Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThe 2019 Pinot Noir Ashley's is a juicy, exuberant wine. Super-ripe red cherry fruit, sage, tobacco, cedar and mint all soar out of the glass. I would give the 2019 a few years to come together as the tannins are pretty imposing. Whole clusters (25%) add nuance but without overpowering the wine. This is so nicely done.
Pale ruby-purple, the 2019 Pinot Noir Ashley's Vineyard offers alluring rhubarb and raspberry with tones of wood smoke, dusty earth and bergamot. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle chalkiness to temper the sweet fruits and uplifting freshness on the spicy finish. Best After 2022
This version has a juicy richness to the dark cherry and plum tart flavors, which are flanked by loamy and forest floor notes. The ripe, creamy finish features cocoa accents. Drink now
Established in 1989, the Fess Parker Winery has a long history in Santa Barbara Wine Country and is well known for its small-lot, hand harvested, vineyard-designated, and clonal selection Rhône and Burgundian varietals.
The winery specializes in estate grown Syrah, Riesling, and Viognier as well as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley AVA’s. Outstanding fruit sources, including some of the finest vineyards in the county, coupled with skilled winemaking, led by Blair Fox, form the foundation for the winery’s success. Fess Parker Winery’s estate vineyard, Rodney’s, received its SIP (Sustainable in Practice) Certification in 2020.
Now three generations in, the Fess Parker Family is proud to carry on Fess’s legacy of wine heritage and hospitality in Santa Barbara.
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”