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 and then first realised in 1979, when the first vintage of Opus One was created. It was released to the public in 1984, but had already attracted considerable attention, as a single case of the wine had sold for $24,000 at the first Napa Valley Wine Auction in 1981.

Opus One's brand continued to grow considerably through the 1990s, particularly in markets outside of the United States, and in 2004, when Robert Mondavi Winery was acquired by Constellation Brands, Opus One also became part-owned by the multi-national company.

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 are hand-harvested, and gravity flow is used to get the fruit from the destemmer into stainless steel tanks for fermentation.