The label has, at times, divided critics. In November 2013 a buyer from mainland China spent $165,000 on a 100-case ‘instant collection’ of vintages ranging from 1997 to 2005. There’s an appetite among collectors, too. Prices have risen steadily higher: the average bottle price in 2007 was £100, in mid-2018 it was almost three times that at £284. Not that this detracts from its value, of course. Still, it’s a good thing, then, that unlike many other Napa wineries, the estate has ample production (25,000 cases/year) to keep its fans satisfied. Interestingly, it wasn’t until relatively recently, in 2012, that Opus One opened a sales and distribution office in Bordeaux – a surprisingly late development considering joint owner Mouton Rothschild operates a major Bordeaux negociant company. Opus One enjoys global appreciation, with a keen following in particular in Japan and France. Nowadays the estate it is owned jointly by Constellation Brands and Baronne Philippe de Rothschild S.A., and continues to enjoy worldwide acclaim. Four years before Robert Mondavi’s death in 2008, he relinquished his share in Opus One and sold it to wine conglomerate Constellation Brands. The brand quickly established itself as a leading Californian label, both at home and abroad.Īfter a long career at the helm of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Philippe de Rothschild died in 1988 at the age of 86, succeeded by his daughter Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. Its immediate success showed the founders their partnership had legs, and in the same year more acres were added to the Opus One venture, and design began on their architecturally-progressive winery. Released in 1984, it was the most expensive Californian wine of the time, costing a then-unprecedented $50 per bottle. Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe Rothschild became friends in 1970, and combined their winemaking nous in 1979 to create a vintage that was an instant hit with wine lovers on both sides of the Atlantic. If you’re someone who doesn’t feel comfortable with a price tag over a couple of hundred bucks, but you’d like to splurge a bit, Overture is a very nice option.Like so many Napa wineries, the history of Opus One is short, but it packs a punch, born of two legendary winemaking families: Mondavi and Mouton Rothschild. Overture isn’t cheap, but at about $80 a bottle most of us are a lot more likely to be able to afford multiples. With the going rate of about $235 a bottle, not many people can afford that. I wouldn’t mind having cases upon cases of it resting in my cellar.

Yes, the vintage Opus One is a fabulous wine with a lot going on. It is well balanced with some earthiness and a hint of baking spices.

On the palate are some nice dark fruit, specifically black cherry and currant, as well as some tobacco. The color is a medium purple and has a wonderful aroma of chocolate-covered cherries. I decanted this wine for about an hour before pouring. We had a tasting at Opus One a couple of years ago, and had purchased a bottle then. Overture is only available at the winery or on their website. While their signature wine is called Opus One, their second wine is appropriately (especially if you’re a music enthusiast) called Overture. This happy marriage produces some of Napa’s finest wines. The winemaking, however, is modeled after the techniques of Bordeaux. They use grapes from some of the most well respected vineyards in Napa.

The other four Bordeaux varietals (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec) are also used. Founded as a joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and renowned Napa vintner Robert Mondavi, Opus One’s goal was to create a Bordeaux style blend based on Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Opus One is a winery in Napa that produces a second wine. Although these wines may not be as complex, balanced and sublime, they ARE a lot less expensive! It’s a great way to try big name Bordeaux or other famous wines without the big time price tag. Usually made by the same winemaker in pretty much the same way as the winery’s famous wine, the big difference is that the juice for the second wine is often from younger vines or the second press. What do they do with the remaining juice? Many of them make a second wine. Top wineries and chateaux blend together their best grapes’ juice to produce their best possible wine for the Grand Cru or “first wines”.

Opus one wine price