Meghan Zobeck is taking on the newly created position of Director of Winemaking at the California winery Opus One. This was announced by winemaker Michael Silacci in a press release on March 21. Zobeck will be responsible for all wine production and will oversee the cellar, harvest, laboratory, and bottling departments. Silacci will remain responsible for the final approval of all blending, harvest, and operational decisions. As Director of Winemaking, Meghan Zobeck will represent Opus One as a spokesperson for the winery to patrons, trade representatives, retailers, distributors, and the press.
Zobeck has had a career in the wine industry that is perhaps only possible in the US. For almost seven years, she worked for the Denver Broncos football team, where she worked on player contracts, among other things. In 2012, she switched to the wine industry and completed internships at wineries around the globe, including the premium California winery Screaming Eagle. In 2015, she joined Atelier Melka, one of the high-end consulting firms in Napa Valley, initially as Assistant Winemaker and, three years later, as Associate Winemaker. Her big breakthrough came in 2020 when she became the head winemaker after investor Gaylon Lawrence Jr. purchased Burgess Cellars, where she garnered considerable attention following the devastating ‘Glass Fire,’ not least through her transition to regenerative agriculture.
In addition, she owns the boutique winery M. Zobeck Wines, which, according to its own statements, produces Gamay wines at Beaujolais Cru level. Accordingly, Michael Silacci stated in the Opus One press release: "I have admired her wines, philosophy, and work ethic from afar for years. Her leadership role on our team will be priceless.”
Silacci plans transformation – and his exit?
According to "Wine Spectator" reports, Michael Silacci at Opus One has also been setting the course towards regenerative, holistic agriculture for some time. The US wine magazine quotes him as saying: "Before, we made changes at the nuance level. Now I want to (...) take us as fast as we can to the next level.
According to ‘Wine Spectator,’ Silacci plans to stay at Opus One for another three to six years to oversee the transition to holistic cultivation methods, while Zobeck, who is to replace him afterward, will support him in the cellar.
Opus One was founded in 1978 as a joint venture between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild and is still one of the cult wineries of Napa Valley. Michael Silacci has been the winemaker there since 2001.
