Palate
PATEL 2013 Red Wine is our tribute to classic Right Bank Bordeaux-style red wines. Merlot and Petit Verdot make up the majority of the 2013 offering, which gives the wine its rich dark color, floral notes and polished tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon was added for structure and a velvety mouth-feel. Malbec adds dark fruit flavors and fills out the mid-palate.
Growing Conditions
The 2013 vintage in Napa Valley was one of the earliest in recent history with above average yields. A warm dry spring brought early bud break. With the exception of one heat spike, temperatures were optimal, resulting in notably healthy vines through veraison and ripening. Following mid-September rains, sunny, breezy weather dried out the vines. Cooler, sunny weather throughout October extended the hang time, allowing sugar levels to remain steady while flavors continued to mature.
Bottling
Bottled unfined and unfiltered on May 29, 2015.
Winemaking
Arriving in small picking lugs from the vineyards, the clusters were hand sorted, de-stemmed and hand sorted again, berry by berry. A two day cold soak was followed by primary fermentation in small, open-top stainless steel tanks. The fruit was gently pressed after an extended maceration and the wine was moved to barrel for secondary fermentation.
Aging
The wine was aged for 19 months in rare 100% New French Artisan Oak barrels with minimal racking. Multiple blending trials determined the final blend.
