Parducci Winery Started in 1933 and Still Going Strong

The Parducci Winery was established in 1933, which corresponded with the end of national Prohibition and which ushered in the resurrection of the California wine industry. Since that time Parducci has been among California’s top producers of premium wines. We recently had an opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the wines of Parducci and found that our memories of them being exceptional had not changed.

One of the reasons Parducci is in the upper class of California producers is that their wines are made in small lots and then blended to make the final product. Making their wines in small lots allows the winemakers to construct a finished product that is exactly to the Parducci style and those lots that do not come up to standard are discarded. Now you can understand why the Parducci wines are worth much more than their affordable price indicates.

Parducci 2013 Small Lot Chardonnay ($13). No longer do California winemakers look toward the austere and stiff French Chardonnay’s as a model. Americans prefer the more fruity and expansive style currently expounded by California vintners. The Parducci 2013 Small Lot Chardonnay expresses this California styles perfectly. There is not one flavor or aroma to pick from but a host of constantly changing attributes that seems endless. Pear melds with golden apple and honey all lying on a bed of light sweet oak. This is the type of white wine we Americans love.

Parducci 2013 Small Lot Cabernet Savignon ($14). Flavor and aroma are the key words here. This wine displays its attributes in almost obscene quantities and is so big, it is almost overpowering. Plum and cranberry dominate the flavor with black cherry bringing up the rear. There are the flavors of mocha, cedar, oak, and vanilla lying in the background adding extra layers of complexity to this very excellent wine. If you like cabs and are not bound by tradition or snobbery, try this wine for a new and delightful wine drinking experience.

Parducci 2013 Small Lot Pinot Noir ($14). Where most winemakers struggle with this grape, Parducci has made it a star. The traditional aromas of cherries and rose petals that are the signature of wines made from this grape are prominent and are joined by the aromas of cranberries. The cranberry aroma carries over to the flavor where it mingles with cherry and plum. The background of this wine proves to be just as interesting, displaying cinnamon, clove, dark chocolate, oak, and vanilla, which carry over to the finish where they slowly trail off ending in a smoky sensation and is about as enjoyable as they come.

Parducci True Grit 2012 Petite Sirah ($29). This is what a Petite Sirah should be like. It is a big wine, displaying a rich purple color and concentrated flavors from start to finish. Berries, chocolate, and spice mark the aroma while the flavor prominently displays boysenberry, black pepper, and vanilla. A big surprise is the rather long and subtle finish, which, to say the least, is uncommon for many of its contemporaries. This wine can be enjoyed right now or put away for as long as 10 years and can be particularly well matched with strongly flavored and spicy foods as well as with anything barbecued. This if a good example of a well made truly fine wine.

Parducci True Grit 2012 Cabernet Savignon ($30). The wine opens to, dark and inviting ruby color followed by an aroma alive with cherries, black berries, and a background of wild mushrooms and oak. On the palate, the wine exhibits a broad black cherry flavor with a nicely balanced acid level and good tannin. This wine is perfect for bottle aging for up to ten years but can be enjoyed right now. This is a wine that bespeaks the quality available from great grapes. While Cabernet Savignon wines are getting to be commonplace, this wine is a level or two above the rest of the pack and definitely deserves to be tried.