Luscious, nuanced, precise, love the power and cut glass quality to the tannins, crushed cherries, raspberry, sage, nectarine, black cherries, eucalyptus, long, drawn out and great quality. Harvest began on September 5, earlier than expected after a rainy start, but an exceptional August. 20 days skin contact, 100% new oak for ageing, Michael Silacci director.

A remarkable wine for the year, the 2017 Opus One is a dense, full-throttle beauty. Plush fruit and soft, silky contours give the 2017 its racy personality. Exotic, beautifully perfumed and impeccable in its balance, Opus One is one of the most complete wines of the vintage. In 2017, Opus One has a distinctly red-toned fruit profile that distinguishes it from the surrounding vintages.

Opus One had picked 91% of their fruit before the fires started in 2017, and only two lots were eliminated from consideration. The 2017 Opus One, bottled in July 2019, is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4.5% Merlot and 1% Malbec. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it slowly grows on the nose, revealing compelling notes of baked black cherries, mulberries, black raspberries, warm cassis and blackberry pie with nuances of spice cake, yeast extract, tapenade, licorice and dusty soil with a waft of wild sage. Medium-bodied, the palate has a lively skip in its step, featuring bags of juicy raspberry and cassis-laced fruit and a refreshing line, supported by ripe, plush tannins, finishing long and graceful.

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 1% Malbec. 20-day maceration and then aged for 17 months in 100% new French oak. Wet spring delayed flowering by two weeks and then came a very warm summer. Big heat spike early September shut down ripening for a while so the alcohol level is 'only' 14%. Picked from 5 September (a little 'earlier than expected') and 91% was harvested by 8 October when the fires started. (Two lots eventually were rejected.) 54% native yeast, of which the one they call Dog was the dominant one. They made about the usual quantity. Lustrous shaded garnet with some shading towards the rim. Interesting top note of tobacco with some candied fruit. Quite heady but well tamed. A combination of savoury and something as sweet and chalky as Edinburgh rock. Much livelier than the Overture just tasted , with tannin in evidence and a dry finish. Not a trace of smoke taint! Very mid Atlantic and really pretty sophisticated. Very appetising but quite youthful. Lightly angular and muscular. Drink with food now! May need to take on a little bit of puppy fat for perfection. (JR)