Winemaker Notes
This well-structured blend has the same characteristics you have come to expect from The Big Easy, rich dark fruit flavors with a touch of oak, and soft tannins that lead to a long lengthy finish. This wine exhibits a rich and complex bouquet of dark fruits, including blueberry, blackberry, black cherry, plum, and boysenberry. Complementing the fruit-forward profile are nuanced layers of vanilla, dark chocolate, and baking spices, interwoven with subtle notes of anise and smoked meat, creating a well-rounded and expressive flavor profile.
Blend: 62% Syrah, 24% Petite Sirah, 14% Grenache
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This Syrah-driven blend starts with smoked meat, dark fruit and pepper dust aromas on the nose. There’s an impressively chalky edge to the palate, which is much more interesting than the nose, offering blackberry paste, smoked beef rib, dried thyme, cracked pepper and a caramel finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 The Big Easy is made in a forward, delicious, ready-to-go style and brings tons of ripe dark fruits, peppery herbs, and some candied violet notes to go with a medium to full-bodied, pure, balanced style. As with many of the 2019s here, it shows the fresher, more elegant style of the vintage beautifully, and is probably one of the top vintages of this cuvée.
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Wine Spectator
Supple and user-friendly, with vibrant raspberry, espresso and spiced cinnamon flavors that linger on the polished finish. Syrah, Petite Sirah and Grenache. Drink now through 2029. 7,430 cases made.
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.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
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.