Opus One 2021"Overture" Red Wine, Napa Valley

Overture 2021 doesn’t feel like a “second wine.” It feels like a variation on a theme—Napa fruit seen through the same disciplined lens as Opus One itself. Black plum and cassis lead, with bay leaf and cedar adding aromatic contour. A mineral edge—graphite, stone dust—gives the nose shape.

The first sip doesn’t flood; it builds. Dark fruit sits at the core, wrapped in cocoa-dusted tannins that tighten the finish. There’s freshness here, surprising for the warmth of the vintage—acidity pulling everything back into line. You taste composure rather than opulence.

Overture is crafted from multiple vintages and vineyard blocks, each ferment kept separate, then woven into a wine meant to speak earlier than Opus but not with less intention. It’s aged in French oak, built to integrate, not to overwhelm.

The story matters too. Opus One has always framed itself as dialogue—between Mondavi and Rothschild at the beginning, between Napa’s climate and Bordeaux’s structure ever since. Overture continues that dialogue, but with a more approachable accent.

This isn’t a glass for ceremony. It’s a glass that says Napa can be both grand and intimate, both commanding and quiet. A variation, yes—but never an afterthought.