Opus One Winery, August 24th, 2012

Winery - 7 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Just one wine, very well made.  Distinct architecture.
www.opuswinewinery.com

Opus One is one of the few California Cult wineries that remains readily accessible to the public.  Situated at the corner of Highway 29 and Oakville Cross Road, lies what can best be described as the world’s most fabulous artillery battery.  That is the view from the street.  As you pull up the long driveway to the winery building, the perspective changes as you notice the melding of architecture from different eras into one bold design.  The parking lot surrounds the winery in a large sweeping circle, with a large conical grassy mound in the middle.  Cut out of the center of the mound is the entrance to the courtyard, which is where the show begins.



The grand courtyard at Opus One Winery

A well-kept circular courtyard welcomes visitors as they enter from the parking lot.  Directly ahead lay the wood doors to the winery foyer.  The courtyard is landscaped with olive trees planted symmetrically on a well-kept lawn.  Once inside, a modest reception desk accepts guests and directs them to the tasting room for their appointment.  The tasting room, like the entire winery, is very elegantly appointed in a very tasteful, comfortable, restrained style.  Throughout the winery, classical music is piped in, whether in the tasting room, hallways, or the courtyard.  The music selected consists of highly recognizable movements from works by the great composers.  While elegant and comfortable, the entire operation comes across as too formal, overly orchestrated, and devoid of the warm personality you might find in a typical Napa Valley winery.  This is not to say that the experience is a bad one – simply a sterile one.

Inside the tasting room at Opus One

Since Opus One produces just one wine in every vintage, the tasting menu is quite simple.  The current release is always available in a three-ounce pour.  You are welcome to ask for an empty glass in order to share the pour with your tasting company or keep it all to yourself.  They often pour from an older bottle as well, leaving you with a bit of a choice to make.  In a one-hour visit, these two pours are too much to ask your body to process when you have other wineries on the agenda.  The good news is that when the weather is accommodating, you are welcome to bring your tasting upstairs to the observation deck looking out over the Oakville vineyards.  On my visit, they poured the 2008 vintage and the 2003 vintage.  Both feature a nice richness on the elegant, but restrained palette.  My favorite was the 2008 for the fruit it offered.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 7 and the wines offered as a 7.  This is consistent with all of my previous visits.