Opus One 1989

Opus One 1989 — Napa Valley

This Opus One 1989 belongs to the estate’s early great era, when the wine expressed a very Bordeaux-inspired vision of Napa Valley: a blend almost entirely dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, built on structure, cedar, spice and an elegance that is more classical than overtly solar. The 1989 vintage was cool, with late rains delaying harvest and producing a wine that is more slender, firmer and less opulent than California’s ripest years.

Founded by Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Opus One has always aimed to unite the depth of Napa Valley with the discipline of a great Bordeaux-style wine. The 1989 illustrates this philosophy perfectly: a mature wine, shaped more by finesse, tertiary notes and silky texture than by massive concentration.

Terroir: Oakville, the noble heart of Napa Valley

Opus One is located in Oakville, at the heart of Napa Valley, an area especially renowned for Cabernet Sauvignon. The climate is warm during the day, yet the cooling influence from San Pablo Bay and the significant day-night temperature variation help preserve balance, aromatics and structure in the grapes.

Oakville’s well-drained soils are particularly well suited to the vine and encourage regular ripening of Cabernet Sauvignon. In the case of Opus One, this origin generally gives wines of cassis, blackberry, cedar, graphite, spice and polished tannins. In 1989, a cooler vintage, the terroir expresses itself with greater restraint: less fruit exuberance, but more tension, noble wood notes, cedar and spice.

Tasting notes

Appearance: evolved ruby to garnet, with brick reflections expected in a great Californian Cabernet of more than thirty years. The colour should remain relatively sustained if the bottle has been well stored, while showing the natural signs of maturity.

Nose: elegant and tertiary, with ripe cassis, blackberry, black plum, cedar, blond tobacco, cigar box, sweet spices, leather, dry earth and a touch of fallen leaves. The cool vintage gives a more slender profile, with less jammy richness and more noble wood, pepper and aromatic structure.

Palate: medium to full-bodied, supple, silky and now fully integrated. The wine does not have the intensity of some more immediately powerful vintages, but it retains gentle fruit, a confident texture and fine harmony. The finish develops around softened cassis, cedar, spice, tobacco, fine earth and a light noble dryness linked to the evolution of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Expression of the 1989 vintage

The 1989 vintage was marked by a cool growing season in Napa Valley. Late September and October rains delayed the harvest, giving wines that were less sugar-rich, more vigorous, firmer and more marked by cedar and spice. For Opus One, this results in a more classical, less opulent profile, with a straighter expression of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Today, this 1989 should be regarded as a wine to drink, with close attention paid to provenance and storage. A strong bottle will offer silky texture, still-gentle fruit and refined tertiary complexity. It should be opened carefully, tasted immediately and not exposed to excessive aeration.