Winemaker Notes
Golden straw color. Aromas of yellow apple, pear, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, butterscotch, touch of oak. A taste of yellow peach, citrus, lemon cream, green apple, pastry crust, vanilla, toasty oak.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From unquestionably one of the top sites in the region, the 2017 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard was barrel fermented and aged in slightly more new French oak than the other Chardonnay, spending 9 months in 40% new barrels. It has wonderful purity of fruit and elegance as well as white currant, white flowers, caramelized apples, and spice box-like aromas and flavors. Layered and beautifully textured, with a stacked mid-palate and outstanding length, it's another one of the standouts in the lineup.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tangerine, lime peel and stone notes open to dried hay, lemon meringue, pie crust, honeycomb and floral notions on the nose of the 2017 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. The medium to full-bodied palate gives up lovely honeyed fruits with a creamy texture, tangy acidity and a long, layered finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Light and bright aromas of lemon peel, Anjou pear and damp oak show on the nose of this single-vineyard expression. There is a tangy grip to the sip, where soft wood flavors meet with citrus flavors and are framed by a taut structure.
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Wine Spectator
Intense and focused, with concentrated flavors of apple pastry, quince tart and lemon bar, filled with a rich creaminess. Light smoky and flinty notes show on the minerally 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.
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.