Still, it’s a good thing, then, that unlike many other Napa wineries, the estate has ample production (25,000 cases/year) to keep its fans satisfied. Interestingly, it wasn’t until relatively recently, in 2012, that Opus One opened a sales and distribution office in Bordeaux – a surprisingly late development considering joint owner Mouton Rothschild operates a major Bordeaux negociant company. Opus One enjoys global appreciation, with a keen following in particular in Japan and France. Nowadays the estate it is owned jointly by Constellation Brands and Baronne Philippe de Rothschild S.A., and continues to enjoy worldwide acclaim. Four years before Robert Mondavi’s death in 2008, he relinquished his share in Opus One and sold it to wine conglomerate Constellation Brands. The brand quickly established itself as a leading Californian label, both at home and abroad.Īfter a long career at the helm of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Philippe de Rothschild died in 1988 at the age of 86, succeeded by his daughter Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. Its immediate success showed the founders their partnership had legs, and in the same year more acres were added to the Opus One venture, and design began on their architecturally-progressive winery. Released in 1984, it was the most expensive Californian wine of the time, costing a then-unprecedented $50 per bottle. Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe Rothschild became friends in 1970, and combined their winemaking nous in 1979 to create a vintage that was an instant hit with wine lovers on both sides of the Atlantic. Buyers looking for additional bottle age may consider the 2014 vintage at a slight premium it also carries a score of 96 points.Like so many Napa wineries, the history of Opus One is short, but it packs a punch, born of two legendary winemaking families: Mondavi and Mouton Rothschild. The chart below shows an 81% correlation between the price of the wine and the bottle age. Prices for Opus One are not closely correlated to critic scores, instead the vintages have appreciated in price with the passing of time. She observed the wine as “medium bodied, the palate has a lively skip in its step, featuring bags of juicy raspberry and cassis-laced fruits and a refreshing line, supported by ripe, plush tannins, finishing long and graceful”. Lisa Perrotti-Brown also gave the wine 95 points, the top range of her barrel score (92-95). Volumes released however are said to be down 27% on the previous year.Īntonio Galloni awarded the wine 95 points, saying it is “one of the most complete wines of the vintage,” and “has a distinctly red-toned fruit profile that distinguishes it from the surrounding vintages”. However, Lisa Perrotti-Brown informed that “Opus one had picked 91% of their fruit before the fires started in 2017, and only two lots were eliminated from consideration”. Antonio Galloni in his first impressions on the region, stated “readers will have to be very selective”, there are “some examples where smoke taint is impossible to ignore”. The wine is being offered by the international trade at £2740 per 12×75, a 6.8% decrease from the 2016 opening price of £2940 per case.ĭuring the 2017 vintage in Napa, wildfires ravaged the Northern California area affecting both the size and taste (smoke taint) of the harvest. Opus One 2017 has been released at €215 per bottle ex-négociant, down 4.4% on the 2016 release (€225).
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