Team C&J
Steve Ventrello, the winemaker, gives himself some leeway when it comes to the Reserva blend ratio, with each vintage being a little different. For example, the 2006 Parador Reserva was 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Tempranillo. And interestingly, the blend on the 2008 bottling flipped to Tempranillo being the dominant grape, with 52% Tempranillo and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon!
Discovering winemakers that use Tempranillo so effectively in their blends is rare. For Napa Valley, a region known for its Bordeaux blends which use Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, and Malbec, blending cabernet with Tempranillo takes skill, and it’s one that winemaker and owner Steve Ventrello has in spades.
Steve Ventrello and his wife Faith, a former music executive who worked for Virgin and Capitol records, started Parador Cellars in 1998.
Steve bounced around the wine scene for almost two decades before he realized he wanted to make his own wine. After spending some time working in the Los Angeles wine shop scene, he founded Angeles Wine Agency. But, Napa Valley was calling, so ten years after he opened his wine business, Steve and Faith sold the wine agency, moved north to Napa, and created Parador.
In his days as a wine merchant, Steve took frequent trips to Spain, and he fell in love with the county’s bold red wines. It wasn’t long before the idea of making Spanish wine in California took hold. You might say that when it came to sourcing the grapes for Parador Cellars, Steve took matters into his own hands.
You see, the Tempranillo for the Parador Cellars Reserva, and the winery’s other red blends, come from “Rancho Chimiles” Vineyards. But these vines were not acquired by then vineyard owner Terry Wilson, they were given to Wilson by Steve, who was able to secure Tempranillo budwood directly from Spain’s Ribera del Duero and Rioja wine regions!
Steve also gave cuttings to Stagecoach Vineyard owner Jan Krupp, who Parador also sources Tempranillo from. You could say that Steve created his own vision of Spain in California with the importation of those grapes.
In the Spanish region of Rioja, Tempranillo is the most widely planted grape variety. In California, however, where Spanish red grape varieties are concerned, Tempranillo doesn’t get nearly the love that grenache does. According to the California Grape Acreage Report, in 2021, California had 3,499 acres of grenache under vine and 914 acres of Tempranillo.
Most of California’s Tempranillo is located in San Luis Obispo County, primarily around Paso Robles. Contrast that to Napa Valley’s 25 acres of fruit-bearing Tempranillo. When popular Napa Valley varieties like cabernet are so lucrative (one ton of cabernet goes for around $8,000, compared to Tempranillo which hovers around $4,000 per ton), convincing growers to devote space to a grape that’s less known to the average wine drinker is challenging.
The nose on this cabernet / Tempranillo blend is terrific: black currants and cherries, mellow blueberries, vanilla, minerally graphite, and a touch of oak. The aromas are intense but not overpowering.
Steve makes his wines with the idea that they can be enjoyed when they’re released, but if you want to cellar them to enjoy later, they’re built to age. While the Reserva was ready to drink out of the bottle, we found that decanting this wine for about 30 minutes really invites the palate to come alive.
Right away, black fruits like cherries and blackberries, along with raisins, ripe strawberries, black pepper, and nutmeg. The co-mingling of ripe berry fruit and spice works so well with this wine. The acidity is tempered, the body is bold but balanced, and the tannins aid in a harmonious finish.
To sum up, the 2007 Parador Cellars Reserva, is just an amazing wine. It opens up exceptionally well after about 30 minutes in the decanter and is one of the most perfectly balanced wines we have ever tasted.
Overall, we score this Spanish red wine blend 93 points and give it a value rating of 4.5. For $75 a bottle, you’re getting a sensational wine.
Parador is a small, independent producer, and the Reserva is limited to just 100 cases a year. While most of the winery’s distribution is centered in California, wine lovers living out of state can purchase bottles on the Parador’s website. The 2007 vintage is sold out, but the 2006 and 2008 vintages appear to be in stock.
In addition to Parador Cellars, Steve and Faith Ventrello are combining their love of wine and music with the creation of Folklore Cafe in downtown Napa. Folklore, which is expected to open in late summer 2022, is equal parts wine bar, public radio broadcast station (KCMU 103.3 FM), record store, and neighborhood cafe.
Look for Folklore at 1226 Third St, Napa Valley, the next time you visit wine country.
USA
Napa Valley
Red Blend
14.5%
Steven Ventrello
62–68°F / 16–20°C
Burgundy
30 Minutes or More
Now to 2024
Parador Cellars
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