![]() Also of note are the Beringer brothers Jacob and Frederick, whose Beringer Vineyards (est. Yount, and John Patchett and his winemaker Charles Krug, founder of the eponymous winery. The founding pioneers of Napa Valley winemaking were George C. Wine has been made in Napa Valley since the 19th Century, but it is only since the 1960s that wine of any particular quality has been produced. And no less important (even after almost four decades) is the triumph of Napa Valley wines over their rivals from Bordeaux and Burgundy in the 1976 Paris Judgement. This draws millions of wine tourists to the valley each year to sample its wines and world-class gastronomy. Then there is the region's accessibility from San Francisco. Most obvious is that the wines are produced to high standards, in a popular style, and are very well marketed. There are several reasons for Napa Valley's global renown as a wine region. When modern techniquesīenefit the winegrowing process, they are researched, evaluated and integrated In the vineyards, hand-harvesting and other traditionalĪpproaches are taken wherever they work best. These are complementedīy the combined 70 acres of the Ballestra and River parcels, which envelop the Two parcels, totaling 100Īcres, are within the renowned To Kalon Vineyard. The western portion of the famed Oakville AVA. The estate vineyards of Opus One, comprised of 4 parcels, sit in Subtleties of Opus One by honoring traditional methods and the continual Nearly four decades later, we continue to refine the complex When our foundersĬreated Opus One, they dreamed of a great wine that would transcend Shapes every vintage, today and for generations to come. Together, our founders set out to create a single wineĭedicated to the pursuit of uncompromising quality. Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux and Napa Valley vintner Opus One is the realized dream of two men: Baron Philippe de Navigator Spirits, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey(0).Navigator Spirits, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey(2017).Fratelli Vogadori Amarone della Valpolicella.Smoke taint? I certainly didn't pick up any in this Opus One sample, although Opus One had nearly finished harvest (90%) by the first night of the fires. Tannins generally aren't as plush and ripe as in previous vintages, but it's nothing that judicious extractions can't manage. Readers can generally expect elegant, refreshing, medium-bodied wines-like this 2017 Opus One-with pretty perfumes, red fruit signatures and subtle dried herbs in the background. After all is said and done, I only judge what's in the glass, and what I've tasted so far (admittedly from some of the very best wineries in the Valley) is not too shabby at all. It was a year that started with a deluge, got blasted with heat during Labor Day weekend and then suffered the most devastating wildfires this area has seen just at the tail end of harvest. We were able to pick fairly regularly with an even flow in the cellar." The more 2016s I taste, the harder it is to fault this decadent, rich, blue and black-fruited vintage.Ģ017 was, of course, another vintage story altogether and one that I will cover comprehensively in my full Napa report at the end of October. "We had plenty of rain in the early part of the year," commented Opus One winemaker Michael Silacci, "followed by an early budbreak. The last of the "drought" years and a rather warm one at that, the resolute nature of these impeccably tended Oakville vines is apparent in the complex layers, beautiful freshness and rock-solid frame of this wine.Ģ016 is the vintage winemakers can't remember because it was so uneventful. Already previously reviewed as a barrel sample, the 2015 was a show-stopper from barrel and is equally impressive in bottle. Opus One knocks it out of the park with three excellent, if very different, takes on the the last string of vintages: 2015, 20. ![]()
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