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In its first few years, Parallel Napa Valley has grown to be one of the most exciting new Napa mountainside wineries in California. Parallel Napa Valley wines are the result of a collaboration of eight close friends and two of the top winemaking professionals in the industry today: Philippe Melka, who was recently named the 2005 Winemaker of the Year by Food & Wine magazine, and highly acclaimed Vineyard Manager Jim Barbour of Barbour Vineyards. Philippe and Jim are responsible for crafting some of the most sought-after wines in Napa Valley. The inagual 2003 Parallel Cabernet Sauvignon marked the first time these masters had collaborated to create such an affordable wine. While this team continues to produce increasingly attractive vintages of Parallel, we have been able to maintain a very attractive price for Parallel Napa Valley.
Parallel is also the story of parallel lives and friendships that have unfolded over the past 30 years. That circle of friendship now encompasses two special places: the mountains of Park City, Utah, where the four couples developed their friendship, and the hillside vineyards of Napa Valley, where they now pursue their common dream. All successful entrepreneurs in their own right, the Parallel partners love a challenge and relish the chance to participate hands-on. As such, they have been fully involved in every aspect of creating Parallel, from the planting of the first vine to sampling the first sip of each new vintage. It's this energy and synergy that makes Parallel Wines so special.
The inaugural vintage of Parallel 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley was a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot from Howell Mountain and Calistoga. Its deep color exhibits a beautiful bouquet of black currants, blackberries, dried herbs, smoke, vanilla and Asian spices. The mouth feel is generous and packed with ripe flavors of rich cherry jam and black fruits. It finishes with dense tannin, wood and a wonderful licorice character. This wine is distinctive and reflects a sense of harmony and sophistication.
The 2004 vintage, priced at $48.50, was released in November of 2006 with great anticipation and like the first release, also quickly sold out. It is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 9% Petite Verdot, from the Parallel Estate, Conn Valley and Howell Mountain. Of the 2004, Melka shared: "The wine exhibits a deep red cherry color. Flamboyant nose combines primary aromas of black raspberry, cassis, flint and vanilla. Suave and sweet, the mouth feel is impressive with very good concentration of red fruits, currant and plum. The various flavors are well integrated together framed by good acidity. The wine has great a backbone and will age very well".
The 2005 vintage, priced at $55.00 is our current release. It is a blend of nearly 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, nearly 8% Merlot and a little under 1% Petite Verdot, from the Parallel Estate in the upper reaches of Conn Valley, the benches adjacent to Howell Mountain, Combsville and St Helena. "In 2005, Parallel's well drained vineyards, especially from the hills, as our estate vineyards and other vineyards selected to produce Parallel, had a huge advantage by growing smaller berries which translated by greater concentrated flavors. The 2005 Parallel blend exhibits sophistication and great harmony between acidity, tannins and alcohol. The wine reveals a deep ruby color; the bouquet is complex, gorgeous, full of intense aromatics of, acacia flowers, black currants, truffle, liquor of cassis and red cherry. Lush, supple and round in the attack, the wine carries on with harmony and depth finishing with ripe, soft tannins and aromas of creme de cassis, fresh red fruit and crushed stones and more....." - Philippe Melka, Winemaker.
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