Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Plenty of smoky black fruits, tapenade, pepper, and some gamey notes emerge from the 2018 Syrah Rodney's Vineyard, and it’s more medium to full-bodied, fruit-loaded, and pleasure-bent on the palate. Blended with 4% Viognier and aged in 50% new oak, it’s ideal for drinking any time over the coming 4-6 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Gamy aromas of lamb and charcuterie are spiced by pepper and pair with smoked and roasted figs on the nose of this bottling, which also offers a salty iodine element. There's a smoked seaweed flavor on the sip, which contributes a savory streak to the roasted black-plum and rich coffee components.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Syrah Rodney's Vineyard has a medium ruby-purple color and aromas of blackberries and blackcurrants with accents of tobacco, iodine and leather. The palate is medium-bodied, grainy and fresh with earth-laced fruits and a spicy finish.
Best After 2022
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.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.