DATE CONSUMED
Saturday, November 12, 2011
VINTAGE
2010
WINERY/PRODUCER
Fess Parker
WINE NAME
N/A
TYPE OF WINE
White
COMPOSITION
100% Riesling
SUBNAME/NICKNAME
N/A
VINEYARD DESIGNATION
N/A
REGION/A.V.A.
Santa Barbara County
ALCOHOL CONTENT
12.0%
PRICE PAID
$10.00
WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED
June of this year (2011) while visiting the winery’s tasting room. This wine normally retails for $14/bottle but Fess was having a “blow out” special at $10/bottle for wine club members and we took advantage of the sale and bought half a case.
BOUQUET
As is typical for a Riesling, the bouquet is very minerally (granite, stones), fruity (white peaches, apples, and perhaps some tropical fruits), spicy (white pepper), and floral. My favorite trait of a Riesling’s bouquet is when the wine smells like the glass is full of wet, crushed rocks. I simply LOVE that stony/minerally character.
TASTING NOTES
One of our dinner guests said it best: “Drinking this wine is like eating an apple!” The scribbles on my note pad were slightly different, but our dinner guest’s comment made insightful reference to this wine’s essence: crisp, clean, and delicious.
My tasting notes made reference to TONS of stony minerals, white fruit (apples and peaches), and spices (white pepper), all classic traits of Riesling. This is a very crisp and clean white that deftly avoids the pitfall of many Rieslings: being too sweet. If this were a 14% alcohol Riesling, I would be making comments about cavity-inducing sweetness. At 12% alcohol, this is a perfectly balanced Riesling with great minerality, glorious acidity, fantastic depth-of-flavor, with a nice, elegant, delicate finish.
I checked my previous notes/scores for this wine and noticed that I gave the 2009 S.B.C. Riesling 89 points as well. Talk about consistency!!
The last sentence on my note pad says it best: The Wine of the Year for $10!!!!!
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
We served this wine with a roasted tomato soup topped with puff pastry. The wine paired very well with the soup and contrasted nicely against the soup’s spiciness and acidity, as well as the puff pastry’s richness.
Like any worthy Riesling, this wine would pair well with just about any appetizer you could imagine. Literally. Seriously. No kidding. Serve ANYTHING before dinner and this wine would pair beautifully with it, whether it be a veggie platter from 7-11, a bag of tortilla chips, a block of Velveeta, or seared foie gras topped with a seared scallop. This is a great "food" wine.
AGING POTENTIAL
A serious German Riesling from Mosel can age beautifully for decades. Not that this isn’t a serious, well-made wine, but I would imagine this wine would be best when drunk rather young, meaning I would recommend drinking this wine before the end of 2013.
SCORE
89 Points
Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)
Regular price: GOOD
Special blow-out, club member price: EXCELLENT
WINERY WEBSITE
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