![]() From there you can peek through a glass pyramid reminiscent of the ones at the Louvre down to the striking spiral staircase that leads to the cellar. You can stay in the tasting room or take your glass to a peaceful upstairs terrace with great views. Over two visits, one person working behind the counter was more concerned with waving away fruit flies than answering our questions the second host was much more informative. You check in with a gracious concierge, who hands you a card to bring to the tasting room attendant. The experience: Visiting Opus One is a bit like arriving at a four-star hotel, reservations and all. Bottles of Overture ($60), the winery's secondary label, are available for sale but not for tasting. It's barrel aged for 18 months in new French oak. The 2005 contains 88 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, with 5 percent Merlot and smaller amounts of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Place, often defined as terroir, represents the geography, the climate and the essential human element which is captured in the wine’s balance between power and finesse, structure and texture. The wines: There is just one wine to taste, the current vintage of Opus One, a Bordeaux-style Cabernet blend ($30 per taste). The essence of time is expressed in Opus One by the character of each vintage. Silacci, who earned enology and viticulture degrees at the University of Bordeaux and UC Davis, held previous posts as winemaker at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Beaulieu Vineyard and King Estate in Oregon. Michael Silacci has been winemaker since 2004. The team: The winery is a fifty-fifty partnership of the winery of Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Constellation Brands, which purchased the Robert Mondavi Winery in 2004. Vivaldi's " Four Seasons" plays on the winery Web site, and when you arrive at the winery, signs direct you to "register with the concierge." The vibe: Luxurious with a touch of pretension. If $30 per taste seems out of your budget, share one with a friend to have the opportunity to see - and taste - what the fuss is about at one of the valley's most prominent wineries. Visiting Opus One is an opulent experience and one that's worth checking out. The resulting winery's first vintage was in 1979, while construction of the building was completed in 1991. Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Bordeaux's Chateau Mouton Rothschild first proposed a joint venture with Napa's Robert Mondavi in 1970. ![]()
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