Parador, Napa Valley

My next adventure is to see Steve Ventrello owner of the Parador. Parador is and amazingly unique blend of wine made from Cabernet, Sangiovesse, and Tempranillo. My car first takes me to favorite Yountville Café for a delicious house omelet. After my fill I’m off to see Steve.

When I arrive at the house Steve greets me with a smile and he shows me towards the back of the house. Walking back Steve points to his bocci ball court and then across the valley to where he sources his Sangiovesse. The fruit comes from the Caldwell vineyards that are just south of Coombsville road. He tells me that the vines are over 10 years old and he uses the fruit to fill out high tones of the wine.

Steve being a former musician from Los Angeles explains the wine using a musical analogy. He tells me that the Cabernet is there to fill the mid-tones or structure. The Tempranillo is the low-tones or earth and plumb, and the Sangiovesse is the high-tones or the brightness and acidity. I ask Steve what was the inspiration for such and unusual wine, "I got the ideas from the great wine makers of Spain from Vega Sicilia, and Alejandro Fernandez maker of Pesquera." The wines have inspired him for years and he believes that Tempranillo has a serious place in the Napa Valley.

After our conversation Steve decides to take me to his vineyard of Tempranillo. He informs me that it is acre and it is located on Terry Wilson’s property over in Wooden Valley. Wooden Valley is microcosm in Napa’s east mountain range the Vacas. To get to it we take Monticello road up over the mountains, while driving the windy road Steve point to a grove of redwoods and inform me that these are the furthest east redwood trees in California. When we get to the top we begin our decent into Wooden Valley, and the view from so high up is amazing.

We continue down into the valley and onto the property, Rancho Chamilles. Rancho Chamilles is a 1000-acre property. Steve tells me that it used to belong to the Sugar Baron of San Francisco and it now belongs to he grand daughter. Here in this amazing beautiful valley Terry Wilson grows grapes on 50 acres of his land. He sells to many producers including Jason Palmeyer, and Michael Havens. Steve met Terry through mutual friends, and when Steve told Terry about the Tempranillo project he was glad to help.

When we finally arrive at the vineyard we see four-year-old Tempranillo vines that have the magic fall colors only found in the Napa Valley. The vines are sloping east on the highest part of the property. I ask Steve where he got his Tempranillo clones and he informs me that they are from Ribero Del Duero in Spain. He got them from Alejandro Fernandes’ famous Pesquera Vineyard. I have tasted the Pesquera and it is one of my favorite wines out of Spain. The wine has bold earthy tones, with rich plumb flavors, and balanced lingering finish. Parador got their Tempranillo from this site and they are going to be bottling 125 cases of just Tempranillo. I can’t wait to try that juice.

While walking through the vineyard Steve discusses he winemaking techniques. He tells me that he likes to do individual fermentation of all of the grapes.He gets his Cabernet from the East Side of the Silverado Trail from the Hossfeld vineyards, just south of Stage Leap District. The Cabernet is more earthy and balanced from here, and the tannins are integrated. After fermentation the wine is barreled using 40 percent new French oak and 60 percent 2 year plus oak. He tells me that he like the characteristic of oak but it must be balance out with the fruit. The wine is then aged for seven months before blending. Steve like to wait longer before blending this way he can get a better feel for how the individual wines taste. He then blends looking for his unique Parador to be born again for another vintage. In my opinion the end result is one of the most unique splendid wines to come out of the Napa Valley.

After our visit we climb down off the hill to start our drive off picturesque Rancho Chamilles and back to Napa.While in the car I stop to think about Steve and his Maverick wine. Here’s a guy who fell in love with the simple pleasures of wine, and now he has taken a vision different from the rest and made it come true. He has made a wine that shows his uniqueness and passion for a culture. He is doing what all of us wishes to do in our lifetimes and that is to just simply fulfill a dream. The wine stands alone in the valley, and it is a wonderful treat on the palate.

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Article written by Mark Fogs who can be found most evenings behind the bar at the popular downtown Napa restaurant, www.zuzunapa.com
Make sure you tell Mark you saw his article on DrinkWine.com!