The joint venture between Mondavi and Baron Rothschild was announced in 1980, though plans for the winery had been developing between the two men since the early 1970s. The genesis of Opus One wine can be traced to 1970 at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii where Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild met for the very first time and began their collaboration to merge old world and new world wine styles into one grand opus. Since 1993, they have produced a second wine, Overture. In 1989 a new winery was built just down the road, the first vintage from the new winery was from 1991 and was released in 1994. For a while it was the most expensive Californian wine, and to date still ranks among the most expensive red wines produced in the Napa Valley, with the 2014 vintage retailing for $325 per bottle.
The first vintage, 1979 was released in 1984 at the same time as the 1980 vintage. The creation of this winery venture in 1980 was big news in the wine industry de Rothschild's involvement added an air of respectability to the burgeoning Napa wine region. It is located across State Route 29 from the Robert Mondavi Winery. The winery was founded as a joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi to create a single Bordeaux style blend based upon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was called napamedoc until 1982 when it was named Opus One. Opus One Winery is a winery in Oakville, California, United States. Dedicated to uncompromised quality, Opus One's sole purpose is to express this vision and passionate spirit for generations to come.Robert Mondavi co-founder Philippine de Rothschild, co-owner Michael Silacci, WinemakerĬabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot Opus One, like any great work, arose out of passion. By combining the great winemaking traditions and innovations of both families, the founders' singular goal was to create an exceptional wine in the heart of Napa Valley. Opus One was founded by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, legendary proprietor of Château Mouton Rothschild and renowned Napa Valley vintner Robert Mondavi. Through careful and precise management of the incoming fruit, harvest continued evenly until it was completed on October 20th. Picking started September 21st at the fresh fruit stage of ripeness to keep flavours bright and lively. At harvest, the fruit exhibited the classic style of our Oakville estate vineyards with incredible depth of flavour, layers of complexity and excellent structure. Mother Nature continued to favour the vintage with a superb growing season characterised by moderate temperatures and bountiful sunshine resulting in one of the valley's most exceptional vintages.
at 13-16 ☌Īfter a warm and dry winter, generous rains returned in March just in time for bud-break and provided the water needed for the rest of the year. This refined and age-worthy wine offers lively acidity and a sturdy structure with a long lingering finish. Palate: Round mouthfeel and satiny tannins wrap around classic flavours of cassis, blackberry and black cherry. Nose: Effuses dark fruit aromas accentuated by subtler notes of forest-floor and graphite