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    Home » US Travel » California » Napa Valley

    Our Own Excursion: Vineyards (Opus One and Robert Mondavi)

    Published: Mar 17, 2010 · Modified: Nov 11, 2017 by Jennifer Che

    Opus One
    When you see the Opus One Vineyard from afar, you immediately think "wow." It's grandiose, beautiful, and imposing all at the same time. It clearly was designed and built to impress, and impressed I was.
    Opus One
    The views are top notch from the vineyard - almost unrealistically picturesque.
    Opus One Tasting
    You can do a "tasting" which means you can buy individual glasses of wine for (gasp) $30 or $35 each!!!  I guess since their bottles go for $195 and up, I can sort of understand why the tasting has to be so expensive.  We shared one glass of the 2004 Opus One.
    Opus One Balcony
    We slowly sipped and savored it at the gorgeous second floor balcony.
    Opus One Balcony
    So yummy!
    IMG_2529-1
    Lovely vineyard, definitely worth visiting, even if it's just for the views, which don't cost a cent!

    Robert Mondavi Vineyards
    Robert Mondavi Vineyards
    Do you recognize this arch?  It's on the front of all Robert Mondavi bottles. We signed up for the Signature Tour for only $25, which I think is well worth the money.  The tour guides are really good, and it's a fun peek into the winemaking process.  The best time to come is August, when the grapes are about to be harvested! (right now the vines are empty - sad!)
    Robert Mondavi To Kalon Vineyards
    These are the To Kalon vineyards, which, according to some, produce some of the best cabernet grapes in all of Napa Valley, if not the entire world.  The soil here is mostly clay loam, which drains well and does not retain lots of nutrients.  The harsh conditions put the grape vines in stress, causing them to produce more concentrated clusters of fruit with very intense flavors. To Kalon produces some of the most sought after cabs in Napa Valley.
    Mondavi French Barrels
    Although modern technology uses stainless steel fermentors, Robert Mondavi Winery uses small amounts of oak fermentors for some reserve wines. Tim Mondavi, winegrower and managing director at the vineyard, found that "[o]ak fermentation imparts complexity, richness of texture, intensity, and depth of color, which is ideal for our reserve and district red wines, and particularly enhances the fruit from our To Kalon Vineyard.”*
    Robert Mondavi Barrels
    They also only use French oak barrels (remember my thoughts when I pitted French oak against American oak?).  They paint all the barrels with wine so that if there's any dripping, it won't cause any stains.
    Mondavi Wine Tasting
    We enjoyed a lovely tasting of 3 different wines.  Our tour guide was fantastic. He's worked at the vineyard for decades, and really knows his stuff.  We tried asking him all sorts of questions and he seemed to know everything!  We tried a 2008 Napa Valley Fume Blanc ($20/bottle), a 2008 Napa Valley Pinot Noir Reserve ($60/bottle), and a 2006 Oakville District Cabernet Sauvignon ($45/bottle).  Nice wines, but I couldn't help thinking about the Opus One earlier, which (for obvious reasons), was way better.
    Robert Mondavi Vineyard
    Over all, if you've never visited a vineyard and want to learn about the basics of winemaking, this tour is interesting and fun.  Plus, the property is really pretty.

    Other posts from the Napa Valley Series
    Welcome Reception
    Mystery Basket
    Signature Dish Competition
    Del Dotto Caves / Winery
    Antica Vineyards
    Bouchon Bakery
    --------------
    Bibliography
    Caldwell-Ewart, "Robert Mondavi Winery: Creating a Winery to Match a Vineyard" Practical Winery & Vineyard, Jan/Feb 2001

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    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

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