Opus One

Opus One estate wines: buy at the best price

Born from the exceptional meeting between two legends of wine, Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Californian Robert Mondavi, Opus One embodies the perfect marriage between Bordeaux tradition and the boldness of the Napa Valley. Nestled at the heart of the prestigious Oakville appellation, this Californian wine estate produces red wines of rare elegance, crafted from Bordeaux grape varieties and vinified with absolute precision. Recognized worldwide as one of the greatest wines of the New World, Opus One offers two exceptional cuvées, the eponymous fine wine and its second wine Overture, both built for ageing and acclaimed by enthusiasts and collectors alike.

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Opus One 1980 -10% DISCOUNT !
-10%
2 in stock
74826
Red
75cl
Damaged
89/100
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Outside France | Californie - Napa Valley

Opus One 1980 -10% DISCOUNT !

€864.00 inc-VAT per bottle €960.00 inc-VAT -10%
€720.00 ex-VAT

History of the Opus One Estate

The Opus One adventure began in 1970, during a meeting that has since become legendary at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the island of Hawaii. Robert Mondavi, a towering figure in California viticulture, and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, owner of the celebrated Château Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac, shared the same vision: to create together a fine wine capable of rivalling the first classified growths of the Médoc, but in the exceptional terroir of Napa Valley. After a decade of discussions and preparations, the project was officially announced in 1980, and the first vintage was produced in 1979, from the grapes of the legendary To Kalon vineyard that Mondavi owned in the AVA of Oakville.

First named Napamédoc, the wine took the definitive name of Opus One in 1982, a reference to a composer's opus, underlining the unique and accomplished nature of this first joint work. The first vintage was unveiled to the public in 1984 and marked a historic milestone for American viticulture. Between 1989 and 1991, the estate built its iconic Texas limestone winery, blending neoclassical colonnades and a steel rotunda, an architectural symbol of the dialogue between the Old and New Worlds. Today led by winemaker Michael Silacci, Opus One remains faithful to its founders' original vision: to produce a single Fine Wine (now joined by the second wine Overture) of timeless quality.

Terroirs and Vineyards of the Opus One Estate

The Opus One vineyards extend over approximately 170 acres (nearly 70 hectares) in the western part of the Oakville appellation, considered one of the most prestigious terroirs in Napa Valley. The estate is composed of four distinct plots, two of which are located within the legendary To Kalon vineyard, totalling approximately 100 acres, complemented by the Ballestra and River plots that surround the winery. This mosaic of well-drained alluvial soils, inherited from ancient flows of the Napa River, offers a geological diversity conducive to the complexity of the wines.

The Mediterranean climate of Oakville, with its warm sunny days and nights cooled by marine breezes from San Pablo Bay, ensures a slow and harmonious ripening of the grapes. The grape varieties reflect the Bordeaux DNA of the estate, with a dominance of Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Viticulture is conducted according to rigorous organic principles, with precise canopy management, controlled yields, and manual harvesting plot by plot, in absolute respect for the terroir.

Winemaking at the Opus One Estate

Winemaking at Opus One combines Bordeaux expertise with Californian innovation, in a gravity-flow winery designed to preserve the integrity of the fruit. Each plot — and even each row of vines — is vinified separately in order to capture the singularity of each micro-terroir. The grapes are sorted by hand, gently destemmed, then conveyed by gravity into stainless steel tanks of varying sizes, where alcoholic fermentation takes place with selected yeasts. Extended macerations of several weeks allow for a gentle extraction of tannins and aromas.

After malolactic fermentation, the wines are aged for approximately 18 months in new French oak barrels sourced from several partner cooperages. The final blends are determined following meticulous tasting work, selecting only the lots worthy of the Opus One Fine Wine, with the remaining cuvées directed toward Overture. This precision, combined with regular racking and gentle clarification, gives rise to wines of great aromatic purity, endowed with a silky tannic structure and a remarkable ageing potential, capable of developing for two to three decades in the cellar.

The Cuvées of the Opus One Estate

Opus One, the estate's eponymous Fine Wine, is the fruit of a masterful blend of five Bordeaux grape varieties, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (generally between 80 and 95% depending on the vintage), complemented by Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. This exceptional red wine is distinguished by its deep colour and complex nose combining blackcurrant, blackberry, violet, graphite, cedar, tobacco, and subtle notes of cocoa and gentle spice derived from ageing in new French oak barrels. On the palate, it unfolds a dense and velvety texture, fine and silky tannins, remarkable freshness, and a long, mineral, and persistent finish. Regarded as one of the greatest wines of Napa Valley, Opus One offers an ageing potential of 20 to 30 years, or even longer for the finest vintages.

Overture, created in 1993 in the tradition of the second wines of the great Bordeaux châteaux, is the estate's second cuvée. Crafted from the same plots as the fine wine and with the same extreme care during vinification, it is derived from lots selected for their slightly different aromatic profile, more marked by red fruits, herbaceous notes, and a creamy texture with softer tannins. Long commercialised without a vintage, Overture became a vintage-dated cuvée from 2021 onwards, underscoring the importance of the character of each vintage. It reveals aromas of cherry, plum, blackcurrant, rose petal, cocoa, cedar, and vanilla, with an ample, fresh, and approachable palate. Aged for approximately 19 months in French oak barrels, Overture is a generous and elegant wine, ready to be enjoyed earlier than Opus One while offering a fine ageing potential of 10 to 15 years.

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