For more than a century, the Opici name has stood for quality, consistency and value in the wide world of wine. Each year, the Opici family presents an international showcase of the latest wines that will hit shelves at wine purveyors throughout the country. New trends in taste and expanded regional offerings make this an event of paramount significance. “”Our mission is to continue to offer the highest quality wines at the best possible price,” says Chairman Hubert Opici. For the hundreds of connoisseurs and wine professionals at the event, his words were more than prophetic.
Among some old favorites were wines from Sonoma County’s DeLoach Vineyards. A pioneering producer n the Russian River Valley since 1975, his Zinfandel is among the hallmarks of the region.
One of the first wineries established in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California, Cecil and Christine DeLoach and Jack Fleming started DeLoach Vineyards. It quickly gained a reputation for creating wines of unique character from native California grapes. As a pioneering producer and winegrower of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel grapes in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, DeLoach vineyards experimented with and perfected the best combinations of soil, rootstock and clones for more than three decades. DeLoach was Wine Enthusiast magazine’s 2004 Wine of the Year and in 2012, Wine and Spirits magazine named DeLoach Vineyards a top 100 winery for the twelfth time in the winery’s history.
In November 2003, the Boisset family of Burgundy, France purchased DeLoach, bringing with them two generations of sustainable winemaking experience. In 2005, Cecil and Christine DeLoach started a new winery, Hook and Ladder. The name is derived from the fact that Cecil DeLoach is a retired San
Francisco firefighter. Cecil remains active in the family business with his son Michael as President and grandsons Jason as winemaker and Joshua as winery sales manager at Hook and Ladder. Today, the family owns more than 300 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Gewürztraminer, Cabernet and Merlot.
Raymond Vineyards is one of the pioneering Napa Valley wine estates. Founded in 1970, Raymond Vineyards celebrated its first harvest in 1974.
Arriving in Napa in 1933, the Raymond family developed a deep connection to Napa Valley’s winemaking origins. Today, what began as a 90-acre estate in Rutherford now comprises 300 acres in Rutherford, St. Helena and Jameson Canyon.
Five generations of the Raymond family have established the brand as an icon. Today, Proprietor Jean-Charles Boisset of Burgundy carries that legacy forward. Raymond’s reputation for elegant wines that possess a beautiful balance and finesse remains intact. Further, the Rutherford and St. Helena estate vineyards are now certified organic and Biodynamic and almost 100% of the winery’s [power comes from renewable solar energy.
These were just two of the many dynamic offerings from the Opici family at this year’s spring showcase. For more on the Opici family of wines, visit opiciwinesandspirits.com.