Opus One

Few wineries in the world carry the weight of legend quite like Opus One. Born from an extraordinary partnership between Napa Valley icon Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild — owner of the celebrated Château Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux — Opus One set out to craft a Napa Valley answer to the great first growth wines of France. When news of the collaboration broke in 1980, it sent ripples through the wine world, drawing international attention to California at a time when Napa was still finding its footing on the global stage.

The winery sits at the heart of the prestigious Oakville AVA, where the land itself tells the story of the wine. A dramatic diurnal shift — warm to hot afternoons giving way to cool nights — preserves the brightness and complexity that define each vintage. Four meticulously tended vineyard parcels form the Opus One estate, where the team cultivates five traditional Bordeaux varieties with experience, passion, and an essential human touch that brings forth the character of each harvest.

The flagship wine is a Bordeaux-style blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc — elegant, layered, and built to age gracefully. Just one ultra-premium blend is produced each year, making every bottle a singular expression of the vintage and the land.

The estate itself is as arresting as the wine. Its neoclassical architecture — circular in form, with a sweeping driveway that, from above, traces the shape of a wine glass — is one of the most recognizable winery buildings in all of Napa Valley. Inside, the iconic Grand Chai barrel cellar — a semi-circular room housing roughly 1,000 French oak barrels — is a showstopper that visitors consistently describe as a highlight.

Opus One welcomes guests by appointment with three distinct tasting experiences, each thoughtfully curated to honor its French and American heritage. The Opus One Experience guides visitors through the winery's history, vineyards, and winemaking before a flight of current and library vintages. The Partners' Room offers a more intimate setting — a comfortable, living-room atmosphere overlooking the estate vineyards, with panoramic Napa Valley views from the rooftop terrace as a final flourish. For the ultimate visit, the Art of the Table experience pairs select vintages with a four-course, seasonally inspired menu crafted by the Executive Chef — a sensory journey that feels as much like fine dining as wine tasting.

Throughout it all, Opus One is actively reshaping its estate for the future, introducing regenerative farming practices, culinary gardens, and sustainability initiatives as part of its long-term vision — honoring both the legacy of its founders and its responsibility to the land they loved.