LAST TASTED 3/94 A youthful medium to dark ruby color is followed by a spicy, compact, pleasant nose of black fruits, vanillin, and a touch of cedar. Medium-bodied, with fine concentration, adequate acidity, and moderate tannin, this wine offers above average, straightforward drinking. More complexity (which I doubt will emerge given the wine's modest proportions) and additional extraction would have been beneficial. Once again, the quality of my tasting notes for Opus One has declined with age.

Tasted from magnum. Mature, with nutty oxidized flavors that turn dry and astringent. A touch of minty currant peeks through, but this one is dried out.--California Cabernet '74/'84/'94 retrospective. 10,000 cases made. -JL