Wine Review: Opus One Napa Valley 2009

Wine-Searcher's Wine Director, David Allen M.W. tastes the iconic Opus One 2007 from the Napa Valley for Christmas Day 2022.

Opus One is one of the world's most famous wines, and was initially established as a partnership between two of the biggest names in Bordeaux and Napa Valley: Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi. Opus One was the first premium California wine sold in Europe, and is one of the original "Cult Cabernets", along with the likes of Harlan Estate and Screaming Eagle. The estate continues to be one of the most expensive Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wines produced in Napa Valley.

The collaboration was conceived in the 1970s, with the first vintage being the 1979. It was released to the public in 1984, having attracted considerable attention, as a single case had sold for $24,000 at the first Napa Valley Wine Auction in 1981.

Opus One is a single wine – a Bordeaux Blend sourced from the estate vineyards in Oakville, which include blocks of the famed To Kalon vineyard. The grapes were hand-harvested, and gravity flow was used to get the fruit from the destemmer into stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Maceration lasted about 20 days. The wine then aged in new French oak for 17 months, during which time blending occurred.

This vintage is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon (81%) with 9% of Cabernet Franc, 6% of Petit Verdot, 3% of Merlot and 1% of Malbec.

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[jackbauer]

This was the first wine I ever tasted that I could drink like a dessert. I also had no idea it was so expensive because it was given to me.

[IlSoleMusica]

Every time I have had Opus One I felt it was overrated. If I am going to spend good $ on a Cabernet Sauvignon based wine, I would rather have a Sassicaia.

[PEACELovely]

I want to buy a bottle for my 15 year anniversary

[CrispyApron]

I have the sound all the way up and the speaker is just whispering I can’t hear anything 😢