Not even in the Old World are there such fertile valleys, made ideal for vine cultivation by the blazing sunshine, long, hot summers and oceanic breezes.
The first European settlers to consider growing grapevines in the United States must have been delighted when they discovered the now famous wine regions within California, Oregon and elsewhere.
These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. Dedicated to uncompromised quality, Opus One's sole purpose is to express this vision and passionate spirit for generations to come.2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. 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. Through careful and precise management of the incoming fruit, harvest continued evenly until it was completed on October 20th. Picking started September 21st at the fresh fruit stage of ripeness to keep flavours bright and lively. At harvest, the fruit exhibited the classic style of our Oakville estate vineyards with incredible depth of flavour, layers of complexity and excellent structure. Mother Nature continued to favour the vintage with a superb growing season characterised by moderate temperatures and bountiful sunshine resulting in one of the valley's most exceptional vintages. at 13-16 ☌Īfter a warm and dry winter, generous rains returned in March just in time for bud-break and provided the water needed for the rest of the year. This refined and age-worthy wine offers lively acidity and a sturdy structure with a long lingering finish.
Palate: Round mouthfeel and satiny tannins wrap around classic flavours of cassis, blackberry and black cherry. Nose: Effuses dark fruit aromas accentuated by subtler notes of forest-floor and graphite
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