The 2023 September releases through La Place de Bordeaux sees the exciting re-release of the 2019 and 2018 vintages of Opus One, straight from the winery. Following the Californian wildfires in 2020, Opus One, has decided not to release this vintage due to the grapes being affected by smoke taint. This supply shock is going to increase the price of the best back vintages over time.

Opus One has all the hallmarks of a great investment wine, originally a project between the late legendary Californian winemaker Robert Mondavi and the Mouton Rothschild family. Opus One has global demand, particularly in Europe and Japan, being synonymous with high quality Napa Valley Cabernet and the critic scores reflect this with the 2018 and 2019 achieving 98 and 97-99 respectively from Lisa Perotti Brown at the Wine Advocate.

In 2004 Constellation brands acquired Robert Mondavi’s share of the winery, allowing the vineyard to leverage the large conglomerates global client base and supply chain. In 2004 the average cost of a bottle of Opus One was circa £90.00 and has increased to £260.00 in 2023. As Napa Cabernet becomes a more adopted style globally and we see continued supply issues due to climate change, I believe the price of Napa Cabernet and in particular Opus One to continue to increase over time.

If we look at the last 10 vintages which have entered their drinking window (2005-2014) they have an average return of 141.2% since release (Liv-Ex).