Today Opus One is under an interesting ownership with 50% owned by the public company, Constellation Brands and the other 50% still family owned by the Rothschilds. In 2004, as part of the sale of Robert Mondavi Winery, half of Opus One was sold. For several years the wine was blandly referred to as napanamedoc until Opus One was ultimately decided as an appropriate name reflecting the significant efforts and details that go into creating the wine each year – and referring to a composers’ first composition. Vintages until 1990 were produced at Robert Mondavi Winery which is physically located almost on the other side of Highway 29 in Oakville. As part of promoting these early wines both Robert and his wife Margrit and the Rothschilds attended select events including the San Francisco Symphony’s appropriately named Opus One Ball, held in April of that year. The Napa Valley Wine Train as seen through one of the Opus One columns The first vintage of Opus One was from 1979 and along with the 1980 vintage were both released in 1984. And some years production is extremely small like in 2001 in which only 2 barrels were produced.Ī coveted photograph that we hope to obtain again with our real camera. And this wine generally sees less French oak then its older sister. Overture is always a blend of multiple vintages from lots that were not selected for the Opus One wine. This wine is labeled as a Napa Valley Red wine and interestingly is one of a select few annual release wines from any winery in the Napa Valley that is not labeled with a vintage date. However, since 1993 they have created a second much lesser known and promoted label called Overture. The focus of Opus One’s production is on a single world-class wine each year. His philosophy about promoting Napa Valley was that ‘the rising tide carries all ships’ – both promoting his own winery as well as his neighbors – essentially promoting Napa Valley as an entire region. Robert worked at Charles Krug Winery until branching out on his own to begin Robert Mondavi Winery in 1966. Robert Mondavi’s family has been in Napa Valley since the 1940s they purchased Charles Krug Winery in 1943. And this is only their global wine business – they are involved in a diversity of other businesses including financial, mining, real estate and agricultural ventures. Today the Rothschild family owns numerous wine estates in Europe as well as in North and South America, South Africa and Australia. Part of the Rothschild family also owns the equally iconic Château Lafite Rothschild. The Rothschild family traces their wine heritage back to 1853 when they purchased an existing chateau and renamed it to what is now the iconic Château Mouton Rothschild. With the combined efforts of two enterprising and well-respected individuals in the world of wine, Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi, (at the time, owners of Château Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux and Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley), the creation of this winery played a significant role in elevating the stature and reputation of Napa Valley while simultaneous attracting additional visitors to the valley who have become familiar with the provenance of the Opus One wines or have heard about its coveted reputation.
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