Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Lilacs and wisteria combine for a floral and approachable nose in this clonal study, which is also loaded with clove, peppercorn, rosemary and elderberry aromas. It's soft and lush on the palate, with rich plum and black cherry flavors leveled by notes of anise, potpourri, fresh mint and Earl Grey tea.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Pommard Clone gives a nose of red currants and black cherries with suggestions of damp soil, charcoal and forest floor. The palate has a great structure of firm, ripe, fine-grained tannins and lively acid supporting the muscular black and red fruits, finishing long and earthy.
Rating: 91+ -
Wine Spectator
One of the more Burgundian-styled Pinot Noirs in the lineup is the 2015 Pinot Noir Pommard Clone (17 months in 43% new French oak). It has a classic bouquet of red (and some black fruits), leafy herbs, leather and spice-cabinet, with a soft, forward, slightly short finish.
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.
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.”
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.