2008 Fess Parker Winery Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir
Mission Codename: The Deep Thinker
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: Return to our dear friends at Fess Parker Winery, in Santa Barbara County, procure the newest vintage of their award-winning Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Fess Parker Winery
Wine Subject: 2008 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir
Winemaker: Blair Fox
Backgrounder: The Wine Spies have been featuring some really incredible Pinot Noir of late, but requests have been pouring the return of Fess Parker, whose Bien Nacido (Santa Barbara County) Pinot Noir has been breaking records and winning awards.
California’s Central Coast region, and specifically Santa Barbara and San Luis Obisbo County has become one of the state’s premier regions for Pinot Noir. The generally warmer climate, moderated by the coastal fog, its sandy and clay loam soil, and broad exposure results in Pinot of exceptional purity.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Darkest burgundy with a slightly brickish hue at the core. At the edge of the wine, a fine band of lightest pink encircles the wine. After a good swirl, fat tears meander slowly down the glass.
Smell – Bold, rich dark cherry and soft brown spice are the predominant notes and as the wine opens up, it reveals stewed plum, cola, toasted spiced oak, espresso bean and subtle fresh herbs.
Feel – Soft and very smooth on entry, the wine gradually reveals a medium to full body as plush tannins gently encroach on the corners of the mouth. Balanced acids and soft white minerals give the wine additional backbone.
Taste – Bold and dark with spiced cherry candy, cola and dried cranberry. These intermingle with exotic brown spice, black pepper, espresso, bramble, subtle tomato vine and a hint of dried mission fig.
Finish – Long and very flavorful, with dark spiced cherry and cola giving way to more earthen flavors of spice, pepper and bramble.
Conclusion – Score another success with today’s brilliant, bold and very tasty 2008 Fess Parker Winery Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir! Each year, this wine earns 90+ point scores, and each year seems better than the last. Today’s wine is among the very darkest Pinots we have enjoyed. Dark aromas, dark flavors and a plush, bold feel all contribute to the complexity of this delicious wine. 2008 must have been a very ripe year, in Santa Barbara, for this wine shows off a darkly extracted and fruit-forward quality that we have not seen from this vineyard – or this region. Enjoy this wine now, and be sure to cellar a few bottles of this age-worthy Pinot Noir for the next few years.
Mission Report:
Below is a recap of Agent Red’s original mission when we first featured Fess Parker.
When I was a little Agent, my father took me on a journey through my family history. It was rife with intrigue, unsavory characters, artists, criminals, tales of fortunes won and lost – and even actual spies, and even an honest-to-god (only) horse thief.
My fathers father, a gentleman professor of romance languages and a student of history, had traced our roots back many generations. The generations which fascinated me the most were those that occupied early American history. The distant relative that held the most fascination was Daniel Boone.
American Folk Hero, explorer, businessman, military man and woodsman, it was Boones role in extending American civilization and his moniker, ”the Columbus of the woods”, that interested me most about the man. Or at least the popularized versions of the man. I became an avid student of the Disney series, Daniel Boone, and even took to wearing a coonskin cap. Granted, I was 6 years old.
Many years hence I became a Wine Spy, blazing trails of my own with Wine Spies co-founder, Agent Red. Red suggested that we were pioneers and that comment triggered memories of long-ago relative, Daniel Boone. A few days later, I rented the Disney series and, as I was watching the credits, spotted a name familiar to me from the wine industry, Fess Parker! Fess played played Daniel Boone in the Disney series of the same name.
This revelation led me to call on the winery immediately, declaring to them excitedly that I was ‘related’ to them. When I explained myself, I was met with a somewhat quizzical chuckle. Apparently, they felt that my claim was a bit of a stretch. Imagine that!
Long story short, I made an appointment with the winery, to taste their wines – and I fell in love. Their 2006 Ashley’s Vineyard Chardonnay was particularly wonderful and, right then and there, I secured a cache for our Operatives. With fruit from the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, this wine strikes a great balance of serious, fun and sincere – just like Fess Parker himself.
As for Daniel Boone, while he was not perfect by any means, he did blaze trails and he did make important discoveries – just as I try to do with the wines that I spy for you every day, dear Operative…
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Fess Parker Winery in Santa Barbara’s famous Foxen Canyon can be seen in thissatellite photo.