.

wine at a glance

Delivery and quality guarantee

Critics reviews
Antonio Galloni, Vinous95+
The 2014 Opus One has turned out to be a gorgeous wine. Savory, tightly wound and intensely aromatic, the 2014 is going to need time to unwind, but it looks like it will develop along the more classic vintages here. The tannins are firm but also impeccably balanced. A sleeper wine for the year, the 2014 is shaping up to be a gorgeous wine that will handsomely repay several decades of cellaring. The 2014 is not an obvious Opus One, like the 2010, 2012 or 2013, but over time, I will not be surprised if it challenges or even surpasses some of those vintages. In short, the 2014 is a wine of tension, power and grace.
Antonio Galloni -  December 2016 Read more
Wine Advocate96/100
Blended of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, the Opus One 2014 Proprietary Red Wine sports an inky purple color and nose of crushed black and red currants, black cherries and mulberries with touches of underbrush, sauted herbs and pencil shavings plus a waft of spice box. Medium-bodied, finely crafted and with an energetic line lifting the red and black fruits, it has a bold frame of grainy tannins and a very long, earth and spice-layered finish.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - 31/10/2017 Read more
Jancis Robinson MW17+/20
Savoury nose. Very lifted and almost leafy - very far from a fruit bomb. Very much a food wine. Very, very different from wine bar syrup. Not obviously high alcohol. After pretty ripe cassis some black olive flavours dominate. Rather bordeaux-like build but with a richer finish than a bordeaux would have. Obviously there's a fair amount of tannin here but it's well handled and dominated by the fruit. Good peacock's tail finish. I could imagine some Americans asking 'where's the beef (stew)?' but this should definitely appeal to (well heeled) Europeans.
Jancis Robinson - jancisrobinson.com - 31-Aug-2017 Read more
James Suckling97/100
Mesmerizing aromas of flowers, bark, currants and blackberries. So perfumed. You just want to smell it. Exquisite tension and finesse with an almost Burgundian texture, yet it’s Napa in its soul with ripe fruit, stones, spices and Chinese tea leaf flavors. Savory and delicious. Drinkable but better in 2020. Available on October 2017.
James Suckling - June-2017 Read more

About this WINE
Opus One

Opus One

Opus One is among California’s leading wine estates. It was founded as a joint venture between two leading wine producers: Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the owner of Château Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac, Bordeaux; and Robert Mondavi, one of the most influential figures in Californian wine history. The ambitious pair created Opus One in 1978, the first vintage following in 1979. It is located in the Oakville sub-region of California’s Napa Valley. There are four estate-owned vineyards, including considerable holdings in the prestigious To Kalon vineyard.

There are two wines produced at Opus One. Opus One itself is a red Bordeaux blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Like a lot of top Classified Growth Bordeaux, Opus One undergoes ageing in new French oak barrels for around a year and a half. A second wine, Overture, is also produced. Overture is also a red Bordeaux blend. It differs from Opus One in that it is a non-vintage wine, crafted from the fruit of several vintages.

Find out more
Oakville

Oakville

Oakville is a renowned wine region in the heart of Napa Valley, California, USA. It is considered one of the premier appellations for producing high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon wines. The favourable climate, diverse soil types, and skilled winemaking practices have contributed to Oakville’s reputation as a top wine-producing area.

The primary grape variety is Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in the region’s warm climate and well-drained soils. However, you can also find other Bordeaux varietals such as Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, as well as some white wine grapes like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Oakville benefits from a Mediterranean climate with warm, sunny days and cool nights. The region’s proximity to San Pablo Bay allows for morning fog, which provides natural cooling, making it ideal for slow grape ripening and flavour development.

The diverse soils add to the complexity of the wines produced. The region features a mix of volcanic, alluvial, and sedimentary soils that offer distinct characteristics to the grapes. The Napa River runs through the area, further enriching the soils with sediment deposits.

Oakville is home to some of the most prestigious and iconic wineries in Napa Valley. Prominent names like Robert Mondavi Winery, Opus One, Far Niente, Screaming Eagle, and Harlan Estate have put Oakville on the world wine map.

Winemakers in Oakville employ various traditional and modern winemaking techniques to ensure the highest quality wines. Careful grape selection, hand harvesting, small-lot fermentations, oak barrel aging, and blending are standard practices used to craft complex and balanced wines.

In recognition of the unique terroir and distinct characteristics of the wines produced, Oakville was designated as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1993. This official appellation status further solidifies the region’s significance in the wine industry.

Find out more
Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.

Find out more