Fess Parker Frontier Red Lot No. 111 (87 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Friday, October 12, 2012

VINTAGE

N.V. (Non-vintage)

WINERY/PRODUCER

Fess Parker Winery

WINE NAME

Frontier Red Lot No. 111

TYPE OF WINE

Red blend

COMPOSITION

36% Syrah, 20% Cinsaut, 12% Petite Sirah, 11% Grenache, 8% Carignane, 6% Tempranillo, 3% Souzao, 2% Counoise, 2% Mourvedre

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

According to Fess’ website, the vineyard sources for this wine are: from the Santa Ynez Valley, 84% Camp Four, 3% Eli’s, and 3% Rodney’s Vineyards and from Paso Robles, 10% French Camp Vineyard.

REGION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Santa Barbara County (though the 10% fruit from the French Camp Vineyard in Paso Robles is in San Luis Obispo County)

ALCOHOL CONTENT

According to Fess’ website: 15.6%

According to the label on the wine bottle: 14.9%

PRICE PAID

We got this bottle for free from the wine club with our regular quarterly shipment, though Fess’ website lists this wine for $13 and BevMo sells it for $10 and Total Wine & More sells it for $9.

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We received this bottle as a “freebie” with our usual quarterly shipment in November, 2011.

BOUQUET

This wine’s bouquet exhibits mostly red fruit (like raspberry and cherries), along with savory herbs and earth.

TASTING NOTES

Fess’ Frontier Red (FR) is ALWAYS an interesting, well-made, delicious, red bargain.  I’ve had FRs that were rich, creamy, earthy, and spicy, like a good Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  The Lot No. 111 (the subject under review here) is quite different from most of the other FRs that I’ve had before.  This is a light-bodied blend that tastes like it’s predominantly made with Grenache.  The addition of Spain’s Tempranillo and Portugal’s Souzao, which I’ve never seen listed as a component on a FR before, seems to add another level of depth and flavor.

Sticking with the “tastes like it’s mostly Grenache” theme, there’s gorgeous red fruits like raspberries, strawberries, and cherries up-front, along with suggestions of secondary dark/black fruits like blackberries and sour cherries.  There’s also a serious savory herb element to this wine as well, along with black pepper.  Oak is barely present and not out-of-balance, along with an earthy and mineral element as well.  The wine has nice acidity and a slightly rustic finish (all in a very good way).

To cut the chase and to describe this wine as expeditiously as possible, imagine taking a Pinot Noir and blending it with a Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  Yeah, the person who would dare do something that sacrilegious should rot in hell for eternity, but it’s just about how I would quickly/easily describe this wonderful, affordable blend!

I noticed while writing these notes that the wine really evolved as it was able to breathe.  When just opened (and as previously mentioned), the Grenache became most apparent.  As the wine breathed and oxidated, the Syrah stepped-up to the plate and said, “Hey, check me out!”  So you may want to decant this wine for an hour or so to allow its aromatic elements to develop.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with a traditional stew made with a hodge-podge of meats from the freezer (lamb, ham, and pork).  Since there were fresh and rehydrated mushrooms in the mix (along with the usual veggies and tomatoes), the FR went very well with the stew where the mushrooms paired quite nicely with the earthy, spicy elements in the wine.

This wine would also be a fantastic red steak wine and would equally pair well with a spiced pork loin or lamb shanks/chops/racks.

AGING POTENTIAL

Being a non-vintage red blend, this wine is generally meant to be drunk young, though due to its structure, alcohol, and acidity, I think this wine would actually age well for another ten years or so.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

87

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD – EXCELLENT

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.fessparker.com/