OPUS ONE. A wine that hardly needs any introduction or explanation.

The product of Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild is never cheap, but as always, we have the best price ANYWHERE – albeit on a VERY LIMITED number of bottles. We begged for more, but, it is what it is.

If you’re reading this, you’re one of the few receiving the offer. We expect it to go fast, so please, please get some NOW before it’s gone.

As always, it brings big scores, at least 3 in the 98-100 range. What else can one expect from 2021?

Under the direction of winemaker Michael Silacci, they have pushed the envelope even further each year. He’s been at the helm since 2001. The result is a hedonistic but dialed-in and balanced example of Napa Cabernet’s highest potential.

The painstaking level of detail is unmatched. One example: they isolated 50 strains of native yeast in the vineyards and picked six favorites. There was no 2020 Opus One made, so after the 2019, this is the 2nd vintage fermented entirely on native yeasts. The resulting translation of terroir into the bottle has never been clearer.

100% new French Oak as always. Cabernet leas again, with supporting roles by other Bordeaux grapes. Beautiful purity of fruit radiates with cherry compote and bittersweet chocolate, graphite, violets, and minerality galore. Obviously, you can enjoy it now after at least a few hours of breathing in a decanter. But we encourage you to give it a few years, if not a decade or longer, and it will really sing.

If you’re still reading this, the few cases we have may already be gone.

100 Points – Jane Anson’s Inside Bordeaux “A classical vintage that perfectly suits the Opus style. Gorgeous vivid plum colour, sculpted, balanced, with a ton of lift, waves of rose petals, iris and peony, soft grilled cumin, sage and white pepper spice. Love the hidden power here and the supple slightly chalky tannins that are structured in their architecture with a precision and carved quality. Precise, layered and stretched out, a brilliant Opus, concentrated”

99 Points – James Suckling “An enticing aroma of violets, cherry blossoms, fresh blue and black fruit and great structure define this beautiful, age-worthy wine. Subtle layering of fruit and oak spices between firm, fine-grained and supportive tannins gives it a calm intensity. So elegant and polished. Hints of cinnamon and graphite accent blackcurrant and blueberry flavors that linger and grow in a long finish. Already attractive to drink, but best after 2029.”

98 Points – The Wine Independent “The 2021 Opus One is composed of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% each of Merlot and Malbec. It was bottled in July 2023. Deep garnet-purple in color, it comes barreling out of the glass with gregarious notions of creme de cassis, wild blueberries, and redcurrant jelly followed by hints of cedar chest, sassafras, vanilla pod, and dark chocolate plus a waft of lilacs. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers shimmery red, black, and blue fruit layers with a firm texture of rounded tannins and impressive tension, finishing long and fragrant. Drink 2027-2061.”