It's also very expensive - usually $150-$200 per bottle.Īre you paying for the snooty chic factor? You bet. It also takes years to develop, and often comes across as astringent and tough when it's opened too early. There is usually very little that is subtle about this wine. Well, for one thing, it's totally over-the-top. So why does everyone love to hate this wine? I could immediately draw parallels to the manufacturing practices of premium chocolate brands like Ethel M. Here was a winery that was combining high-quality ingredients (arguably the best fruit that Oakville / Napa has on offer), old school techniques and know-how, ultra-modern equipment, and expensive "by hand" techniques to make a premium product. I've spent a lot of time working for major CPG companies, so I'm no stranger to touring manufacturing facilities - and what I saw at O.O. facility literally changed how I look at wine. (located on the main drag in Napa) is a modern temple to high-end winemaking. It also made Napa Valley wine more serious - after all, a First Growth was now involved. This style of international collaborative winemaking is fairly common now, but when founded in the late `70s, Opus One was pioneering stuff. The aim: produce and ultra-premium Bordeaux style wine, made with the best fruit that Napa had to offer. Opus One is a joint venture international premium wine venture between Napa legend Robert Mondavi and Bordeaux legend Baron Philippe Rothschild. Before I get into that, let's get a little background for those of you unfamiliar with the big O.O. Love it or hate it, Opus One is the wine that made me serious about vino. I'm talking about that over-the-top, over-priced, and oft-overlooked Oakville stalwart, Opus One. And it has to do with a wine that everyone loves to hate (oooohhhh. Going back to my roots is ultra-exciting for me, because it gives me a chance to explore why I got into wine in the first place. Well, back to my wine roots anyway - Plumboo is a plush toy with a plastic squeek for a head, so I'm not sure he's got any roots worth getting into. I say "ultra-exciting" edition because Lenn's theme has Plumboo and I going back to our "wine roots" (read Lenn's post for more details). A silky and structured mouthfeel with a pinch of tannins and generous red and dark berry fruit flavours.This ultra-exciting edition of Tales of the Purple Monkey has Plumboo and I once again taking part in the Wine Blogging Wednesday blog carnival! Because it's an anniversary edition of WBW, it's being hosted this month by cool-guy and WBW founder Lenn Thompson at Lenndevours. Supple bouquet with clear ripe blackberry and cassis, tempered by white pepper spice and smoked cedar notes. It's a hugely complex wine that complements the freshness of younger vintages with the depth of more mature wines.ĭeep blood red colour. The blending of wine-lots across vintages and extended barrel ageing give Overture a supple structure and silky texture. ![]() By marrying multiple vintages, it yield a softer, rounder expression of their estate compared to their flagship Opus One wine. The classic blackberry and cassis character of Cabernet Sauvignon melds seamlessly with the black cherry, red currant and violet from the Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Overture is a timeless reflection of the Opus One estate vineyards. After 18 months of ageing, the wine is bottled and held an additional 15 months until its release on October 1 st each year. Unlike Opus One, which only ages in new French Oak barrels, Overture ages in French oak barrels that have been used before. Overture is Opus One's second wine, using grapes from the densely planted estate vineyards that surround the winery. The grapes are hand-harvested in individual lots, and then each lot is sorted and fermented separately, requiring over three dozen giant steel fermentation tanks. Rather than being sorted by hand, harvested grapes are processed by a custom-made optical sorter, which uses cameras to analyse the size, shape, and colour of every grape. The winery was established in 1978 and uses its state-of-the-art facilities to produce two wines only: Opus One and Overture.Ī stunning blend of five varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Located in Oakville, California, Opus One was an ambitious joint venture between two of the world’s most esteemed winemaking figures: Robert Mondavi and the late Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Without a doubt, Opus One is one of Napa's most famous wineries.
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