Opus One – The bold sound of the New World that embraced the Old
It was the meeting of two giants that laid the foundation for a wine empire – Robert Mondavi, the tireless pioneer of Californian viticulture, and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the legendary owner of Château Mouton-Rothschild. In 1970, they met in Hawaii and dreamt of a perfect red wine that would combine the power and richness of Napa Valley with the elegance and structure of a great Bordeaux . Eight years later, in 1978, they laid down the framework for their joint venture – in just a single hour. The first harvest followed in 1979, overseen by Lucien Sionneau of Mouton-Rothschild and Timothy Mondavi. In 1981, the young company acquired its first land: 14.16 hectares of Robert Mondavi’s vineyards, which laid the foundations for today’s estate .
The terroir of Opus One is at the heart of its philosophy. The four carefully selected vineyard plots in the Oakville AVA extend over more than 68 hectares. The soils – fertile alluvial soils – give the Cabernet Sauvignon the potential for true greatness. The vines are planted five to six times more densely than is usual in California, a reflection of uncompromising quality.
In the cellar, the wine matures for 18 to 19 months in 100 per cent new French barriques. Each vintage is aged for three years before it takes the world by storm. The result is a Cabernet-dominated wine of breathtaking depth and finesse, combining the aromas of black fruits, fine tannins and an unmistakable minerality.
Today, Opus One is an icon of the wine world – a living monument to the encounter between the Old and New Worlds, a liquid poem crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and the boundless vision of two men who changed wine forever.
