Fess Parker Pommard Clone Pinot Noir 2023

Santa Barbara, 90 minutes’ drive north of Los Angeles, is perhaps the most exciting source of top-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the USA. The region’s valleys open out directly onto the Pacific Ocean, whose cooling influence moderates the warm Californian days. Areas like Santa Rita Hills can produce rich yet taut and mineral Chardonnays that are frequently mistaken for white Burgundy in blind tastings, as well as world-class complex Pinots that blend ripeness and immediate appeal with finesse and balance.
 
Leading wine writer Antonio Galloni recently wrote this about Santa Barbara:
“I was blown away by what I tasted. Blown away. The purity of the fruit, the expression of place, the clear voice of a vintage – all the hallmarks of the world’s greatest wines and regions – they were all there”

Fess Parker was a Hollywood actor best known for his portrayal of frontiersman Davy Crockett. In 1988 he purchased a ranch in Santa Barbara, on what is now known as the Foxen Wine Trail, and the first vines were planted a year later. The winery rapidly developed a great reputation, with wines served at US Presidential events. They were the driving force behind the recognition of Santa Rita Hills as a wine region of the highest quality and remain the outstanding winery of the area
 
Still family owned, today talented winemaker Blair Fox explores the various terroirs of Santa Barbara and the nuances of Pinot Noir through a series of single vineyard and single clone releases. In addition they make exceptional Chardonnays as well as working with Rhône varieties, from the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley AVAs. The vineyards are run with a light touch, with natural soil and pest management employed for minimal disruption to the local environment. This remains one of the finest producers of the region. 

Their clonal selection of Pinot Noirs are made with the intent of isolating some of the very best individual lots in the cellar and capturing the nuances that each specific clone offers. This has remained a very small project - 14 barrels of each wine - and delivers some of the finest expressions of Pinot Noir. 

The fruit for this wine is 100% Ashley's Vineyard (Block W) located in the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. Aged 15 months in 100% French oak, of which 42% is new, from Mercurey & Francois Freres

The Pommard Clone is a darker, more brooding example of Pinot Noir. You will find cherry, forest floor, floral and even slightly smokey notes on the nose. The palate delivers balanced structure with dark cherry, raspberry cinnamon and dried herb flavours.