Vintage 2021

Name: Opus One Vintage 2021
Brand: Opus One
SKU: WRW6539FS
Price: 21300 THB
Availability: InStock

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From our sommelier team

A Napa-Bordeaux hybrid born from Mondavi and Mouton Rothschild — cassis and cedar over silky, fine-grained tannin.

Opus One was conceived in 1980 as a joint venture between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, explicitly built to merge Old World structure with New World fruit. The wine is a Bordeaux-style blend led by Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (typically 77-93% of the blend), filled out with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec in proportions that shift by vintage. Extended skin contact and 15-25 months in new French oak are house hallmarks. Across vintages it shows dark fruit -- cassis, blackberry, black cherry -- with floral and spice notes, fine-grained tannin, a silky texture, and a long finish often carrying chocolate and mineral tones; built for extended cellaring.

Producer history

Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild met in Hawaii in 1970 and spent the decade developing a joint venture uniting Mondavi's Napa Valley fruit with Mouton Rothschild's Bordeaux winemaking philosophy. The first vintage, 1979, was made from grapes grown at Mondavi's To Kalon Vineyard; 35 acres were dedicated to the venture by 1980. A dedicated limestone winery, now a Napa landmark, was built between 1989 and 1991. Constellation Brands acquired Robert Mondavi in 2004, after which the Rothschild side negotiated control of the estate's marketing and vineyard operations.

Signature pairings

Dry-aged ribeye with bone marrow butter — Fine-grained but firm tannin and dark fruit stand up to richly marbled, dry-aged beef without either side overpowering.
Rack of lamb with herb crust — Lamb's mild gaminess and fat echo the wine's cassis and spice notes while the tannin cuts through the richness.
Aged Comte with walnut bread — Nutty, firm cheese matches the wine's structure and oak-driven notes without the sharpness that clashes with tannin.

When Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi shook hands in 1979, their explicit ambition was to impose Bordeaux Left Bank discipline on Napa Valley fruit — a transgression that still defines Opus One today. The 2021 vintage was the second-driest in estate history, with delayed budbreak on April 7 pushing the growing season into cooler autumn temperatures, compressing berry size and intensifying concentration without sacrificing the freshness that earlier-than-average picking windows are designed to protect.

The four estate parcels — anchored by the historic To Kalon Q Block — sit on an alluvial fan of gravelly clay loam washed down from the Mayacamas Mountains. Shallow gravel over clay restricts vine vigour; afternoon airflow drawn from San Pablo Bay creates a diurnal swing that locks in acidity even in drought years. The 2021 blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Merlot, 0.5% Malbec — the most Cabernet-dominant expression in recent estate history. Each parcel ferments separately in its own stainless-steel tank using native yeasts isolated from each vineyard site, with all movement of must and wine by gravity only. Aging runs 18–20 months in 100% new French oak in the underground Grand Chai, followed by an additional 18 months of bottle age before release. Fined with fresh egg whites; filtration status undisclosed.

No peer in Oakville routinely commits to 100% new French oak across the entire blend while simultaneously targeting Pauillac-like structure over Napa opulence. The 2021's drought-driven concentration and plush texture suggest drinking from 2029 through 2050+.