Team C&J
Paso Robles continues to impress us with its value for quality. While there are a number of big, commercial wineries in this Central Coast region, it’s the boutique players like Venteux Vineyards where wine lovers will find the most bang for their buck. Winemakers like Venteux’s Josh Salazer stand out from the crowd by handcrafting bottles like this Petite Sirah that are fermented with native yeast and naturally farmed.
Venteux Vineyards, located in the Templeton Gap portion of the Willow Creek AVA, is a vibrant 22-acre vineyard with an on-site winery and tasting room. All of the vineyard blocks are dry-farmed, and the fruit is hand-picked for minimal intervention.
The owners of Venteux Vineyards keep a pretty low profile, preferring to let the wines speak for themselves. From what we could piece together, Venteux is owned by Scott and Bobbi Stelzle, and Patricia and Adam Goldenberg. The two families founded Venteux Vineyards in 2003.
When the two families created their wine venture together, Scott Stelzle was in charge of the winemaking, but he has since passed those duties on to Josh Salazar. It seems that Scott is now the head winemaker at Cordant Winery. Cordant is also located in Paso Robles and produces Pinot Noir and Rhone-inspired wines.
In addition to a nice line-up of Paso Robles wines, Venteux is known for its summer music series. Each Friday from July through October, Venteux hosts an evening of food, fun, live music, and, of course, wine.
Venteux produces around 3,000 cases of wine a year. And judging by the limited inventory, bottles sell out quickly. You might have better luck snagging a bottle of Venteux Vineyards Petite Sirah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, or an Estate Syrah if you visit the tasting room.
If you’re looking for a unique wine country lodging experience in Paso Robles, forget Airbnb and consider booking a stay at Venteux Vineyards. Venteux has three types of accommodations on-site: a guest house, the Winemaker’s Loft, and the quaint Cellar Studio. Staying overnight at this Paso winery also allows guests to receive a complimentary tasting, and what could be better than that?!
The Templeton Gap is known for its gusty winds, so it’s not surprising that the Stelzles and Goldenberg decided on the name ‘Venteux’, which means ‘windy’ in French.
First things first, Petite Sirah is not Syrah at all, although it is related to the Syrah grape. Petite Sirah is actually the French Durif grape that was accidentally created when Syrah was crossed with Peloursin, an incredibly rare variety.
Petite Sirah never quite took off in its native France; it did, however, gain a modest following in California, where it is used in red blends and in estate bottlings like this 2017 Venteux Vineyards’ Petite Sirah. Smaller plantings of Petite Sirah can also be found in Chile, Australia, South Africa, and Mexico.
Petite Sirah has a gorgeous deep red color and dark profile. This grape is known for producing tannic wines with rich notes of chocolate, dark berry fruit, plums, and black pepper. The high tannins in full-bodied Petite Sirah make it a great contender for decanting.
The unbeatable combination of abundant rainfall, limestone soil, sunshine, and a moderate cooling influence from the Pacific Ocean means that dry-farming is common in the Paso Robles’ Willow Creek District. This AVA is well suited to French varieties like Cabernet, Syrah, Grenache, and Petite Sirah.
The 2017 Venteux Vineyards Petite Sirah is a tannic wine with a lot of texture. The wine is a lovely brooding shade of reddish-purple in the glass, and the nose is classic Petite Sirah. We picked up dark pitted fruit and black fruit, concentrated spices like cedar and black tea, and undertones of licorice, eucalyptus, and a pleasant aroma of dark chocolate.
This wine has a generous palate and a long, satisfying finish that lingers. Luscious dark fruits like blackberry and cherry hit on the first wave, and those are followed with rich notes of chocolate, sneaking eucalyptus, and violet. There’s also a nice punch of black pepper here.
Venteux Vineyards’ Petite Sirah is a really nice wine. At 15.9% ABV, there’s a lot of meat on the bones of this wine, but winemaker Josh Salazar keeps everything in balance. Petite Sirah wines are pretty tannic, and that makes them great candidates for aging. Enjoy this wine now, or cellar it until 2030.
USA
Paso Robles
Petite Sirah
15.9
Josh Salazar
62–68°F / 16–20°C
Burgundy
60 Minutes
Now to 2030
Venteux Vineyards
All things wine, and food you could ever need or want — straight to your email!
