The Napa Valley is the USA's most famous wine region. It is a north-south valley, running from San Francisco up to Mount St.Helena. It contains a huge variety of soil varieties and micro climates, which have in turn led to numerous AVAs being created.
Tasting notes: Deep garnet-purple colour. The nose begins a little mute with a suggestion of freshly crushed blackberries and blackcurrants, forest floor, cinnamon and a touch of loam. The palate is wonderfully concentrated with layers of macerated blackberry, cloves, vanilla and dark chocolate. A medium+ level of acidity and medium to firm fine and ripe tannins give excellent structure to the richness of flavours. Very long finish. Drink now to 2030. 95 pts RP
With a new winemaking team in place, and no longer any influence from the Mondavis, it is ironic that Opus One appears to have produced its greatest vintages to date.
Tasting notes: Unexpectedly, the 1992 outperformed the 1991, and tasted even younger. It reveals a lead pencil/graphite character, a denser ruby/purple color than either the 1991 or 1990, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and tastes like it is still an adolescent. Foresty, floral, black currant, and blackberry aromas intermixed with cedar, spice box, and earth jump from the glass of this full-bodied, powerful, smooth red. Still remarkably fresh and young, one would have thought this was a top Pauillac based on its performance.
