Napa Valley - Opus One - Robert Mondavi 2008

Opus One is one of the most famous wines in the world and one of the most expensive produced in the Napa Valley. Although it is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Opus One uses Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec in lesser proportions.

The story
The wine was initially created as a partnership between two of the biggest names in Bordeaux and the Napa Valley: Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi. Opus One was the first premium Californian wine sold in Europe and is one of the first "cult Cabernets", along with Harlan Estate and Screaming Eagle.

The collaboration was conceived in the 1970s and first realized in 1979, when the first vintage of Opus One was created. It was released to the market in 1984, but had already attracted considerable attention, as a single case of this wine was sold for $24,000 at the first Napa Valley wine auction in 1981.

The Opus One brand continued to grow significantly throughout the 1990s, particularly in markets outside the United States. In 2004, when Robert Mondavi Winery was purchased by Constellation Brands, Opus One also became part-owned by the multinational.

Opus One wine
Opus One is a unique wine, a Bordeaux blend from the estate's Oakville vineyards, which include blocks from the famous To Kalon vineyard. The grapes are harvested by hand and the fruit is transported by gravity from the destemmer to the stainless steel tanks for fermentation.