2008 Fess Parker American Tradition Reserve Pinot Noir

DATE CONSUMED

Sunday, January 20, 2013

VINTAGE

2008

WINERY/PRODUCER

Fess Parker

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

100% Pinot Noir

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

American Tradition Reserve

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

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

Santa Barbara County, California

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.1%

PRICE PAID

$25.00 (plus tax and shipping, resulting in a net price of $30.37) (regular full retail price is $35.00)

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We received this wine from Fess’ wine club in June 2012; they were blowing this wine out at the special wine-club-member-only price of $25 (plus tax and shipping)

BOUQUET

This wine exhibits a classic Santa Barbara-area bouquet, especially red fruits, black pepper and savory herbs, smoke, and very earthy elements.

 

TASTING NOTES

At $25 (special wine-club-members-only pricing), this is one of the best California Pinot bargains. 

This Pinot has a mostly red fruit flavor profile, like raspberries and sour cherries, along with a little bit of black fruits like black cherries, blackberries, and plums.  Immediately after the red/black fruit profile, the wine’s significant spice profile comes to the fore, like TONS of black pepper and savory herbs.  Like any self-respecting Pinot, this wine also has a significant earthy quality, revealing its Santa Barbara County terrior.  This is also a relatively rich, creamy, slightly oaky Pinot, as well as being very well-balanced with a beautifully well-structured essence.  Some Pinots can be too sweet, too oaky, too spicy, and/or too whatever; this wine is beautifully well-balanced, with a nice, deep, complex flavor profile, smooth/sweet tannins and acidity, fantastic spiciness, rich, juicy, yummy fruit, and a smooth, elegant, nicely-balanced lingering finish. 

You may have noticed that I mentioned “well-balanced” about twenty times within the past one or two paragraphs.  That’s because this Pinot is, indeed, exceptionally well-balanced.  I have had better Pinots, but for $25, this Cali Pinot is VERY difficult to beat.  It’s rich, creamy, spicy, delicious, and, once again, well-balanced.  If I had the ways, means, and space, I’d buy about 25 cases of this fantastic Pinot at $25/bottle if that opportunity ever arose again.  As usual, great job, Blair (Fox, Fess’ head winemaker).

Fess Parker was the very first wine club we ever joined.  And after almost six years, we’re still proud, happy, satiated wine club members because Fess Parker is one of the few wineries where both their white and red wines are, without exception, always very good.  At worst, their wines, in my humble opinion, score 85 points or higher.  And most of their wines score 90 points or higher (again, in my very humble opinion).  We’ve cancelled a couple of wine clubs over the years because we joined them before we knew any better.  But Fess Parker continues to deliver well-priced, fantastic white and red wines, year after year after year, with reds and whites that aren’t Napa over-priced and exhibit honest varietal essence.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with a pan-seared ribeye spiced with Kosher salt, black pepper, and Herbs de Provence (which we used to use only on salmon, but it occurred to me that it would also work very well on steaks, which is does brilliantly (in my humble opinion)), smothered in Arthur’s world-famous mushroom medley.

This wine paired perfectly with the spiced ribeye and would also pair equally well with lamb (chops/rack/shank), prime rib, and just about any other grilled steak and/or red meat dish.

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine is drinking gorgeously right now and will continue to age/mature well for another 10 years or so.  We decanted this wine for about twenty minutes before dinner, but if you’re not living in Southern California during one of its typical mid-winter heat waves (which we’re suffering with right now), I would recommend decanting this wine for about an hour before drinking.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

91

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

GOOD (regular price of $35)

GOOD – EXCELLENT (special members-only sale price of $25)

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.fessparkerwines.com/