The Opus One story began when Baron Philippe de Rothschild (of Bordeaux First Growth Mouton Rothschild) conceived of a Bordeaux-Napa Valley partnership. While each release is a time capsule for the vintage, Opus One has a remarkable throughline of pitch-perfect quality and complexity that we rarely see replicated in Napa, Bordeaux, or beyond.Įven after tasting legendary vintages like 20, we couldn’t stop raving about the 2016, which epitomizes Opus: It’s full-bodied, opulent, and impeccably balanced. Our tasting of nearly a dozen vintages highlighted the wine’s exquisite and graceful ageability. Our conclusion: No matter your preference in metaphors or music, opening, pouring, and indulging in Opus One is a singular pleasure. We expected technical details and jargon, but Silacci charmed us with an endless stream of pitch-perfect analogies, insightful tangents, and quotations that ranged from 1960s-spiritual (“Live moments.” - Ram Dass) to Nineties hip-hop (“If you don’t know, now you know.” - Notorious B.I.G.). Wearing muddy boots and a crisp Panama hat, Silacci’s larger-than-life personality instantly put us at ease, and he dedicated a few hours to educating (and entertaining) the Wine Access team at Opus One’s stunning property.

In August, when we made the short drive to Opus One with the hope of securing an allocation of this legendary wine, we were greeted by winemaker Michael Silacci, the first solo winemaker in the history of Opus One, and a man who was deeply connected to both Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi themselves. This is a wine that will be a centerpiece in any collection We fell in love with its plush mouthfeel, which is dominated by blackberry and cassis that coat the mouth with a creamy texture before accents of sage, black olives, dark chocolate, and espresso emerge. In the glass, it boasts an inky ruby hue with elegant and polished aromas of crushed red and blue fruit, baking spice, and woodsy herbs. James Suckling honored this release with a near-perfect 99-point score, calling the 2016 “complex and complete.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate gave the 2016 its highest rating in history with 98 points, praising the wine’s dense palate as a “ tightly coiled spring ready to explode.” Today, we are overjoyed to share our access to a stunning re-release of Opus One’s signature Napa Valley red, direct from the winery’s estate cellar in Oakville. The legendary partnership between Bordeaux First Growth Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi solidified Napa as a powerhouse wine region and global leader in modern winemaking. Shipping included on any 6 bottles or $120.

No Opus One has ever been rated higher by Robert Parker’s Opus One represents California to the world, and we’re thrilled to announce a second allocation of the 99-point 2016 release. The Best of Bordeaux and California in One Bottle No Opus One has ever been rated higher by Wine Advocate, and James Suckling gave this 99 points.

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