The Opus One project marked an important milestone in American winemaking. For the first time, a towering figure from the European side, Baron Philippe Rothschild, saw fit to enter into a collaborative venture with the leading California vintner, Robert Mondavi. This association gave a renewed luster to Napa Valley winemaking. The Opus One wines tend to be elegant and silky – they are not cumbersome.

Note courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Clos is a French term meaning “enclosed area” often used in the names of vineyards in Burgundy region, such as the Clos de Vougeot. This use has as its origin the practice of clearing rocks from the vineyard fields and using them to build enclosing stone walls.

The chateaus Cheval Blanc and Petrus are two pillars of the “Right Bank”. This reference stems from the Bordeaux region being intersected by three rivers. The “right bank” of the Dordogne River is where the villages of St. Emillion and Pomerol are situated. Further to the north and west on the “left bank” of the Gironde River one finds towns such as Pauillac, Margaux and St. Julien. Right Bank wines can have higher proportions of merlot in their assemblages. The soils here contain large amounts of limestone.

Commentary courtesy of Skinner inc.