Very vigorous and rather bordelais in its drive. ‘Composed scarlet with some age at the rim. The 68.4-hectare estate is certified as a green winery and follows environmentally friendly procedures. Located in Napa Valley, this joint venture helped establish the reputation of the Napa wine region and is an Icon in the world of wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.Opus One was founded in 1980 as a joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi with the idea of merging old and new world wine styles. In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% ( Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Find out moreĬabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. Franc and to a lesser extent Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Dolcetto.įrog's Leap, Dominus, David Ramey, Viader, Stag's Leap Cellars, Paras Vineyards, Heitz. The Calistoga AVA is still pending approval.īoth the Napa Valley designation and the sub-AVA name must appear on the wine label simultaneously, with the exception of wines from the Carneros AVA, which is shared between the Napa Valley and the Sonoma County.Ĭabernet Sauvignon is the undisputed king of Napa grapes, occupying over 45% of the vineyard acreage, followed by (predominantly) Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cab. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Wild Horse Valley and Oak Knoll District. These differences have led to the creation of several sub-AVAs (14 in total) including:Ītlas Peak, Chiles Valley District, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Los Carneros, Mt. The area enjoys a variety of unique microclimates, as temperatures can vary dramatically as much as 15 degrees, from the north to the south end of the valley. The valley is framed by two mountains ranges Vaca (to the north) and Mayacamas (to the south), yet the main climatic influence is the cool wind and fog that is sucked in from San Pablo Bay during the afternoon, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. Its 16,000 ha of vines lie over a strip (40 miles long-5 miles wide) of diverse soils (clay, gravely, volcanic), with its northernmost end on the side of Mountain Helena and its foot in San Francisco Bay. North Coast's Napa Valley is California's most famous viticultural area (AVA), claiming some of the most expensive agricultural land in the world and producing wines of cult status. It differs from Opus One in that it is a non-vintage wine, crafted from the fruit of several vintages. A second wine, Overture, is also produced. Like a lot of top Classified Growth Bordeaux, Opus One undergoes ageing in new French oak barrels for around a year and a half. Opus One itself is a red Bordeaux blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. There are two wines produced at Opus One. There are four estate-owned vineyards, including considerable holdings in the prestigious To Kalon vineyard. It is located in the Oakville sub-region of California’s Napa Valley. The ambitious pair created Opus One in 1978, the first vintage following in 1979. It was founded as a joint venture between two leading wine producers: Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the owner of Château Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac, Bordeaux and Robert Mondavi, one of the most influential figures in Californian wine history. Opus One is among California’s leading wine estates.
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