Wine Review: Fess Parker Wines
By Marisa D'Vari | May 11th, 2010 | Category: News, Santa Barbara county, Wine reviews | No Comments »
It's always fun to compare wines from the same vineyard and different years. Recently I received two chardonnays from Fess Parker (both Ashley's / Sta Rita Hills)
The 2007 is a pretty medium gold color, with a nose of melted butter and ripe apples. On the palate, more melted butter and apples and a medium-bodied texture that suggests very good integration with French oak. Acidity is medium and the finish is long and rich.
By contrast, the acidity is higher in the 2008 with sharper, more angular flavors of juicier, firmer red apples dipped in melted butter, and a finish that is long-lasting yet also seems to speak of the terroir.
According to the tech sheets, much of the winemaking techniques were similar, with both Fess Parker Chardonnay wines seeing the same time in wood, yet the cooperage was different. This could account possibly for the oak-ier flavor of the 2007.
Now I really liked the 2007 Fess Parker Syrah, a new offering. Really fabulous. Inky color, spice, purple flowers and concord grapes on the nose, and on the palate black jammy fruit with additional flavors of spice, vanilla, loganberries, blueberries, and black pepper. Very good concentration of flavor and complexity.
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