THE PRODUCER
Opus One was established in 1979 as a joint venture between Baron Philippe de
Rothschild (of Chateau Mouton Rothschild) and Robert Mondavi. Their goal from
the outset was to create a wine which would have the intensity and fruit purity
of Napa Valley combined with the elegance of a top Bordeaux. The first vintage
was 1979, released in 1984.

The estate consists of four vineyard parcels located in the western part of the
Oakville AVA. Two of the vineyard parcels (totalling 40 hectares) are within the
famous To Kalon vineyard and are complemented by the Ballestra and River parcels
(totalling just under 30 hectares).

Today, Opus One is arguably one of Napa Valley’s most famous wineries and is the
first US winery to be distributed through the Bordeaux distribution network, La
Place. Following the sale of Mondavi to Constellation Brands in 2004, the
Rothschilds took full control of the Opus One vineyards and winery.

THE WINE

The Opus One blend consists of varying proportions of the five classic Bordeaux
varieties but is usually around 85% Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller proportions
of Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. Matured for 17 months in
new French oak barrels, this is an incredibly refined, polished and concentrated
wine, with layers of complexity and a dense and refined texture.

INFORMATION
Type:RedVintage:2018Country:U.S.A.
Region:California
Sub region:Napa ValleyGrape:84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot,
4% Cabernet Franc & 1% MalbecStyle:Bold & StructuredSweetness:DryABV:14%Drinking
window:2021 - 2058Size:750mlFood match:Beef & Venison


CRITICS SCORES
We choose our wines based on a range of criteria(seehow we choose our wines)of
which critic scores is justone. Rather than simply highlight the best score to
promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided
by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do
not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more
weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores
like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a92/100average critic score or
better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a
high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we
offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the
market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and
representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide
to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add
individual critic scores to our website in the future.