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| | Vintage | 1996 |  Label 1 of 840 
 | | Type | Red | | Producer | Opus One (web) | | Variety | Red Bordeaux Blend | | Designation | n/a | | Vineyard | n/a | | Country | USA | | Region | California | | SubRegion | Napa Valley | | Appellation | Napa Valley | | UPC Code(s) | 011699009694, 753604061969, 753604062034, 753604062041, 753604062058, 753604062096, 753604062102, 753604062959, 753604062966, 753604062973, 753604062980, 753604062997, 8133064062966 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.3 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 261 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by ONEFIVE on 2/25/2024: Showing a bit of age with some bricking at the edge.
Tobacco, dark red fruit, pencil shavings, and a bit of vanilla bean. There is a slight bit of brett but this is a fairly clean bottle.
Med weight, med acid, med tannin.
There is some subtlety to this wine that is quite enjoyable however, it feels the fruit needs some coaxing to come out on the palate. Should improve with air, will update if it doesn't. Drink now and over the next 10 years.
Update: opened up nicely. Still a bit bretty but the fruit came around with air. Nice bottle. (639 views) | | | Tasted by Jhalpern27 on 10/7/2023 & rated 94 points: Thanks to my friend Kim who put together a flight of 95,96,97,98,99 Opus and paired with several Waygu prepared by our friend Steve. Oh What a night, spectacular food paired with an amazing Vertical that will most likely not be repeated by our group. This wine performed amazing tonite, but just missed being the WOTN to the 95 by a hair (1400 views) | | | Tasted by toppcats@aol.com on 8/6/2023 & rated 95 points: Revisiting this wine. Cork noted to be soft but intact/ bottle level ok. Cork removed via Durand intact with no evidence of seepage. Musty initial aroma. Wine decanted, minimal sediment noted. Color - dark garnet with no bricking, out to translucent border in glass. Nose - tertiary notes predominant, mainly with tobacco, leather, and forest floor along with dried herbs and dark fruit. Fruit elements seemed more in the background on this particular bottle. Mouthfeel - silky with medium body. Palate mostly echoed the nose with the sense of less fruit element and more of the tertiary notes. Tannins were present, soft, and leading into a drying finish. After about 60 minutes, fruit elements strengthened on nose and palate, nice tertiary complexity continued, and tannins were less drying on the finish. Slight variation from prior bottle - still excellent! - gave same overall score. (1601 views) | | | Tasted by MISTER17.5 on 7/8/2023 & rated 99 points: Fabulous aged Bordeaux nose. Gained complexity over the 4 hours it was open. Very silky mouthfeel. The tannins were soft but still present. I’m not even a fan of Opus and this was amazing. It may have changed my mind (1728 views) | | | Tasted by toppcats@aol.com on 4/26/2023 & rated 95 points: Overall - excellent. Not decanted. Initial nose of black fruit with slight barnyard scent which evolved to a more full fruity nose after open about an hour along notes of forest floor leaf scent and leather. Nice complexity between the fruit and tertiary components from aging. Silky texture on palate with great mouth feel. Well structured with presence of fruit, soft but present tannins, and good acidity. Taste is that of a nicely mature bordeaux but with more fruit presence than in the comparable aged bordeaux I've recently had. Drinking window is still open, and with some time yet to go, with this wine. (2197 views) | | | Tasted by Genius Light on 12/31/2022 & rated 99 points: Simply beautiful—elegant, complex, so lush in aroma & symphony of tastes that it is magnificent. Opened for New Year’s Eve with prime aged N.Y. steak, baked potato & broccoli rabe. Pristine cork, minimal sediment. Wonderful. 99+ (2536 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 9/3/2022 & rated 93 points: No notes taken. This was so far the weakest bottle of Opus 1996 I’ve had. It had less substance, less tertiary aromas, less fruit, less precision, less tension and verve than it usually has (I’ve rated the best bottle of this up to 98 & 99 pts in the past few years). Still, this was a very good wine, as round and Bordeaux-esque as California gets with a fine structure, not too ripe fruit and beautiful tertiary aromas. (3526 views) | | | Tasted by Benoit Hardy on 1/28/2022 & rated 95 points: Very precise nose on black fruits, truffles, leather and undergrowth.
The mouth is, for those who like Bordeaux classicism, a magnificent model of the genre. It's elegant, structured and fresh, with that touch of Napa Valley opulence. The attack is fresh, with a remarkable purity of forest fruit, before attacking an exemplary complexity that reveals itself in layers: truffles, then tobacco, then herbaceous notes and leather. The acidity of this wine is superb, it envelops the juice with delicacy, allowing it to vibrate and fully express itself. The tannins are totally melted and carry a nice delicate finish on the cigar, which I would have liked more impactful compared to a high-end ensemble.
Excellent, yet another proof that Californian wines, when they are well balanced (the wine does not exceed 13.5 ° alcohol here), age admirably well. The cork, although cracked, was of very good quality. (4024 views) | | | Tasted by Kevnzworld on 1/15/2022 & rated 94 points: PNP.
Funk on the nose
Dark berries , soy and tobacco , barnyard, mushrooms, with good mouthfeel . The tertiary flavors begin to dominate the wine an hour in, but not necessarily in a negative way.
This wine paired well with pasta with meat ragu. (3503 views) | | | Tasted by Leinike on 12/27/2021 & rated 92 points: A bit past its prime but still nice strawberry, a bit of leather. Drink now if you have this. (3249 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 12/14/2021 & rated 98 points: This vintage of Opus continuous to deliver the highest form of pleasure. I’ve said it many times, this is the perfect marriage between Bordeaux (all the structuredness, freshness and tertiary expression) and Napa Valley (a touch of that extra sweetness). The complexity and precision are off the charts, the impeccable balance is the other highlight. This is definitely a wine for Bordeaux lovers too. Only the 1997 Opus ranks as high (on CT) as this in the past few years but in my opinion, the 96 is the better wine to drink today as it has more tertiary aromas (the 97 will get there in 5-10 years). This was my WOTN in a strong line-up with the legendary Bryant 1994 (97 pts), SQN Just for the Love of it 2002 (97 pts), Sloan 2016 (94 pts) and Penfolds 707 1998 (94 pts).
TN:. Very expressive and intense on the nose and palate with layers and layers of the purest tertiary aromas with black truffles, wet forest floor, leather and tobacco, with time some barnyard aromas and hints of brett; a strong fruit core with ripe but still fresh and pure forest berries of all shades from blue to black to red. A wonderful sweetness perfectly matched by all the before-mentioned tertiary aromas as well as an intense minerality layer. Complex and with very high precision. Impeccable structure with fine tannins, medium high and well-integrated acidity, wonderful creaminess but overall with a quite fresh and light feel. Long and intense finish. Good tension. This wine has a great balance and is complete.
Decanting: Not decanted, good from the go, improved a touch with air but no extensive decanting necessary (other bottles needed one to two hours to fully open up).
Glass: Zalto Universal (3875 views) | | | Tasted by WineGuyFL on 9/18/2021 & rated 93 points: Decanted for one and a half hours. The cork crumbled. This bottle was a little off from one consumed in 2020. I have had about this time as the back end of my drink window. I am going to stick with that......one bottle left. (2804 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 8/24/2021 & rated 96 points: No notes taken. Another stunning bottle of this perfectly mature beauty. This is drinking like a high-end Medoc wine with a touch of this extra fruit sweetness as the only differentiator. This has it all: complex aroma profile with plenty of pure, fresh, slightly sweet forest berries, lots of earthy and herbal notes, intense layer of mature Claret aromas with tobacco, leather and truffles, high aromatic precision, very fine structure with lots of tension, good length, superb balance. I’ve rated some bottles higher in the past (up to 99 pts) as this bottle was a tad less mature (and hence the subtle sweetness was less in check) and a tiny bit less precision. Nevertheless a great experience.
Decanting: Not decanted, good from the go.
Glass: Conterno Sensory (2710 views) | | | Tasted by VinCA on 7/30/2021 flawed bottle: Corked. All in all, disappointing. Drank with 01 Montelena and 01 Monte Bello (2068 views) | | | Tasted by Ebrim on 7/25/2021 & rated 93 points: Blackcurrant, ceder tree, cigar, bellpepper, fantastic nose, medium ripe tannins, very well balanced, medium+ complex, very typical, medium finish. and outstanding quality 93p (1941 views) | | | Tasted by P.A. Cross on 7/23/2021: Very interesting wine...strong saddle/leather notes upon opening. poured a splash and let it sit for an hour or so and it really started to open up. Color is brickish, red. Some dried berry fruit and really great richness, but more into the savory side of the spectrum. Herbs, leather, coffee, earth, with a very nice length. Very slight dry tannin on a really long finish. The wine is full of flavor and really fun to drink, but I would suggest that it's best days are behind it. (1862 views) | | | Tasted by Mneumeier on 5/5/2021 & rated 93 points: Drank great. Would recommend PnP (1898 views) | | | Tasted by Redfish on 3/28/2021 & rated 95 points: Pretty stunning wine. Beautiful dense mix of fresh and stewed fruits. Some fig, leather, tobacco, and a long smooth finish. Just superb. (1986 views) | | | Tasted by LeChien on 3/27/2021 & rated 96 points: Excellent experience! Perfectly balanced, full of dark fruits, blackberry, black cherry and blackcurrant. Smooth and long finish. (1789 views) | | | Tasted by Doubleten on 3/23/2021 & rated 97 points: Decided to organize our version of "The Judgement of Paris" on the occasion of my son's 25th birthday. Tonight's contenders were the 1996 Opus One vs 1996 Leoville Las Cases.
I decanted the Opus for 1 hr and the LLC for 2hrs prior to the initial tasting. Both wines had very little sediment. It is interesting to note the clear differences between corks. While the LLC's cork was intact, the Opus was clearly in decay and not well sealed. One would therefore expect the Opus to be further evolved and more oxidized even though both exhibited ideal ullage.
The wines were followed through the night, a process which is still continuing. Right off the bat the Opus seemed past peak, giving off some musty aromas and predominantly mellowed red fruit and color. In contrast, the LLC was dark purple with no signs of age, and had a more restrained blue fruit profile, with camphor like aromas emerging after 30 minutes.
It was a race between the two all night long, with the Opus taking an early lead, followed by the LLC as it opened up, followed by the Opus as its fruit came through strongly.
After 5 hrs, both wines started falling apart in the glass at room temperature, and the fruit began receding. Based on tonight's experience, I would decant the Opus for 2 hrs and the LLC 3 hrs.
The Opus has reached it peak and should be drunk now. It offers an appealing combination of Napa style fruit with Bordeaux like tertiary flavors. The LLC should be in its prime drinking stage in 3-5 yrs. It is a cooler, more formal and aristocratic wine. Although different, they were both evenly matched tonight to the point where it was difficult to pick a winner. The Opus was the sprinter, while the LLC was the marathon runner. Our version of the Judgement of Paris ended up in a draw. I would probably choose the Opus One at to drink at very moment, as it was a little prettier tonite. (2005 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 3/13/2021 & rated 93 points: 1996 Tasting (Andre and Sabine's House, Mountain View, CA): Nose: 93 Palate: 93
My #2, Group's #4 (66 pts). Tasted blind. (2222 views) | | | Tasted by pleigh on 1/17/2021 & rated 98 points: What an amazing experience. Perfect blend of signature bordeaux with the fruit profile of napa. Excellent nose developing tertiary aromas as it evolved in the glass. Sweet center of berries with perfect blend of earth tobacco and leather. Elegant yet loud. Just smashing. (2269 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 12/30/2020 & rated 99 points: I’ve had this Opus 1996 many times over the past years and it keeps getting better (and I keep buying more). This bottle was the best so far and one of the wines of 2020. The wines marries the elegance, tertiary aromatics of a great Bordeaux with Napa’s sweeter fruit profile but in case of the Opus 96 it still remains in the very fresh black and blue spectrum. There is so much tension, a perfectly soft structure and not a shred of excess weight. I’ve (along many others who tasted this gem in the past few years) rated it consistently between 95 to 97 points, but this bottle deserves a 99+ points rating as it had a bit more of everything.
TN: Expressive nose with layers and layers of tertiary aromas with fresh and aged tobacco, herbs, forest floor, and dark fruits. Intense, highly precise and very harmonious. An even stronger and more complex palate with so much tobacco, forest floor, leather, black truffles, crushed rocks, herbs, spices on one hand, and all the balanced off by a ripe but in no way too ripe, very fresh and attractively sweet core of blackberries, blueberries, black currant along some chocolate notes. Creamy, fresh and light (but not weightless) texture with a wall of fine tannins and a high, well-integrated acidity. Very long and intense finish.
Decanting: Decanted for one hours which was perfect. Bottles before needed more. (3465 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 12/11/2020 & rated 97 points: Tasted blind. I had a hunch this could be a Dominus/Opus from the 90ies, but ended up guessing 82 / 85 right bank Bordeaux – once again wrong. Amazing aging notes of tobacco, a bag of dried foliage with a meaty and fleshy character. A beautifully fresh red berry fruit surrounding a more blue berries type center. Sweet toasty notes and elements of wood. Hints of spice. Perfectly balanced in the palate with fresh, bright berry fruit along with tobacco, leather and milk chocolate. Multi-faceted on the nose, layered palate with a velvety softness. Not much more you could wish for. I've had the 1996 5 times in the last 3 years with incredible consistency: 3x 96, 1x 95 and this time probably the best bottle yet with 97 (also the one with the most evolved aging notes) which put this on equal footing with the 1997. (2408 views) | | | Tasted by cephomer on 12/8/2020 & rated 96 points: Drank from magnum over the past two nites. Didn't decant, and didn't need to. Very expressive nose of tobacco, leather & black fruit on the first nite, but faded slightly on day 2. Medium to full-bodied, still with excellent levels of black fruit--currant, blackberries and blueberries. With such excellent structure and balance, this wine was extremely well-preserved and likely would've lasted another few years easily. Wonderfully complex with notes of forest floor, tobacco, leather, lead pencil and a hint of cedar. Yes, this wine is very left bank Bordeaux-like (I would've had a hard time distinguishing it from Bdx, tho it might have a touch more sweet/ripe fruit than would a '96 Bdx equivalent). Fantastically long with soft, smooth tannins that are not yet quite resolved. This wine is smooth and elegant with an extremely pleasant mouthfeel, yet simultaneously muscular and powerful. It's a sexy, wonderfully complex and intense package that is drinking just great. I am really impressed that a wine of such character, flavor and complexity could come from Napa after some 24 years. (I would never have believed it if I hadn't experienced it myself). Fabulous bottle that I thoroughly enjoyed, and was extremely sad after I swallowed my last sip.
Btw, had this wine once before in 2011 and it has improved dramatically since that time. Hence, a perfect example of why it's often best to leave wines like this alone for years, letting them accumulate bottle age enabling them to blossom into a beauty like this '96 surely became. Great wine! (2130 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jane Anson
Decanter, Opus One vertical (9/13/2019)
(Opus One, Napa Valley, Oakville, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Opus One – Past, Present and Future: 1979-2012 (Jun 2013)
(Opus One Opus One) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/1/2004)
(Opus One Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2000, IWC Issue #90
(Opus One Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By William Kelley
Decanter
(Opus One, Napa Valley, Oakville, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (9/6/2012)
(Opus One) Bricking dark red violet color; appealing, mature, tobacco, cedar, tart currant nose; mature, tobacco, cedar, tart currant palate; medium-plus finish 92 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Opus One Producer website
Château Mouton Rothschild winemaker Lucien Sionneau and Robert Mondavi’s son Timothy made the partnership’s first vintage at the Robert Mondavi Winery in 1979. The following year the partners officially announced their joint venture.
In 1981 a single case of the joint venture wine sold for $24,000 at the first Napa Valley Wine Auction – the highest price ever paid for a California wine. In 1982 Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild began label design. The partners agreed to choose a name of Latin origin for the joint venture, allowing for easy recognition in both English and French. Baron Philippe announced his choice, “Opus,” a musical expression denoting the first masterwork of a composer. Two days later he proposed an additional word: “Opus One”.Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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