Opus One 2018 750 ml

A Napa Valley red blend built on Bordeaux bones, Opus One 2018 leads with 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, rounded out by Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a point of Malbec. The 2018 growing season ran long and even — steady weather through flowering, a patient harvest stretching from mid-September into late October — and the wine shows that calm: profuse blackberry, cassis and black cherry over violets, white pepper and rose petal. Eighteen days on the skins and 17 months in new French oak leave round, creamy tannins and a finish that keeps unspooling. The wine remains the benchmark of the Mondavi and Rothschild partnership. Cellar it for a decade without worry, or decant it an hour and serve it beside a ribeye tonight.

Red BlendNew French oak, 17 months · Napa Valley