Opus One Napa Valley (Oakville) 2018

As is so often the case with Opus, the wine expands slowly but surely, seducing you with the quality of tannins and the depth of the fruits that are wrapped around them. Silky at first, but as the wine expands you feel a grainier, slate texture that holds your interest. Rosebud, black cherry, cassis purée, espresso, juicy and elegant finish, extremely moreish. Similar vintage style to the 2005, a wine that I loved during a vertical of Opus I did in 2019, and the result of a mild and moderate growing season. They have eliminated green harvest as of 2020, and instead anticipate how to balance the crop earlier in the season during shoot thinning. 18 days skin contact in the cellar, another sign that this is a gentle vintage where everything came naturally so no need to macerate too long (over the years maceration has varied between 9 days and 43 days). Tasted twice.