Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From a vineyard just 12 miles inland from the ocean, this bottling shows toasted brioche, preserved lemon, sweet sandalwood and a touch of caramel on the nose. It hits the palate with a riper peachy sweetness, but then tightens into searing, laser-focused acidity rounded by hints of lemon and Gravenstein apple.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Chardonnay Ashley's is another Sta. Rita Hills release and spent 9 months in 34% new French oak. Its medium gold color is followed by a spicy, toasty Chardonnay that has classic orchard fruits and white flower aromas, a core of sweet fruit, medium body, and a juicy finish. It's a total charmer to enjoy over the coming 4-5 years.
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Wine & Spirits
Round and supple, this wine offers a range of mineral accents, from graphite to powdery sand. It’s also intriguingly floral, with a distinct violet perfume wrapped within smoky oak tones. Tight in the end, this is ready to chill for a clambake.
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Wine Spectator
Dried mint and tarragon notes accent the fresh-cut green apple and Asian pear flavors. The spicy finish features toasty and pastry details. Drink now through 2024.
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.