#1997 OPUS ONE WINE PRICE SKIN#
#1997 OPUS ONE WINE PRICE PLUS#
Wines were 8 vintages of Opus One ranging from 1982 to 2014 plus a ringer of 2012 Mondavi Reserve.
We thought it would be fun and educational to look back at some of these earlier vintages so the Vancouver Group of 8 scheduled a dinner at Blue Water on May 24, 2022.Ī few brief impressions: The bookends both were formidable from Dom Ruinart first 2004 Blanc de Blancs 100% Grand Crus low dosage delicately structured with creamy silky textures finishing up with Dom Ruinart 2007 Rose using B/B with 18% added pinot noir from Ay. Presently winemaker Michael Silacci picks early to maintain freshness maintaining vineyard wild yeasts, using 100% new French oak from 10 coopers aiming for accessibility of the wine on release though best drinking for him around 15 years of age but capable of going 40 years. The resulting wines have improved each decade after trying times early on and are looking at their 43rd vintage in 2022. This also helped vine management (looking for sunlight rather than heat to ripen the grapes), canopy, and pruning of the fruit with closer vines providing some shade themselves against the hot midday sun. The positive result was that denser replanting was key going from rows 12 feet apart with vines every 8 feet to 4 by 4 closer together competing. However in 1990 phylloxera was discovered in Q Block that resulted in a replanting on St.
Another issue was the vines as Mondavi sold a key 35 acre Q block parcel of To-Kalon to the venture plus in 1983-84 they acquired two more vineyards across Highway 29 from Mondavi totalling 138 acres of which 108+ were planted. 1990 was the last vintage made at the Mondavi facility and 1991 the first one in that spectacular new Opus One winery (plagued by water issues built over a geothermal spring with cost overruns). From about 1986 on some Bordeaux vinification methods were being deployed and by the early nineties harmony developed between the Bordeaux & Napa contributions. Initially it was somewhat difficult to reach the unique perfect Opus One style with Bordeaux experts first Lucien Sionneau and in the late eighties Patrick Leon seeking more elegance & finesse while the Mondavi family (Robert, MIchael & Tim with Genevieve Janssens) focusing on the rich bold riper Napa fruit. In the early years the wine was produced at the Mondavi winery and was very California. There were so many aficionados of their wines (Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon & Chateau Mouton Rothschild) that the launch of their joint project of Opus One in Oakville California with the inaugural 1979 vintage was met with highly enthusiastic anticipation. Powerful yet harmonious, the 1997 promises a long life in the bottle.Your scribe is a long time follower and admirer of the work of both Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe De Rothschild. Showing supple tannins, its silky-smooth palate accompanies flavors of blackberry-cassis, clove and roasted coffee. The 1997 Opus One offers concentrated aromas of vanilla, licorice, sandalwood and toasty oak.
Harvest was early and very compact, comprising just 11 days. Though Napa Valley sustained rains in late August, Opus One’s vineyards were unaffected, as warm winds dried the vineyards quickly. Dedicated to uncompromised quality, Opus One’s sole purpose is to express this vision and passionate spirit for generations to come.Ībundant sunlight in the previous vintage produced high fertility in the vine buds and a large crop in 1997, which Opus One thinned to the lowest per-acre yield in a decade. Opus One, like any great work, arose out of passion. By combining the great winemaking traditions and innovations of both families, the founders’ singular goal was to create an exceptional wine in the heart of Napa Valley. Opus One was founded by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, legendary proprietor of Château Mouton Rothschild, and renowned Napa Valley vintner Robert Mondavi.
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