Parador, Napa Valley “Reserva” Napa Valley, California 2008 (750mL)

A legendary vintage, raw material smuggled from “The Pétrus of Spain,” and the polish/structure of a cult Napa Cab. Although today’s exceedingly limited 2007 library release from Parador Cellars sounds like vinous folklore, it is in fact the rarefied passion project of Steve Ventrello. This two-barrel “Reserva” is a singular, two-vineyard fusion of mountainside Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo that carries its 15 years of age with more grace and splendor than many half-as-old $200 labels! Furthermore, its incomparable aging regimen—three years in oak and nearly 12 in bottle—had us making the claim that if Vega Sicilia’s $400 “Unico” was sourced from the Napa Valley, the results would be strikingly similar to this haunting back-vintage beauty. Ventrello’s blending mastery aside, one must also pay homage to (1) the outstanding, über-classic 2008 vintage and (2) the impeccable provenance of today’s parcel, which has never seen a ray of sunlight or more than a few degrees of temperature fluctuation. Again, just two barrels were originally produced, and what little remains is so painfully limited that it’s not even for sale on Steve’s own website!