Opus One

Opus One is a joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi, created to produce a single Bordeaux-style blend based on Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The genesis of the collaboration can be traced to 1970 at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii, where the two men met for the first time. The joint venture was formally announced in 1980, and the first vintage was vinified in 1979 at Robert Mondavi Winery under the joint direction of Lucien Sionneau and Timothy Mondavi. The wine was referred to as Napamedoc until October 1983, when Baron Philippe, a great lover of music, suggested the name Opus One.

• The 1979 and 1980 vintages were released simultaneously in 1984 as the winery's inaugural public offering, priced at $50 per bottle and creating a new ultra-premium tier for California wine
• Before the public release, a case of the 1979 vintage sold for $24,000 at the inaugural Napa Valley Wine Auction in 1981, then the highest price ever paid for California wine
• Early vintages through 1990 were produced at Robert Mondavi Winery; in 1980, Mondavi sold 35 acres of To Kalon Vineyard to the joint venture to serve as the backbone of the blend
• In 2004, Constellation Brands acquired Robert Mondavi Winery; an agreement was reached with Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. to continue Opus One as a 50/50 joint venture

Opus One farms four estate-owned vineyards entirely within the western portion of the Oakville AVA, one of Napa Valley's most prized sub-appellations for Cabernet Sauvignon. Two parcels, totaling 100 acres, lie within the legendary To Kalon Vineyard; these are complemented by the Ballestra and River parcels, which cover a combined 70 acres and envelop the winery. The Oakville AVA benefits from a temperate Mediterranean climate, moderated by morning fog and afternoon breezes from San Pablo Bay, while gravelly, well-drained alluvial loam soils on the western side provide ideal conditions for Bordeaux varieties. This combination of warm days, cool nights, and low-fertility soils encourages balanced ripening and concentrated fruit.

• Oakville AVA soils on the western side are primarily sedimentary gravelly alluvial loams, with low to moderate fertility and good drainage, stressing the vines just enough for concentration
• The Oakville AVA climate is moderately warm, with daytime summer temperatures in the mid-90s F, yet still strongly affected by night and early morning fog that helps preserve acidity
• Opus One's estate vineyards are planted to all five Bordeaux red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec
• The winery practices both hand-harvesting and modern techniques where appropriate, including night harvesting to preserve freshness and avoid oxidation

Guided by the vision of the founders, winemaker Michael Silacci combines intuition and technical precision with the dual perspective of viticulturist and winemaker. Because Opus One makes only one wine, each of its approximately 40 stainless steel fermentation tanks can be dedicated to a single vineyard lot, and none need to be rushed during harvest. Every cluster of grapes is hand-harvested, transported in small picking boxes holding no more than 35 pounds, hand-sorted, and moved only by gravity from the destemmer into the tanks below. After fermentation, the wine undergoes fining in tank using fresh egg whites, which attract fine suspended particles and clarify the wine naturally.

• The 2021 vintage saw 19 days of skin contact, followed by approximately 19.5 months aging in 100% new French oak barrels before bottling
• After roughly 18 months in barrel, the wine is bottled and then receives an additional 18 months of bottle age before release, totaling approximately three years from harvest to market
• Fining with fresh egg whites occurs after the final racking in tank, clarifying and polishing the wine without harsh processing
• Blending decisions draw on all five Bordeaux red varieties, with proportions varying each vintage to best reflect that year's growing conditions

Opus One occupies a unique position in the fine wine world as California's most widely recognized prestige estate, often described informally as a California First Growth. While it holds no formal classification, its combination of pedigree, consistent quality, and global recognition has earned it that distinction among peers. The 2021 vintage received 100 points from Jane Anson, 99 points from both James Suckling and Jeb Dunnuck, underscoring the estate's modern critical standing. The wine is distributed in over 80 countries, making it one of Napa Valley's most internationally recognized exports.

• The 2021 Opus One is composed of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% each of Merlot and Malbec; it received 100 points from Jane Anson and 99 points from James Suckling and Jeb Dunnuck
• Since 1993, the estate has produced a second wine called Overture, a Bordeaux-style red blend made from lots not selected for the flagship wine; Overture is now released as a vintage-dated wine
• For a period, Opus One was the most expensive California wine; the 2014 vintage retailed for $325 per bottle
• Annual production is approximately 25,000 cases, with the wine sold in over 80 countries worldwide

The Opus One winery building, designed by architect Scott Johnson of Johnson Fain (then Johnson, Fain & Pereira), was constructed between 1989 and 1991 in Oakville, directly across State Route 29 from the Robert Mondavi Winery. The design blends neoclassical European elements with modern California aesthetics, using Texas limestone for the facade. Its most distinctive feature is a crescent-shaped earthen berm that conceals much of the structure, allowing it to blend seamlessly into the vineyard landscape. At the heart of the building is a tranquil central courtyard framed by ancient olive trees. The semi-circular Grand Chai barrel hall beneath the winery holds the aging wine in a climate-controlled environment.

• The architectural design competition was won by Scott Johnson in 1984; groundbreaking took place in July 1989 and the facility was completed and inaugurated in 1991
• The winery features approximately 40 stainless steel fermentation tanks, visible from upper-level viewing areas, and a semi-circular Grand Chai barrel room that wraps around the lower level
• Johnson Fain returned to complete a 58,000 square foot expansion of the winery, adding new production spaces, administrative offices, and enhanced visitor facilities
• The building's low-profile, introverted design was conceived to sit in harmony with the valley floor terrain, with a classical allure that reflects the Franco-American identity of the estate

Opus One fundamentally changed the landscape of American fine wine when its inaugural 1979 and 1980 vintages were released in 1984, creating a new ultra-premium category for California wine and demonstrating that Napa Valley could compete with the great estates of Bordeaux. Its founders' ambition was to create a single exceptional wine, and that singular focus has remained the guiding principle of the estate across every vintage. By the 1990s, Opus One had become the first California cult wine to achieve widespread sales in Asia and Europe. Today it stands as one of Napa Valley's most globally recognized brands, a benchmark for Bordeaux-style winemaking in the New World.

• The 1985 vintage of Opus One was the first California wine to be exported internationally to France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
• In the 1990s, Opus One became the California wine most widely sold in Asia and Europe, helping to establish Napa Valley's global reputation
• Winemakers of the historic venture have included Lucien Sionneau, Patrick Leon, Timothy Mondavi, and Michael Silacci, each contributing to the estate's evolving style
• The estate's goal of restraint, balance, and age-worthiness distinguishes Opus One from many of the richer, more exuberant Napa Valley Cabernet styles