Opus One 2016 Magnum (1,5l)

Product info about Opus One 2016 Magnum (1,5l)

Opus One 2016 in magnum is the kind of bottle that immediately brings a sense of occasion. This is the estate's flagship wine from Oakville in Napa Valley, made as a Bordeaux-inspired blend with Cabernet Sauvignon at its centre, supported by Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. The 1.5-litre magnum is not a separate cuvée, but it does give this vintage a particularly impressive presence.

The fruit comes from Opus One's estate vineyards in the western part of the Oakville AVA, including parcels within To Kalon Vineyard as well as the Ballestra and River parcels around the winery. The 2016 season followed another dry year in Northern California, yet Oakville received meaningful rainfall before March. Budbreak came early, August brought favourable ripening conditions, and harvest ran from 9 September to 12 October over 33 days.

Seventeen days of skin contact were followed by 18 months in new French oak. That gives a clear sense of the Opus One approach: Napa Valley depth shaped through a Bordeaux-style blend. The vintage was also very highly rated by James Suckling, Decanter, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck, adding further weight to its reputation.

At Drankenshop Broekmans, this is a bottle we would place among the serious red wines with a strong sense of origin and occasion. In magnum format, and with only the last bottles remaining, Opus One 2016 feels especially fitting for a memorable dinner, a carefully chosen gift or a cellar built around wines with proven stature.

Opus One 2016 shows a deep garnet to purple-red colour in the glass. The aroma brings together red and blue fruit, black cherry, cassis, blackberry and blueberry, with floral notes such as violet. New French oak appears through vanilla, cedar, toast and spice, while sage, rosemary, black olive, graphite, menthol, eucalyptus, cardamom, dark chocolate and espresso add further depth.

On the palate, the emphasis is on black fruit: black cherry, blackberry and cassis. The wine is full and concentrated, yet the tasting notes point to freshness and tension rather than heaviness. The tannins are ripe, fine-grained and creamy in texture, carrying a long finish with dark chocolate, espresso, spices and occasional cedar or graphite notes.