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Patent Wines was formed to create exceptional wines of distinction & excellence from site specific vineyards within an AVA. From lengthy experience and know-how, paired with Bordeaux best practices honed over 45 harvests, they hand produce authentic wines. Patent Wines is the brainchild of two California wine industry veterans, Tom Rinaldi and Eric Risch. Rinaldi was the founding winemaker at Duckhorn, a role he filled from 1978 to 2000 during which he brought the merlot grape and the Duckhorn name to worldwide attention. He went on to establish and nurture such wineries as Pellet Estate, Provenance and Hewitt. Risch is an entrepreneur and marketing genius who turned to winery development and managing with Pellet Estate. Both Tom and Eric were initially going to keep a few of their best quality barrels for personal consumption and to share with friends and family. However, in 2020, both men had plenty of downtime and decided to partner and create very limited production wines focused either on specific vineyard sites or AVA’s. This lead to the creation of Patent wines. Their initial releases have all received high praise as well as ratings. Quantities are limited.