Opus One 2015 Rothschild & Mondavi Napa Valley

James Suckling bewertet den Opus 2015 am 07. Juli 2018 wie folgt:

Purity and brilliance on the nose with so much currant and flower character. Roses. currant bush and fresh leaves. too. Brightness is the word that comes to mind. Full-bodied and broad-shouldered. Juicy and so gorgeous now. Balance is so wonderful here. All about harmonious fruit and tannin balance. I like it slightly better than the excellent 2014. 81% cabernet sauvignon. 4% petit verdot. 7% cabernet franc. 6% merlot and 2% malbec. Drink or hold.

Unsere Interpretation:
Bei James Suckling ist es ebenfalls nur der 2013er Jahrgang der mit seinen perfekten 100 Punkten den 2015er Opus One übertrifft. Vorjahrgänge wie 2012 und 2014 des Opus One sind beide mit 97 Punkten ausgelobt und sortieren sich in der Reihenfolge leicht unter dem 2015er Opus One ein.
 

Antonio Galloni bewertet den Opus One 2015 im März 2018 wie folgt:

The 2015 Opus One is just as fabulous from bottle as it was from barrel. Dark. sumptuous and voluptuous in the glass. with no hard edges. the 2015 captures all the essence of the vintage while retaining a good bit of aromatic freshness. At this stage. the new oak is still a bit prominent. but that should not be an issue as the wine ages. There is more than enough depth for the 2015 to develop positively for 20-25 years. perhaps more. Just bottled a month prior to this tasting. the 2015 is naturally a bit more reticent than it has been in the past. Winemaker Michael Silacci add that the 2015 will. in his view. follow a similar trajectory to the 2008. which he later opened for the sake of comparison. In my view. the 2015 will always be more extroverted. although it does need time to be at its most expressive. The blend is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon. 7% Cabernet Franc. 6% Merlot. 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec.

Unsere Interpretation:
Bei Vinous / Antonio Galloni ist zwar noch kein Opus One als perfekter Wein bewertet worden. doch auch hier ist es neben dem Opus 2010 der Opus One 2013 (beide 97 Punkte) die das Feld anführen. Mit der Bewertung des 2015er Opus One könnte sich aber ein neuer Spitzenreiter in Stellung bringen.
 

Lisa Perrotti Brown bewertet ihn am 31. August 2018 wie folgt:

Composed of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon. 4% Petit Verdot. 7% Cabernet Franc. 6% Merlot and 2% Malbec. Opus One's 2015 Proprietary Red Wine is truly an iron fist in a velvet glove. delivering a powerhouse of flavors and structure with a seductively plush texture. It opens with a deep garnet-purple color and wonderfully spicy notes of cinnamon stick. cloves and fenugreek with a core of cherry preserves. redcurrant jelly. blackberry pie and warm plums plus hints of camphor. lavender and cigar box. Full-bodied. rich and bold in the mouth. it fills the palate with exotic spice-laced black and red fruits. framed by firm. beautifully ripe. grainy tannins and great freshness. finishing with epic persistence. Although it is already approachable. allow it another 3-5 years in bottle for its myriad of subtle accents to fully blossom and then drink it over the next 30+ years.
Call it a hat trick: Opus One knocks it out of the park with three excellent. if very different. takes on the the last string of vintages: 2015. 2016 and 2017. Already previously reviewed as a barrel sample. the 2015 was a show-stopper from barrel and is equally impressive in bottle. The last of the "drought" years and a rather warm one at that. the resolute nature of these impeccably tended Oakville vines is apparent in the complex layers. beautiful freshness and rock-solid frame of this wine. 2016 is the vintage winemakers can't remember because it was so uneventful. "We had plenty of rain in the early part of the year." commented Opus One winemaker Michael Silacci. "followed by an early budbreak. We were able to pick fairly regularly with an even flow in the cellar." The more 2016s I taste. the harder it is to fault this decadent. rich. blue and black-fruited vintage. 2017 was. of course. another vintage story altogether and one that I will cover comprehensively in my full Napa report at the end of October. It was a year that started with a deluge. got blasted with heat during Labor Day weekend and then suffered the most devastating wildfires this area has seen just at the tail end of harvest. After all is said and done. I only judge what's in the glass. and what I've tasted so far (admittedly from some of the very best wineries in the Valley) is not too shabby at all. Readers can generally expect elegant. refreshing. medium-bodied wines—like this 2017 Opus One—with pretty perfumes. red fruit signatures and subtle dried herbs in the background. Tannins generally aren't as plush and ripe as in previous vintages. but it's nothing that judicious extractions can't manage. Smoke taint? I certainly didn't pick up any in this Opus One sample. although Opus One had nearly finished harvest (90%) by the first night of the fires.