This experience is not for wine lovers seeking out white wines, sweet wines, or a range of different wines. Finally, this wine tasting experience is not for travelers seeking out small, independently owned wineries specializing in bespoke grape varieties.īefore purchasing the Opus One wine tasting or tour experience, you will need to consider the following: This experience is not ideal for wine enthusiasts looking for a fast, boisterous, casual tasting. Wine collectors who want to taste the current vintage of Opus One, one older vintage of Opus One, and/or the winery’s second label Overtureįans of architect Scott Johnson of Johnson, Fain & Pereiraįans of cult Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine Wine enthusiasts who want to see and taste the fruits of the historical collaboration between Napa’s Robert Mondavi and Bordeaux’s Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild It’s perfect for the following types of travelers: The Opus One tour is ideal for anyone interested in a luxury wine tasting experience. Things to Consider Before Purchasing an Opus One Tasting As the price of wine tours and wine tastings increases, we aim to help our fellow experience seekers know what to expect! In this blog, we’ve put together our insights on the renowned Opus One winery. As fellow wine enthusiasts and seasoned travelers, we understand that anonymous reviews in public travel forums often give little insight into the wine experience (and you often can’t gauge the experience of the person writing the review!). In those years, we have visited Opus One multiple times. Still a deluxe bottling, this is made from the fruit that does not make the cut for the flagship offering.We’re fortunate to have been visiting the Napa and Sonoma Wine Country for about ten years. After an additional year and a half in bottle, Opus One is released to the market.įrom 1993, following Bordeaux's tradition of second wines, Opus One began to make a second tier label, known as Overture. The wine is then aged in new French oak for a year and a half, during which time blending takes place. The grapes are hand-harvested, and gravity flow is used to get the fruit from the destemmer into stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Opus One is a single wine – a Bordeaux Blend sourced from the estate vineyards in Oakville, which include blocks of the famed To Kalon vineyard. Opus One's brand continued to grow considerably through the 1990s, particularly in markets outside of the United States, and in 2004, when Robert Mondavi Winery was acquired by Constellation Brands, Opus One also became part-owned by the multi-national company. It was released to the public in 1984, but had already attracted considerable attention, as a single case of the wine had sold for $24,000 at the first Napa Valley Wine Auction in 1981. The collaboration was conceived in the 1970s and then first realised in 1979, when the first vintage of Opus One was created. Opus One was the first premium California wine sold in Europe, and is one of the original 'Cult Cabernets', along with the likes of Harlan Estate and Screaming Eagle. The wine was initially established as a partnership between two of the biggest names in Bordeaux and Napa Valley: Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi.

Opus one wine prices