| Region of production: | Napa Valley AVA |
| Winery Location: | Oakville |
| Year Established: | 1979 |
Vineyard Holdings
74.5 ha
- To-Kalon „Q Block“: 14 ha
- To-Kalon „K Block“: 19,5 ha
- River Parcel Ranch: 20 ha
- Ballestra Vineyard: 20 ha
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Opus One: Inaugural vintage 1979.
- Overture (multi-vintage second wine)
Average Total Production
- 300,000 bottles
Summary
Opus One was formed in 1979 as a joint venture between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton-Rothschild. Mondavi’s son Tim collaborated with Mouton winemaker Lucien Sionneau on that first vintage, which debuted without a name at the 1981 Napa Valley Wine Auction. Under the „Opus One“ moniker, the 1979 and 1980 vintages were first released to the public in 1984. In 1981, the Opus One partnership acquired the To-Kalon „Q Block“ from Robert Mondavi Winery, and added several other nearby Oakville vineyard sources to its estate portfolio over the next four years. In 2008, Opus One purchased another block of To-Kalon, expanding its holdings in the vaunted Oakville vineyard to over 75 acres of vines. The estate has adopted a Bordeaux approach to viticulture, planting at high densities common in France, rather than the traditional wide-spacing of Californian vineyards. The vineyards are predominantly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine’s backbone, but all five principal Bordeaux varieties are represented at the estate.
After its debut, Opus One became a symbol of luxury winemaking in Napa Valley, but despite image and price the wines were sometimes overshadowed in the press by the rarer „cult“ Cabernets that emerged in the 1990s. In 2004, winemaking – always a joint effort between the two partners – was finally brought under the sole control of Michael Silacci. When Constellation Brands asserted control of Robert Mondavi Winery that same year, the company also gained Mondavi’s 50% share of Opus One, but the Rothschild family and Constellation Brands reached an accord affirming continued operating independence for the Opus One estate.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Today, Opus One spends about 18 months in barrel (100% new French oak) and 18 months in bottle prior to release to the public. The wine is often fined with egg white before bottling.
Producer Website: Opus One