Opus One Winery

Overture

Napa Valley

2015

Vintage

Varietal

Cabernet Sauvignon

Peak 2022-2038

Where it is, November 2026

At Peak: inside the peak window (2022-2038), within the full drinking arc.

In 2026, Cellared's own tracking places this release inside its estimated drinking window, past the 2022 peak-start mark and years from the 2038 close, a read Cellared's model puts at 2022 to 2038 before a slower decline toward 2046. Because Overture didn't become a single-vintage wine until the 2021 release, this bottling was blended across roughly three Napa harvests rather than tied to one growing season, so it drinks now as an early-accessible, generously fruited style rather than a wine still resolving toward a single-year peak.

The ‘15 Overture.

Opus One's second wine Overture has been made since 1993, but it stayed a non-vintage blend across harvests until 2021, its first true single-vintage release.

Cellared Ageability Index (CAI) drinking timeline

Full drinking arcYou are here · at peak, 2026

Storage and bottle condition can shift the experience.

Full drinking arc 2020-2046Peak window 2022-2038

The peak window sits inside the broader full drinking arc.

Tasting note

Garnet at the core with a touch of garnet-brick softening already at the rim, a hint of this bottle's blended-harvest age. Blackberry, cassis, and black cherry lead the nose, violet folded in, before cedar, cocoa, and a touch of baking spice show underneath. On the palate the tannins are silky rather than gripping, black fruit polished through a rounded midpalate that carries real weight without turning heavy. The finish runs long, closing on red currant and dark cherry with a last trace of gentle oak spice. It reads as a wine built for early, confident drinking rather than one still working toward a single defining peak.

About Opus One Winery

Opus One was founded in 1979 when Baron Philippe de Rothschild partnered with Robert Mondavi on a single idea: a Bordeaux-style wine made entirely from Napa Valley fruit. As the estate's own history page puts it, the two were "united by a shared belief that a single wine could reflect the best of both the Old World and the New." Overture has been made since 1993 as the estate's second wine. By Cellared's own read of producer reputation data, Opus One sits at the top tier of collectibility and aging potential, pedigree that carries over to its second label even though Overture itself trades and ages differently than the flagship blend.

Pairing suggestions

Cellared suggestions based on the wine and dish descriptions.

Grilled lamb chops with rosemary

Silky tannins and cedar-spice notes pair naturally with lamb's fat and the herb's resinous character without overwhelming the wine's polish.

Duck breast with a cherry reduction

The wine's own dark-cherry and red-currant finish mirrors a cherry-based sauce, while duck's richness matches the rounded midpalate.

Seared scallops with brown butter

The wine's silky tannins and moderate structure won't overwhelm a delicate protein, while the nutty brown butter picks up the baking-spice note in the glass.

Add this bottle Track this bottle Read this guide

Frequently Asked

How long should I decant this bottle?

About 30 to 45 minutes is enough. Because the blend is built for early, generous drinking rather than a long, tannic unwind, that's enough air to open up the cedar and cocoa notes without risking the fruit fading, no multi-hour decant needed here.

Is Overture likely to appreciate in value the way the flagship Opus One does?

Overture doesn't carry the flagship wine's secondary-market track record. It's positioned, and priced, as an earlier-drinking wine meant to be enjoyed rather than cellared for appreciation, and its blended-across-years production makes it even less suited to vintage-specific collecting than a true single-harvest wine would be.

Does the drought-affected 2015 Napa growing season matter for this specific bottle?

Less than it would for a true single-vintage wine. Since this release blends fruit across roughly three harvests rather than drawing on one year, the 2015 season's cold flowering and compressed heat-spike harvest describes the broader era's conditions, not a defining trait unique to what's in this bottle.

What pairs well with this wine beyond typical Cabernet fare?

Mushroom and truffle risotto works particularly well: the dish's earthy umami echoes the cedar and cocoa notes in the glass, and its creaminess softens the wine's remaining structure without a clash, a pairing that leans into Overture's polish rather than fighting it.