Opus One 2011

Bingo! This is the Cabernet jackpot, with excellent fruit expression as well as all those desirable Cabernet complexities: chocolate, mulch, cedar, black cherry. A really great old v new juxtaposition, showing the fruit of California and the breadth of Bordeaux.

The 2011 Opus One comes across as quite powerful and intense. Raspberry jam, rose petals, savory herbs and mint, all come together beautifully in the glass. The tannins are going to need a few years to soften, but the 2011 continues to develop very nicely in bottle. This is a very strong showing, especially within the context of the year. The 2011 is dark and even a bit rough round the edges, particularly when tasted alongside the surrounding vintages. The lithe, mid-weight, savory style is at times more Old World than New, yet all the elements are in the right place.

The silkiness of the tannins is striking, with nuanced blueberry and raspberry fruit that gives a wine full of light. A vintage where rain fell off and on, and overall this is a little fresher and less concentrated than many of the wines around it, but it has charm and nuance and is a lovely counterpoint, giving a sense of pace and vintage variation to the line-up, which can definitely be read as a nod to its European side. Another one where I have to admit that I find some beauty in what is a fresher style, and it’s certainly one to note to begin to open over the next few years. It will still age, don’t worry, this is still packed full of black tea notes and touches of black chocolate and cedar glamour.