Winemaker Notes
Aromas and flavors or yellow apple, pear, lemon, lemon cream, grilled pineapple, vanilla, custard, brioche, nutmeg, cinnamon, toasted oak and ocean air.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Chardonnay Ashley's comes from the Rancho Las Hermanas Vineyard and was barrel fermented and aged 8 months in 31% new oak. It has a classy nose of ripe orchard fruits, buttered citrus, iodine, and honeyed mineral-like nuances. This carries to a round, medium-bodied Chardonnay that holds onto a good sense of freshness with its bright acidity and clean, dry, lengthy finish. This is another wine that has a classic, textbook appellation style.
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Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay Ashley's is a gorgeous, expressive wine endowed with striking aromatics and lovely mid-palate richness. Crushed flowers, citrus confit, spice and a kick of French oak all grace this inviting, layered Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay.
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Wine Spectator
Strikes a terrific balance between vivid fresh pear, lemon and yuzu flavors with richer notes of toasted sesame, salted toffee and shortbread. Finishes on a sleek, mouthwatering frame, with hints of honeysuckle and spices.
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.