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Opus One Wine

 

Opus One

Opus one winery is a partnership between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe De Rothschild. The first vintage made from this partnership was 1979 and was made jointly with Mouton Rothschilds wine maker Lucienne Sionneau and Timothy Mondavi at the Mondavi winery. In 1981, a single case of the joint venture wine sold for $24,000 at the first Napa Valley wine auction, the highest price ever paid for California wine.

In 1983, a 50 acre parcel was purchased for the joint venture winery, this parcel is located in Oakville  Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe De Rothschild agreed to choose a name of Latin origin for their joint venture, so that the name of the winery could be easily recognized in both English and French. Baron Philippe did quite a bit of research before he came up with the name Opus, which is a musical analogy denoting the first masterwork of the composer. And so Opus One was born.  It was more years before the Opus One winery was built and opened for business and unfortunately, Baron Philippe did not live long enough to see through the construction of the Opus One winery. Baroness Philippine de Rothschild took over for her father in the family wine business.

In 1980,the 1979 and 1980 vintages were simultaneously released as Opus One's first wine release. With this release, Opus one became known as America's first ultra premium wine, the first wine to be sold in the category of $50 per bottle.  Prior to this, only European wines commanded prices that high for a bottle of wine.  Current prices for a bottle of opus one wine ranges from $80 end up.
 

Opus One Winery

Opus one winery is open for tours and tastings all year long. They are closed on major holidays, but other days are open between 10 and 4:30 PM. You should always call ahead to make sure that they will be open. They do daily tours at a cost of $40 per person, by appointment only. The tour will last approximately an hour and at the end includes a complimentary tasting of the current vintage of Opus One wines. If you're not interested in a tour of the winery, you can purchase a tasting of the current vintage of opus one at $30 per taste.

At Opus One they believe that great winemaking begins in the vineyard. They use a blend of traditional and modern approaches when it comes to vineyard management, using whichever technique they believe will produce the best wines.  At harvest time, the grapes are hand sorted, debris and imperfect grapes are thrown out. Once the grapes get to the destemmer, they are gravity moved to the fermenting tanks, creating a gentler process in the winemaking.

Fermenting tanks at Opus One are made from stainless steel, which is the perfect material for making wine because stainless steel can easily be cleaned and sterilized.  It is also easier to apply temperature control techniques to stainless steel tanks.  At Opus One they only make one wine and so each stainless steel tank can be dedicated to a single lot of grapes, and each tank is only used once during harvest. In this way fermentation and maceration are never rushed, and the Long maceration in temperature controlled tanks is able to draw out the rich flavors and colors from the skins and pulp.    The tanks are raised, so the wine can free flow into the new French oak barrels that are used, continuing the theory of gentle winemaking.

Once the free run wine has run off, the remaining skins and pulp go into a wooden basket presses. From there, the skins, seeds and pulp are gently pressed, and that is also put into barrels to be aged. This pressed wine is used to blend with the free run wine to make the final blend.

Fining is a process that most people do not know about in winemaking.  It is the process of using egg whites to remove the very small particles from the wine. This process is done about halfway through the barrel aging, to clarify and polish the wine.  Also during the barrel aging, is the topping and racking processes. During the first year of barrel aging, the winemaker is continually evaluating each barrel. The wine will age in a French oak barrel from 17 to 20 months before being bottled.

Although Opus One wines is considered the best from the Napa Valley in California, it is not the only producer of fine red wines.  Several other wineries, both from the Napa Valley and from other parts of the state, produce some premium wines.  You would be doing yourself a disservice if you concentrated on only one wine.

Mail Order Wine

Wine Club Memberships are a great way to experience new wines.  If you do not have the time to go from winery to winery to find the best, let someone else take on that task for you and make recommendations.

Here is a selection of red wines from the California Wine Club – Premier Club Gift

 

The California Wine Club 3-Month International Red Wine Gift Membership Price: 186.00 For the wine adventurer with international spirit, our 3-Month International Selections Membership is the ideal gift! Every other month for six months, members receive two bottles of our hand-selected, limited production red wines from around the world. E	The California Wine Club 6-Month International Red Wine Gift Membership Price: 348.00 For the wine adventurer with international spirit, our 6-Month International Selections Membership is the ideal gift! Every other month for twelve months, members receive two bottles of our hand-selected, limited production red wines from around the world
The California Wine Club 3-Month Premier Red Wine Gift Membership Price: 99.99 A memorable gift for friends and family! Each month members receive two bottles of award-winning red wine hand-selected from California's best artisan winemakers. Our 3-month membership introduces members to 3 different wineries and 6 different, limited	The California Wine Club 6-Month Premier Red Wine Gift Membership Price: 198.00 Whether for yourself, friends or clients, a 6-Month California Wine Club membership is a real California Wine Adventure!. Each month members receive two bottles of award-winning red wine hand-selected from California's best artisan winemakers. Our 6-Mont
The California Wine Club 9-Month Premier Red Wine Gift Membership Price: 291.96 A great treat for yourself or a generous gift for clients and friends. Each month members receive two bottles of award-winning red wine hand-selected from California's best artisan winemakers. Our 9-month membership introduces members to 9 different winer	The California Wine Club 12-Month Premier Red Wine Gift Membership Price: 385.00 Reward yourself or someone special with a gift of incredible wine that lasts the whole year! Each month members receive two bottles of award-winning red wine hand-selected from California's best boutique wineries. Our 12-month membership introduces member
Pellegrini Family Vineyards 2005 Milestone "Sonoma County" Red Wine Price: 39.00 Milestone was conceived by selecting special lots of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc to form a mosaic that would be defined by its depth of color, richness, complexity, and supple texture. The Milestone wine commemora	Bargetto Family Estates 2002 LA VITA Red Table Wine "Santa Cruz Mountains, Regan Vineyards" Price: 47.00 Ruby red, this LA VITA wine has a rich bouquet of ripe plum, exotic spice and cedar. On the palate, fruit flavors are lush and the feel is velvety. There is just a kiss of oak on the finish.

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