Opus One is the realized dream of two men: Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux and Napa Valley vintner Robert Mondavi. Together, our founders set out to create a single wine dedicated to the pursuit of uncompromising quality. This singular mission shapes every vintage, today and for generations to come.

Climate

After two years of consecutive dry spring months, Opus One’s vineyard received almost 150 mm of rain at the start of 2009. Cultivation and irrigation were adjusted to increase vine vigor and yield, striking a delicate balance in growing leaves adequate for photosynthesis but not so numerous as to mask fruit and overemphasize herbal characters. The 2009 vintage saw cool temperatures during bloom and maturation, with two short heat spells in September. The harvest began on September 21st and provided an exhilarating finish on October 20th after a record rainfall for October

Winemaking

Manual harvesting. 20 days of skin contact. Each vat is dedicated to a single batch of grapes. Run-off by gravity. Aged for 17 months in French oak barrels. One and a half years of aging in bottle before release.

Tasting notes

Aromas of black olive and minerals underlie more traditional notes of dark chocolate, cola and espresso. Showing flavors of ripe blueberry, cassis and liquorice, this age-worthy wine simultaneously offers a smooth finish and a slight grip of tannin at the close.