Opus One 1500mL 2010

97 POINTS

Stephen Tanzer - Vinous

Bright dark ruby. Initially reticent nose opened in the glass to reveal wonderfully complex scents of black- and redcurrant, blackberry, minerals, licorice, loam and tobacco leaf, plus a whiff of leather. Seamless, savory and classy on entry if a bit subdued, then delivers lovely restrained sweetness and a complicating wildness in the middle palate that still calls for more bottle aging. Old World in its classic dryness, this highly concentrated Opus One really shines on its vibrant, slowly building back end, where the broad, dusty tannins caress and saturate the palate and allow the fruits and minerals to build. A wine of outstanding depth, clarity, finesse of grain and class; it's hard to imagine that this site could give more. Long-time winemaking director Michael Silacci noted that the estate did not strip leaves prior to the brutal August heat spike.

96 POINTS

Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

Did a vertical of Opus One last week including 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. I’ll review a few of them, but not all, lest I drive CM insane with rage. The 2007, 2010 and 2012 (current release) were my favourite wines, with this one maybe being first among equals. Opus One is the joint venture between Rothchild and Mondavi, established 1979. Cabernet Sauvignon 84%, Cabernet Franc 5.5%, Merlot, 5.5%, Petit Verdot 4%, and Malbec 1% Importer: Airoldi Black fruit with a tea and violet perfume – you can almost smell the tannin to come – fine spiced oak a big player, but well folded in. Medium bodied, dense and tannic with layers of ironstone/graphite minerality, gentle sandiness to the tannin on a very long finish. Engaging. So muscular and commanding, yet sleek and seductive. Great wine. 96 or 97 points.

95 POINTS

Wine Spectator

"It was tae kwon do with mother nature in 2010," says Silacci. "We had everything thrown at us—heat, rain. A challenging year, but we found out we could pick earlier than we thought." The wine is focused, with a cassis and cherry paste core, supported by chalky minerality at first, changing to iron through the finish. Lots of savory flecks hang in the end, with the fruit easily keeping pace. Still quite young. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.—Non-blind Opus One vertical (September 2019). Best from 2022 through 2038. 26,000 cases made.

95 POINTS

Jane Anson - Decanter Magazine

Very much a young wine in its primary stage, this is silky and powerful and tasted excellent during this vertical, despite 2010 being an extremely difficult vintage for winemaker Michael Silacci. The year got off to a cool start, followed by a heatwave - the grapes at Opus escaped the shrivelling that much of Napa saw because of leaf cover. There are still plenty of signposts towards a hot summer - olive paste, rosemary, garrigue and liquorie notes, gorgeous ground coffee bean edging, and an excellent layer of freshness that picks things up on the finish and stops it being overly powerful. I like years in Napa that have a little fault in them - too much perfection with the natural generosity of Napa can make for an overly powerful wine, and I celebrate the nuances here. 1% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 19 days skin contact.