Guide to Opus One Winery: A Deep Dive into Napa’s Most Luxurious Wine Tasting Experience

There are so many beautiful wineries in Napa, but Opus One Winery is a must-visit wine experience. Opus One wines are some of the most highly sought-after among collectors of California Bordeaux blends, and for good reason. The fruit for these wines is sourced from some of the region’s best vineyards, including the legendary To Kalon.

What was interesting about this visit is that we were able to go to both Opus One (founded in part by Robert Mondavi), and, on the same trip, experience the brand new Robert Mondavi Arch and Tower tasting room in downtown Napa to see how the two Mondavi brands compare. 

If you’re looking for a little restaurant inspiration after your tasting, check out our review of one of the best sushi restaurants in Napa, Morimoto.

What is Opus One? 

Opus One Winery produces Bordeaux blends in Napa Valley, and the brand is one of the most well known and respected wine brands in Napa Valley. When the founders of Opus One, Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, created the winery, they sought out to make a Napa Valley version of Bordeaux first growth wine.  

News of a collaboration between two of the wine industry’s best vintners was the talk of the town when the project started in 1980. Napa Valley was still a young, undeveloped wine region compared to the Old World wines of France, so when wine lovers got word that someone like Rothschild was making a bet on California, everyone took notice.

Who owns Opus One?

Opus One Winery started as a partnership between Napa Valley legend Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, owner of the world-famous Château Mouton Rothschild. When Robert Mondavi was acquired by Constellation Brands, they became 50% owners of Opus One. The remaining share of the company belongs to Baron Philippe de Rothschild.

The Estate: A Unique Experience in Napa

Napa is home to many over-the-top wineries, but the Opus One estate stands alone when it comes to art, architecture, and an overall feeling of luxury. The winery is known for its jaw-droppingly beautiful neoclassical design. Just take a look at our pictures from the tour.

From the spiral staircase, to the atrium entrance, everything about the design here feels like you’re in a centuries’ old European museum. The grounds are truly a masterpiece inside and out even though the winery has outstanding vineyard views, the views, while exceptional, are almost pale in comparison to the winery and tasting room design.

Interesting Facts About Opus One Winery

• From an aerial view, the long driveway and the winery building form the shape of a wine glass!
• The name Opus One is actually the winery’s second name. When the brand launched in 1980, it was called Napamédoc, a reference to the French-American partnership.
• Only two wines are produced: the vintage wines, which are Bordeaux blends crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, and a second label called Overture.
• Precision in winemaking is everything: winemaker Michael Silacci uses a custom built optical sorter that can analyze the grapes’ size, shape, and ripeness level (the color).

Our Experience

Our group consisted of six guests, which means we had to call the winery to make the reservation, rather than making it online. The maximum number of guests per online tasting reservation is four. 

A good tour guide can make or break a wine-tasting experience, and we were thrilled with Maël Renault, the Opus One Winery Ambassador with whom we were paired. Maël recently moved from France to Napa to work at Opus One, so his insights into the wine were fascinating. He provided an educational presentation during the tour and answered all of our questions about the wines and beautiful architecture of the building. 

One of the most unique features of the tour was a stop by the winery’s lab, where the barrel samples are tested and tasted until just the right blend is reached. Seeing this was a first for us, and we appreciated how transparent they are with the winemaking practices. 

How to Visit Opus One Winery

Opus One offers by-appointment tastings, and two unique wine experiences:

The Opus One Experience, $200 per person

• 90-minute tasting of library wines from the collectors’ list, hosted an Estate Ambassador
• Two library vintages, alongside our current vintage 
• A personalized tour of the winery 

Courtyard Experience, $125 per person

• 60-minute self-guided, side-by-side tasting of two vintages of Opus One alongside Overture, the winery’s non-vintage blend.
• A dedicated host is available to share the history of the winery, vineyards, and our winemaking practices.

Tips

• Opus One makes planning your appointment easy. You can reserve your tasting appointment up to three months in advance. For the most availability, try checking the website at the first of the month when reservations are released.
• Be sure to bring your comfortable shoes for this winery tour, as it’s fairly comprehensive and includes quite a bit of walking.
• If you have more than 4 guests in your group, you will need to call the winery to make a reservation, rather than making one online.

 Final Thoughts

Going to a wine tasting at Opus One is pricey, but it’s totally worth it. Everything about our wine-tasting experience at Opus One was exceptional. The tour was well done, and most importantly, the wine was superb.

FAQ

How many cases of wine does Opus One produce?

Opus One produces 25,000 cases of wine a year, making it a small production Napa Valley winery. Demand for these bottles constantly outstrips supply, and for a time during the 1990s, Opus One wines were the cult wine to have in your cellar. 

How much is Opus One wine?

When bottles of Opus One are released, they cost around $350 – that’s per bottle! On the surface, this may sound like sticker shock, but when you compare these wines to other collectible Napa wines like Harlan are roughly $800 per bottle on release.