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. Their groundbreaking partnership – a testament to the harmony between French tradition and Napa Valley terroir – set out to create a single wine of uncompromising quality, one that would express time and place, and endure for generations to come. Their shared vision extends beyond the glass: to elevate the art of living well through the experience of wine, food, and the arts. Every facet of the Estate – the history, architecture, vineyards, hospitality, and stewardship of the land – exists in service of that singular idea.
Wine is my passion. It’s family and friends. It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It’s culture. It’s the essence of civilization and the art of living.
Our Story
The idea for a joint venture bloomed in 1978, when Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Bordeaux and Robert Mondavi of Napa Valley decided the time had come to bring a dream to fruition. Meeting at Chateau Mouton Rothschild, our founders established their plan in a single hour: they would focus exclusively on making one exceptional wine – a Bordeaux-style blend sourced from Napa Valley grapes and crafted by their French and American winemakers working side by side, interweaving the innovation of New World viticulture and winemaking with the traditions of the Old World.
Baron Philippe and Robert Mondavi were united by a passion for fine wine and a desire to explore new possibilities. They also shared a love of the arts, and so they named their wine Opus One. In music, an “opus” is a masterpiece – a singular work of great quality – and Opus One marks a composer’s very first. The name is their tribute to that ideal: a single wine of uncompromising quality, and the first great work of their partnership. The first vintage was made in 1979, and the winery produced its inaugural wine within its own walls during the harvest of 1991.
Today, the winery remains a union of two families, each with its own deep heritage and each honored in every vintage, creating a beautiful, balanced tension between tradition and innovation that makes Opus One extraordinary.
Wine & Winemaking
Great winemaking begins in the vineyard. The Estate vineyards of Opus One comprise four parcels in the western portion of the famed Oakville appellation of the Napa Valley – two within the renowned To Kalon Vineyard, complemented by the Ballestra and River parcels that surround the winery. Every decision in the vineyard is guided by a single goal: to cultivate vines that thrive in harmony with the land and the richly biodiverse ecosystem that supports them.
Within the cellar, each stage of the process – from tasting berries to careful sorting and extended aging in new French oak barrels – is held to a meticulous standard. After 18 months in barrel, each vintage is bottled and held for an additional 15 months before its release on the 1st of October. Our winemaking honors the traditions of the past while continually pursuing innovation and refinement.
Collecting Wine by Peter Marks, Master of Wine
Owning a bottle – or a collection – of fine wine carries real responsibility. Knowing how to cellar each bottle and safeguard its provenance is what brings a wine to its full potential. Peter Marks, Master of Wine, distills a lifetime of expertise into one essential guide – for the first-time collector and the seasoned connoisseur alike. For access to these insights, please provide your name and email, and the article will be shared directly to your inbox.
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Stewardship
At Opus One, our legacy is built on enduring relationships — with the land, with our community, and with one another. Guided by the wisdom of our founders and a vision for the future, we are committed to crafting exceptional wine while honoring our responsibility to the planet and its people.
Our practices reflect this commitment, identifying the values and actions most vital to our employees, our environment, and our global community. From restoring the Napa River ecosystem and adopting regenerative farming practices to earning certifications in organic and climate-conscious farming, we integrate stewardship into every facet of our work. Opus One was the first winery to earn both Napa Green Winery and Napa Green Vineyard certifications, and we farm to California Certified Organic Farming standards.
At Opus One, stewardship is not a single initiative, but a way of being — rooted in tradition, driven by innovation, and inspired by a collective vision for a better future.
When the decision was made to build a home for Opus One, our founders agreed it had to be a worthy representation of the wine and their partnership. The result is a building, and a collection within it, that tells its own story about how architecture and art shape the senses.
Art Collection
Baron Philippe de Rothschild and his daughter Philippine, and Robert and Margrit Mondavi, held a shared belief that art is inseparable from life. Each was a passionate collector, and it was that love of beauty, and the joy of sharing it, that lay at the heart of Opus One’s founding: to bring a rare and extraordinary work of art into the world, to be savored by friends and family near and far.
With this as its foundation, it is only natural that the winery, in both its architecture and its contents, tells its own compelling story about the way art shapes the senses and defines the spirit of Opus One. An extensive collection is woven throughout the Estate and is an integral part of the patron experience.
Architecture
In July of 1989, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi broke ground on a winery unlike anything Napa Valley had seen before — and by October of 1991, just in time for harvest, Opus One had opened its doors. For generations, the valley’s wineries had been large, barn-like structures; the great exception was the Robert Mondavi Winery, whose iconic arch and tower drew on the Spanish missions of California. The design chosen for Opus One would prove a departure of its own — a signal, from the very start, that this would be no ordinary winery.
Designed by the architecture firm Johnson Fain, the winery reflects Napa Valley’s sensitivity to the environment, blending into the landscape from the outside while incorporating distinctive, timeless elements – limestone, arcades, peristyles, and guard towers linked to the classic chateaux of the Médoc region of France. Comprising some 80,000 square feet, the building rises so gently from the earth around it that it is difficult to discern from the surrounding vineyard.
Watch architect Scott Johnson of Johnson Fain discuss the vision behind Opus One
Opus One welcomes patrons by appointment to its Estate in Oakville, in the heart of the Napa Valley, reserved tastings and private experiences are available and designed around a single idea: gracious living. Set among the vineyards with sweeping views of the Mayacamas Range, the Estate was created as an extension of the founders’ homes, and our role is to make every patron feel immediately comfortable and at ease.
Hospitality
Opus One remains committed to realizing our founders’ dream – bringing to life one wine that expresses time and place, and sharing it in a spirit of warmth and generosity. Here, hospitality is an art in its own right: every visit is considered down to the smallest detail and curated to feel effortless and entirely personal, from the pace of the tasting to the stories held in every glass.
This is the essence of gracious living. Long after the facts and figures of a tasting fade, patrons remember the warmth, sincerity, and care of their experience – an impression of Opus One they return to share with others.
Cuisine
Our founders believed that fine wine, when shared with exceptional cuisine and good company, enriches the lives of friends and family. Our culinary program, led by Executive Chef Sean Koenig, is shaped by this philosophy, with thoughtful pairings designed to reveal new dimensions in every glass and transform each tasting into an occasion. Ingredients are sourced locally or grown within the gardens of the Opus One Estate.