Review: Wines of Opolo, 2026 Releases
Opolo‘s 2026 releases have started arriving, and we’re tucking into five offerings from this Paso Robles operation — surely with more to come as the year stretches on. Let’s dive in.
2023 Opolo Rhapsody Willow Creek District – Designed as a Left Bank style Bordeaux, heavy on Cabernet Sauvignon and blended with Petit Verdot, Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Soft and distant at first blush but increasingly approachable as it develops in glass, an initially doughy character giving way to layered currant and blueberry notes, followed by some earthier elements, first clove, then anise, then dark chocolate. Still quite tannic on the finish, my expectation is that this wine will develop as it ages in cellar to more fully realize its fruitier side. Even now it is drinking with a lively approachability, and a quick decanting can quickly get it up to speed. A- / $60
2023 Opolo Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Collection Willow Creek District – Initially dense with currants and cherry notes, this hefty cab soon opens up to showcase brighter fruit — particularly juicy orange plus flowery blossoms, layered with vanilla and milk chocolate. The tannin structure has developed well here already, giving the wine an edge of rhubarb and a light anise quality, leading to a darker, more acidic orange-chocolate character on the finish, with touches of earthy graphite lingering. While I’d normally say a wine like this demands a heavy steak dinner as a companion, I paired it with pan-roasted salmon, and it acquitted itself just fine. A few more years in cellar may help develop things further, however. A- / $50
2023 Opolo Willow Cuvee Reserve Collection Willow Creek District – Opolo’s Right Bank wine, predominantly Merlot, plus Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Dense and jammy, this is a brazenly fruit-forward wine that melds extracted plums and currants with bittersweet chocolate. Plenty of vanilla in syrup give the wine an exuberant sweetness, though time in glass helps everything to settle into a more spice-forward groove. Touches of anise and cinnamon emerge on the finish, and although it’s not nearly as complex as the Rhapsody bottling, it still acquits itself admirably. B+ / $50
2023 Opolo Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles – A slightly jammier version of the Reserve cabernet, this expression is massive with currants and blackberries before delving into notes of chocolate and vanilla. The more citrus-forward fruit of the Reserve Collection wine is almost absent here, save for a hint of orange peel that lingers on the finish, but otherwise this acquits itself as a simpler but wholly approachable wine, ready for by-the-glass service for those who want a more decadent aperitif to get them prepped for a night of prime rib. Certainly a more than solid option given the price. B+ / $42
2024 Opolo Merlot Summit Creek – The only miss in this lineup, this merlot is blown out with extracted fruit, dense with Hershey’s syrup poured over raspberries and currants. Coffee notes build on the dense, unctuous finish, with layers of toasted coconut at times making the wine approach the flavors of an underbaked Black Forest cake. B- / $22
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