Opus One Vintage 2019

When Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi shook hands in 1979, their explicit brief was to build a wine closer in architecture to Pauillac than to Oakville — a deliberate transgression of the Napa blockbuster norm that has defined Opus One ever since. The anchor block is the historic To Kalon 'Q Block,' 35 acres of alluvial fan material washed from the Mayacamas Mountains, where gravelly clay loam over volcanic subsoil and a high water table warmed by geothermal springs create unusual vine stress and mineral tension. Cool afternoon air drawn from San Pablo Bay drives a pronounced diurnal shift, preserving the acidity that Bordeaux structure demands. Each of the estate's four parcels is vinified separately in its own dedicated stainless-steel tank inside a slope-built winery where gravity replaces pumps at every stage — a design innovation Opus One pioneered in Napa in 1991. Native yeasts isolated from each vineyard site drive fermentation; the wine then ages 18–20 months in 100% new French oak before an additional 18 months of bottle age prior to release. The 2019 blend — 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec — emerged from a long, temperate growing season that delivered aromatic clarity and structural precision rather than sheer weight. Drink 2027–2045+.