With LVMH's recent announcement of a sparkling-wine joint venture in China and the marriage last year between Lafite Rothschild and Citic, prepare for a spate of international wineries turning their attention towards the mainland.
Such international partnerships rarely raise an eyebrow these days, but when California's Robert Mondavi secured a joint venture with Baron Philippe de Rothschild in 1979, the news sent shock waves through the wine world. International joint ventures have proliferated ever since, particularly those involving French producers who face regulatory and site constraints.
Mondavi and Rothschild first met in Hawaii in 1970, but it wasn't until the former travelled to Bordeaux, France, in 1978 that an agreement was made, purportedly in less than an hour. True to his eccentric reputation, Rothschild negotiated the final details from his bed, where he preferred to conduct much of his business. The Opus One venture sent further shock waves through the wine world when it priced its first release in 1979 at a then-whopping US$50 per bottle.
Within the decade, Opus One sent another shiver through Napa Valley by constructing a creamy white limestone building virtually buried in grassy earth. The facility was America's first winery to embrace a design based on gravity flow, now a common feature of winery construction. Gravity-based designs allow wine to be moved through the various stages of production without harsh pumping.
Tasting this rare flight of mature vintages recently left no doubt that Opus One has earned a place as one of the world's great wines. Opus One wines are available (in limited quantities) at outlets such as Altaya Wines (tel: 2523 1945), Links Concept (tel: 2802 2818), Rare and Fine Wines (tel: 2522 9797) and Watson's Wine Cellar (tel: 2606 8828).
Opus One 1987, Napa Valley
Restrained, stylish fruit with earthy, farmyard aromas reminiscent of old-school Bordeaux. Ripe, soft, silky palate, layered and complex and lengthy. Most definitely, as the French partners would say, 'a point' for drinking.