Parallel Wines

Parallel Wines: Napa's latest great Cab is a true balance of business
and friendship

Parallel is a new Napa Valley wine representing a collaboration of close friends—Steve and Val Chin, Mike and Toni Doilney, Mac and Ann MacQuoid, Joe and Paula Sargetakis—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 and expensive wines in Napa Valley. Yet Parallel, priced at $48.50, marks the first time these masters have collaborated on a wine that is both affordable and available to the general public.

Parallel is also the story of parallel lives and friendships of twenty-plus years, whose business and life successes combined with a love of wine and skiing, have led them to this adventure. That circle of friendship now encompasses two special places: the mountains of Park City, Utah, where the four couples met more than 20 years ago, and the hillside vineyards of Napa Valley. The balance between entrepreneurial success and giving back to their communities is a philosophy that has tied the partners together over the years.

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. It's the synergy that makes Parallel Wines so special.

All Parallel Wine is distinctive and reflects a sense of harmony and sophistication, not unlike the dynamic partners themselves. Parallel was launched in 2005 with its inaugural vintage, Parallel 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, which sold out quickly. The second release, the Parallel 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is currently available in stores in California, New York, New Jersey and ski resort towns in the states of the Rocky Mountain West. The 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, introduced in November 2006, is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 9% Petite Verdot. Winemaker Philippe Melka describes it as follows: The wine exhibits a deep red cherry color. Flamboyant nose combines primary aromas of black raspberry, cassis, flint and vanilla. Suave and sweet, the mouthfeel 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.

Images/Logo

Images

Please click on a thumbnail below to download the desired high resolution image or click here to download all images as a zipped file (4.7 MB).

Logo
Parallel Wines Logo (JPG File, 85 KB)

Artwork
Parallel Wines 2004 Label (PDF File, 125 KB)

Parallel Wines 2004 Label (JPG File, 147 KB)

Parallel Wines 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Face Label (JPG File, 250 KB)

Parallel Wines 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Back Label (JPG File, 260 KB)

Parallel Wines 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Face Label (JPG File, 68 KB)

Map
Parallel on Napa Map (PDF File, 1.8 MB)

Press Highlights

7x7 Magazine
November 2008
It's Fall. Drink Red Wine. Here's How to Pair It
"Parallel is a fine Napa Cab with a lushness that counters the meat; it also has enough fine-grained tannin for the rough-and-tumble flatiron."

Vintrust SommSelections
November 2008
Somm Scored - Napa Valley Proprietary Red (PDF, 720 KB)
93 Pts. "Another fabulous project from über consulting winemaker Philippe Melka, this wine emanates from vineyards situated on lower benchland of Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, Coombsville and Conn Valley. 2,337 cases produced."

Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine
April 2008
Cabernet Sauvignon (PDF, 611 KB)
"Attractive elements of sweet toast an extracted curranty fruit combine comfortably in both the well-defined aromas and deep flavors of this very solid and fairly serious young wine. It is, in fact, on track for even higher marks..."

Quarterly Review of Wines
Summer 2007
Best of Show (PDF, 173 KB)

Million Air
May/June 2007
Fab Cab (PDF, 31 MB)

Mountain Living
May 2007
ML Recommends: A Striking Parallel (PDF, 46 MB)

Starting Lines
March 2007
The Planner, March (PDF, 1.5 MB)

San Francisco Chronicle
March 2, 2007
Higher Ground: Napa and Sonoma's mountain vineyards produce cabernets with desirable intensity (PDF, 11 MB)

WineReviewOnline.com
December 2006
Star Napa Winemaker Relishes 'Humble' Project (PDF, 824 KB)

Vinography.Com
January 18, 2006
2003 Parallel Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
"Mushrooms aren't the only things popping up, seemingly out of nowhere. So are new wine labels. Many are new ventures by new people, but occasionally a label is started by people whose names make you sit up and take notice. The newly launched Parallel Wines certainly qualifies….."

Whitleyonwine.com
May 2006
WINE FINDS

SFGate.com
April 6, 2006
The Chronicle's Wine Selections

Food & Wine
October 2005
Winemaker of the Year: Philippe Melka (PDF, 1.7 MB)