There are exceptions to this rule, of course-the 1980 vintage is very powerful, yet it still continues to deepen in complexity to this day. Generally, the more intense and fruit-driven an Opus One vintage is, the less age-worthy it will be. It’s juicy, with flavors of currant, plum, and blackberries, but it also has plenty of spice and even some floral notes, which keep it from tasting too fruit-forward.
2015 : This vintage has been praised by critics for its decadent, voluptuous flavors. It won’t age as long as some of the other vintages on this list (it should reach peak maturity in the early 2020s) but it will develop greater complexity over the next few years. There are some floral aromatics and spice to balance out the sweetness of the fruit however, the wine is still very fruit-driven. It is among the finest vintages Opus One has ever produced. 1980: Very rich and powerful, with complex layers of plum, leather, tobacco, and licorice, this wine may continue to develop some complexity over the next five years, but it is approaching peak maturity now. Some of the finest vintages in this style are: As a general rule, you can buy the most intense, concentrated examples of these wines without worrying about the wine being too fruit-forward or lacking complexity. She says, “I don’t think you would ever mistake these wines for a top Bordeaux – they’re too ripe and sweet for that,” yet Opus One also never tastes too fruity or alcohol-heavy either. Jancis Robinson explains that Opus One wines have a drier flavor profile that is similar to Bordeaux. However, even the biggest Opus One wines still aren’t as fruit-driven as the ones made by many other prestigious Californian producers. Some of the best vintage years for Opus One produced wines that are rich and opulent in style, with intense flavors that make a memorable first impression on the palate. Our guide to the best Opus One vintages will help you narrow down your choices and build a rewarding collection of these iconic wines. To pick the best vintages for your own collection, you’ll want to consider which of these two styles you prefer as well as whether you plan on reselling your bottles on the secondary market in the future. 
Some vintages are fruit-driven and intense in flavor, while others are delicate and bright.
I’d never had such an acidic example of Opus One before and it proved just how diverse in flavor these wines can be.ĭesignating one year as the best vintage year for Opus One is a difficult and subjective task wines from two different years may both be fantastic in completely different ways. When the sommelier revealed the wine to be a bottle of 1981 Opus One, we were both surprised. Neither of us was sure who the producer was. This wine was racy, acidic, and so lively that I almost thought the sommelier had served us a much younger Cabernet by mistake. I managed to identify three of the wines ( Harlan Estate, Hundred Acre, and Dalla Valle ), but we were both stumped on the fourth wine. We decided to challenge ourselves to see whether we could guess which producers made each of them. A few months ago, I went to a blind tasting with a colleague and we were served four bottles of aged California Cabernet Sauvignon.
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