Winemaker Notes
Enjoy with Poached Salmon, Meyer Lemon Risotto or Chicken Cordon Bleu.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Always one of my favorite whites from Fess Parker, the 2014 Chardonnay Ashley’s Vineyard is primarily from the Rancho Las Hermanas Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills (all sandy soils) and is barrel-fermented and aged nine months in 30% new French oak. Ripe peach orchard fruits and tons of salty minerality emerge from this fleshy, textured, medium-bodied Chardonnay that has a great mix of richness and freshness. Drink over the coming 2-4 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Light aromas of beeswax, crushed chalk and scratch lemon skins emerge steadily on the nose of this single vineyard bottling, which carries lots of life and would thrive in a cellar. The chalky texture of the palate frames red apple, yellow pear, lime rind and sea salt flavors, with lots of acidic sizzle.
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Wine & Spirits
There's clean vibrancy to this chardonnay, grown on a sandy hillside 12 miles from the Pacific. Its juicy yellow-raspberry flavor is confidently ripe, yet tightens in the end on salty coastal acidity, pithy rather than fat. For salt cod croquettes.
Established in 1989, Fess Parker Winery is a multi-generational family owned and operated winery that has a rich heritage in Santa Barbara County. Fess Parker produces premium, small-lot, vineyard designated Burgundian varietals from the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley as well as Rhône varietals from their organically farmed, SIP Certified estate vineyard.
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. Now three generations in, the Fess Parker Family is proud to carry on Fess’s legacy of wine heritage and hospitality in Santa Barbara.
Fess Parker Winery was proud to be named a Top 100 Winery in the World by Wine & Spirits Magazine in both 2022 and 2023.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
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.