barrel tasting conducted at premiere napa valley - February 23, 2008 We Presented our Winemaker’s Special Selected Barrel of 2006 Parallel Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This tasting was from Philippe Melka’s personally Selected Parallel Estate Barrel. Only 5 cases of this extraordinary wine will be specially bottled and delivered to the high bidder, Gary Fisch, of Gary’s Wine and Marketplace of Madison, New Jersey. This special edition of the 2006 ESTATE sold for $4,000 per case, one of the top results at this most prestigious Event. VINOGRAPHY : The Best Cabernet in Napa: Tasting Premiere Napa Valley 2008 One of my favorite events each year involves the opportunity to sample some of the best wines that Napa produces in a given vintage. At Premiere Napa Valley, an auction that serves as the world's most expensive "bake sale" to support the efforts of the non-profit Napa Valley Vintners Association, journalists like me get a chance to sneak a taste of hundreds of unique wines that are purchased by the nation's top wine retailers at staggeringly high prices. This year, as every year, 200 member wineries each crafted a unique auction lot of wine that in most cases represents the very best wine that they are capable of producing. The 2006 vintage looks to be a very good one, Apart from these not-for-sale-to-the-general-public barrels, and an occasional offering to mailing list customers, most Napa Valley wineries don't offer wine futures for sale. Which means that all we can do is wait, knowing that at least one future vintage will likely have some real winners. Click the winery name to find and purchase other wines from that producer. WINES SCORING BETWEEN 9.5 and 10
2006 Laird Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2006 BOND Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9.5 (Parallel Napa Valley is one of the very top wines of the 200 superb wines presented at Premiere Napa!)
2006 Amuse Bouche Winery "Pomerol blend--Merlot/Cabernet Franc" Merlot, Napa Valley
2006 Lail Vineyards"Heimark Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2006 Peacock Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District
2006 Blackbird Vineyards Red Table Wine, Napa Valley
2006 Parallel Napa Valley "Parallel Estate" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2006 Shafer Vineyards " Sunspot Vineyard "Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District
2006 Chappellet Winery and Vineyard "Heaven on the Hill" Red Wine, Napa Valley
2005 Schramsberg Vineyards "1993 Late Disgorged J. Schram" Sparkling Wine - Brut, Napa Valley
2006 Diamond Terrace "Two Mountains" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2006 D. R. Stephens Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2006 Jones Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2006 RUDD Cabernet Sauvignon, Mount Veeder
2006 Spencer Roloson Winery "La Herradura Vineyard Le Ferrieur" Syrah, Napa Valley
2006 Robert Foley Vineyards and Switchback Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2006 Carter Cellars Red Wine, Atlas Peak
2006 La Jota Vineyard Co. "Winery Vineyard" Cabernet Franc, Howell Mountain
2006 Narsai David "Cuvee Venus" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2006 Dyer Vineyard "Meteor Vineyard Clone 4" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2006 Hourglass "36-24-36" Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena Vinography - Posted 2/24/08 - Click the link below to see this story. http://www.vinography.com/archives/2008/02/the_best_cabernet_in_napa_tast.html http://www.napavintners.com/trade/tm_1_premiere.aspxhttp://www.napavintners.com/http://triggit.com/link/4bWqCxaThttp://triggit.com/link/WTEQ7kAWhttp://www.vinography.com/archives/2007/09/californias_best_boutique_wine_1.htmlshapeimage_4_link_0shapeimage_4_link_1shapeimage_4_link_2shapeimage_4_link_3shapeimage_4_link_4
2006 Parallel Napa Valley 2006 ESTATE Cabernet Sauvignon (to be released in March 1, 2009) “Located in an area known for its excellence – the hills overlooking Lake Hennessey just east of St Helena – the Parallel mountainside vineyard reached its full maturity in 2006, producing top, very high-quality grapes.  After 21 months in 100% French Oak, the first Parallel Napa Valley Estate wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined.  This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon reveals spice and concentrated black fruits on the nose, the wine is opulent and layered with flavors of white chocolate, anise, licorice, cider and black currant. This is a mark of a ‘grand vin."....Philippe Melka, Winemaker