Napa Valley ‘Right Bank’ Bordeaux Style Wines

Michael Cinque – Amagansett Wine, N.Y.
“Smooth, lush, and loaded with rich and ripe Napa fruit, it was a total treat to taste … The wine tastes like many top California labels that sell for twice the price … It’s that good!”

In November of 2005 I experienced a wonderful sense of accomplishment with the release of my first vintage… Palazzo 2003 Napa Valley Red Wine.

It was incredibly exciting to finally see my wine in bottle, which not only solidified years of hard work, but fulfilled a strong desire to share a life long passion with family, friends and wine lovers alike.  All I could say as that first case came off the bottling line was, “Wow … it’s here … my first wine!”

My wine is a Bordeaux blend in the ‘Right Bank’ style.  It is made up of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon. In Bordeaux, the ‘Right Bank’ is known for elegant, yet powerful wines that are both delicious on the palate, and that also pair well with a broad range of foods.  Some of the most famous and sought after wines in the world come from St. Emilion and Pomerol, both of which are located in the ‘Right Bank’ region of Bordeaux.  In California, the lower Carneros region of Napa Valley shares a climate similar to this beautiful region in France, and so I decided this was the prime location for the grapes to come from for my Bordeaux inspired wine.

Just as a point of reference, the ‘Left Bank’ of Bordeaux is known for big beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon based wines, similar to the many great wines produced in upper Napa Valley.

Fortunately, early on, I was able to team-up and meld my sensibilities and taste for the great wines of Bordeaux, with my good friend and wine consultant, Peter Franus.  Together we have realized my vision and dream to produce a ‘Right Bank’ Bordeaux style wine of “character and elegance” from Napa Valley.

Many of you know that 2003 was a wonderful growing season in Napa.  After a blast of mid-September heat, we experienced cool autumn days allowing the fruit to undergo a longer ‘hang time’ on the vine.  This yielded ripe, mature fruit with the full-expression of the characteristics indicative of the varietals used in my wine.

As a result my 2003 vintage is a beautifully complex, layered wine with an engaging personality.  Aromas of cinnamon, chocolate, and blackberries, along with the perfume of espresso and violets waft up from the glass leading you to a wine that bursts on your palate with rich cherry and blackberry fruit.  The flavors are bright, the texture lush, the tannins sweet and the mouth feel soft and supple.  This is a full-bodied wine with a wonderful structure … and a long rich finish of deep dark fruit.

Please enjoy my “debut release” of Palazzo 2003 Napa Valley Red Wine … A true Napa Valley ‘Right Bank’ wine of distinction … and class!