Opus One

Naming a winery Opus One sets some seriously high expectations. A musical term that comes from the Latin oper, Opus One is attributed to a composition generally considered to be a composer’s first masterpiece. Indeed the expectation where met early on when at the inaugural Napa Valley Wine Auction in 1981, a 12-bottle case of Opus One sold for $24,000. While that pales in comparison to modern-day auction prices, it was unheard of at the time, especially for a California-made wine.

The flagship Opus One red wine is a Cabernet-dominant Bordeaux blend, which also contains smaller quantities of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot.

Opus One also produces a second wine called Overture which is made with the fruit that doesn’t quite make the Opus One grade. Its name is another musical reference, which means an orchestral piece at the beginning of a composition.

While it might be an “affordable” Napa wine, that doesn’t mean you can stock your cellar full of Opus One. The winery limits each buyer to just six individual bottles or four six-bottle cases.

In 2004, Mondavi sold his eponymous label — which included his 50 percent share in Opus One — to Constellation Brands for $1.36 billion. Today, Opus One is jointly and equally owned by Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. and Constellation Brands.