Opus One

Opus one was he brainchild of Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Mouton-Rothschild to merge Bordeaux and California wine style into one wine. Mondavi sold 14 hectares of his Te Kalon vineyard in Oakville to the new venture to form the backbone of production. From the first releases (1979 and 1980) in 1984, it has been one of the most expensive, most elegant and best Bordeaux blends made in California and in blind tasting is the match of the Bordeaux first growths. After Mondavi was sold to Constellation in 2004, Opus one became fully independent under winemaker Michael Silacci and in 2007 they managed to purchase a further 26 hectares of Te Kalon to supplement the production. Just two classic Bordeaux blend wines are made, around 25,000 cases of Opus One and a second wine, Overture.