Opus One began with a handshake in 1978 between two of wine most famous names. Robert Mondavi of Napa and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild set out to make one wine, a New World first growth, from the gravelly soils of Oakville.

A transatlantic partnership

The idea took shape over years of conversation between Mondavi and the Baron. Their first joint harvest came in 1979, and the debut 1979 and 1980 vintages were released together in 1984. The name nods to a musical opus, a single work of art rather than a portfolio.

The striking semicircular winery, finished in 1991, sits low in the Oakville landscape like a modern temple. Michael Silacci has led winemaking and viticulture since 2003, treating vineyard and cellar as one continuous craft.

One wine, made once a year, conceived as a New World first growth.

The Oakville estate

Opus One farms estate vineyards in the Oakville heart of the valley, including parcels next to the historic To Kalon ground. Deep gravel and clay loams, warm days, and cool bay driven nights produce Cabernet of depth and precision.

The estate is farmed with meticulous attention to each block and row, with viticulture and winemaking run as a single discipline.

The wines

Opus One makes essentially one wine each year, a Cabernet Sauvignon dominant Bordeaux blend rounded with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. A second wine, Overture, is a multi vintage blend from the same estate fruit. The style is seamless and age worthy, built for decades in the cellar.

What to pour it with

This is a wine for the center of the table. Its firm tannins and cassis core meet a dry aged steak, braised short ribs, or roast leg of lamb beautifully, the protein and fat taming the structure while the wine length carries the meal. Give a young vintage several hours in a decanter, or cellar it and wait.

Opus One: common questions