Capturing Time and Place

Opus One is the product of two families who share a passion for wine and a desire to explore new possibilities. Today, our world expands far beyond the present of each vintage. Just as we look back on experience, we are always looking forward for inspiration.

Share in the essence of winemaking, our Napa Valley Estate, and experiences beyond the vineyard. #opusonemoments

Vineyard Block Redevelopment

October 2024

In 2019, the Opus One vineyard team concluded the last harvest of estate vineyard block X1-West. This block was ripe for redevelopment and became pivotal in the pursuit of establishing the foundation of a Greenprint for the Planet at Opus One.

The goal for X1-West was to plant deep-rooted drought resistant rootstock that could tolerate heat spells, drought, atmospheric rivers, produce grapes by 2030, and live into the next century. Row orientation became a critical factor to determine how to protect grape berries from direct sun exposure during the hottest time of the day. The team spent two seasons evaluating three-row mockups at various row orientations using line stakes and shade cloth. The shade cloth mimicked grapevine canopies.

Mimi Casteel gave an inspirational Marquee Keynote speech at Napa Green Rise in Spring of 2023. This led to the decision to make X1-West Opus One’s first vineyard block embracing agroecological principles and practices established at planting.

Blue bachelor buttons were seeded to create the Opus One silhouette in the newly removed vineyard. This was the start of re-building soil structure. The increase in structure will make irrigations more impactful in the future. Cover crop, especially flowers, invite beneficial insects and pollinators increasing the presence of native biodiversity.

We remain dedicated to our goal, welcome the first fruit for Opus One 2030, and more importantly, for centuries to come.

October 2024

As the vine leaves begin to gently change color, inside the winery the Opus One culinary team prepares new seasonally inspired canapes for guests inside our Partners’ Room. Planted in 2023, our growing Chef’s Garden seeds flavorful inspiration for estate grown pairings with each glass of Opus One. Warm tea compliments cooler days and is poured into handmade ceramic bowls crafted by featured artist – Pekka Paikkari.

“For me human presence is the starting point of art. Clay is a flexible material for expression and as such continues the history of time.” Pekka Paikkari

“One’s Floor Another’s Ceiling” is a piece of Paikkari’s work made of original clay and found wood. This work intentionally sits overlooking our estate vineyards and joins guests as they reflect on Opus One.

September 2024

On September 5th, the Opus One vineyard team began harvesting Cabernet Sauvignon from our estate blocks. At 6:45am the sun rose up behind the Vaca Mountains to greet the focused team that had already been harvesting for four hours. The first fruit of 2024 delicately made its way to the winery to be sorted and continue its journey to the glass. Winemaker Michael Silacci notes “The grapes are tasting so very good at the moment.” Vineyard happenings continue throughout the Napa Valley, and we wish our neighbors a fruitful harvest.

August 2024

On August 4th a new moon cycle began and signs of ongoing veraison were observed throughout the Opus One vineyards. Subtle greens gently transitioned to more vibrant red and purple colors. With harvest just a few weeks away, fruit ripening allows the clusters to fully mature before being hand-picked off the vine. Inside the winery, the winemaking team carefully hand bottled select formats Opus One 2022 in bespoke glass molds. The process of barrel to bottle was complete just in time to focus on the buzz of the Opus One 2024 harvest.

July 2024

Opus One welcomed Rieko Tsuchida for an intimate musical moment. Rieko is a prize-winning international pianist who made her debut at Carnegie Hall in 2011. She joined guests in the Rotunda and performed a short piece paired with champagne bubbles. Bastille Day celebrations continued with an al fresco lunch among the vineyards with wine, food, and gracious company. Immerse your senses with sounds of Rieko Tsuchida.

June 2024

A moment in time to celebrate the flowering of the vines. The life of the vine is rhythmic and seasonal, a pattern well understood by Opus One. Mille Fiori means a thousand flowers in Italian. A thousand expressions of flowering can be seen throughout the estate vineyards as the vines adapt to this cyclical nature.

After flowering, each block begins showing fruit that will be harvested this September. To honor the awakening of fruit that will become Opus One 2024, guests enjoyed an intimate evening with winemaker, Michael Silacci.

June 2024

“A Musical Salon”

From winemaking to music, art connects people and creates community. This spring, Opus One welcomed artists Benjamin Alunni, Michael Kelly, Fernando Palomeque, and Vincent Giroud for an intimate musical performance to celebrate the French and American partnership in music.

The artists joined us in the Rotunda to perform various pieces that align with the winery’s beginnings. Having both French and American inspirations, “A Musical Salon” is a program that showcases this unique blend through the medium of music. This twilight event was an evening of wine, food, and the arts.

To learn more about the artists, you can find them on Instagram: @benjamin_alunni @fernandopalomequeconductor @michaelktoday

June 2024

Created in 1990, Margrit Mondavi and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild hand-selected Sans Titre by Jean-Charles Blais to hang in the Opus One Salon. Today it continues to hang in its original location.

Jean-Charles Blais is known for multi-layered paintings. He is heavily influenced by the Pop-Art and Nouveaux Realists movements. In recent time he is very interested in technology and the digital age. Blais has work in the permanent collection at the Tate London, MOMA New York, and was commissioned to do the mural in the central terminal of the Paris Metro.

June 2024

The Opus One apiary is bustling after a wet winter season. Pollen and the seasonal blooms are nourishing the hive. It has become less dependent on its’ honey stores and is back to gathering what is available in nature. The queen bee is laying both worker and drone bees and as a result the hive has nearly doubled in size. The diverse and healthy riparian corridor along the Napa River appears to be a slice of heaven for the bees.

While the Opus One bees are hard at work, the winemaking team has confirmed that flowering of the vines in our estate vineyards is now complete. We are beginning to see what will quickly transform into fruit set – an exciting first look at the Opus One 2024 fruit.

April 2024

The first signs of this year’s vintage can be seen throughout the Opus One vineyards. As the spring season brings warmer weather, the vines are waking up with saturated soils at full water capacity – “a good omen” says Opus One Director of Viticulture, Nathalie Buckland.

March 2024

Looking into the future, the Opus One winemaking team remains dedicated to the vision of becoming carbon negative. As fermentation began during the 2023 harvest, the Opus One winemaking team captured more than three thousand pounds of liquefied CO2, the equivalent of a year’s work from sixty mature trees – more than double from 2022. With the help of Earthly Labs, we continue to pursue innovative methods that ensure the enjoyment of each new vintage for generations to come.

February 2024

Our iconic Opus One berms planted in 1991 are undergoing trials to align with our continued efforts of being globally responsible. This initiative is part of “Vision 2030” that set forth the winery’s goals for the coming decade. In an initial effort to reduce our environmental impact, irrigation of the berms was reduced to sixty percent resulting in natural “browning”.

In 2021 when trials began, Reed Hilderbrand, a leading US landscape Architectural firm, surveyed the natural flora of the Napa Valley to determine which drought tolerant plants will replace the grass. A projected early spring in 2024 brings this project to life with new budding flowers throughout the experimental patch.

January 2024

The Opus One vineyard team welcomes the return of sheep to gently graze the land and invite new growth. This is the beginning of what will become the Opus One 2024 vintage. A focus on absolute quality starts with the land, in the vineyard. A blend of regenerative farming practices and modern techniques harmonizes the natural surroundings and ecosystems.

As we anticipate an early spring in the Napa Valley, our team is actively pruning the vines, removing brush, and preparing for flowering with a little help from these gentle herbivores. This is the second year the Opus One team partnered with sheep to support winter vineyard maintenance and will become a tradition for years to come.

January 2024

In our ongoing commitment to our patrons and the planet, we have partnered with North Star Carbon Management to preserve the environment and the art of winemaking.

“This partnership with North Star Carbon Management represents a significant advance in our mission to enhance our traditional winemaking with modern sustainability,” shared Michael Silacci, Opus One Winemaker. “The collaboration between Opus One and North Star Carbon underscores our internal strategic pillar together we go further – where synergies among diverse perspectives helps to correct issues that we are facing with climate change and inspires others to do the same.”

Rosalind Tallmadge

Rosalind Tallmadge (b.1987) is a Brooklyn-based artist recognized for her multi-layered paintings that approach sculpture. Tallmadge’s work mines the history of monochrome and color field painting, incorporating natural materials and metal leafing in hybrid textile paintings that explore the politics of surface, beauty, and environment.

Her work is included in private and public collections in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and has been exhibited widely in New York, Detroit, Miami, and Seoul. Most recently Tallmadge was included in the 2023 exhibition “Together and Apart: A Legacy of Abstraction” at David Klein Gallery Detroit, in 2022 in “Moonlight Room” with Carvalho Park, New York, and at Kiaf SEOUL with Carvalho Park, and in the 2021 exhibition, “With Eyes Opened” at the Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills. Tallmadge will open solo shows in New York and Los Angeles in 2024.

She is the recipient of numerous awards and residencies including Oxbow School of Art, the DNA Residency, Provincetown, MA, and the Yale Summer School of Art, Norfolk, CT. Tallmadge holds a BFA in Painting and a BA in Art History from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 2010, and an MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Detroit, MI, 2015.

In 2018, Opus One was certified as a Napa Green Winery which encompassed the winery as a whole including production, hospitality, human resources, and administration. This certification implements standards to save energy, conserve water, prevent waste through recycling and compost programs, reduce carbon footprint, and a commitment to social equity.

In 2022, Opus One also received the Napa Green Vineyard Certification, which focuses specifically on climate action, regenerative farming, water use efficiency, tree preservation, and social equity. Increasing the resilience of our vineyards, businesses, and communities is a primary objective of the Napa Green program.