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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2014 and 2017 (based on 58 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.1 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 14 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by wforster2@gmail.com on 1/7/2017 & rated 92 points: good Chardonnay for a party - ugly sweater party 2017 (1707 views) | | | Tasted by lachord on 11/12/2016 & rated 90 points: Medium yellow color and oak. Citrus and melon notes. (1604 views) | | | Tasted by wforster2@gmail.com on 8/13/2016 & rated 91 points: The wine looks blonde colored. The legs are fast. There is no sediment in the bottle. (1695 views) | | | Tasted by wforster2@gmail.com on 12/17/2015 & rated 91 points: Women's club or Bunko club really likes this (2114 views) | | | Tasted by DaveZack on 7/28/2015 & rated 91 points: We got this bottle from Fess’ wine club in November, 2013. Ashley’s Vineyard is in the Santa Rita Hills (about 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara (give or take, depending on traffic)), which is one of the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay regions on the planet. 2012 was also, generally speaking, a very good vintage throughout California. Let’s see how this typically good wine weighs-in for 2012.
The bouquet is VERY well balanced (not overwhelmingly heavy on any particular element), exhibiting floral, white fruit, oak, dried herbs, and earthy components.
The bouquet pretty much reveals how the wine is going to taste. Sure enough, there’s mostly white and stone-pitted fruits up front (like peaches and apricots, pears, and apples, along with some secondary elements of tropical fruits as well (pineapple, mango, and papaya)). Next up to the plate are dried, savory herbs and white pepper. The rich, creamy, slightly-oaky element adds a pinch of vanilla and hints/rumors/suggestions of baking spices as well.
Structurally speaking, this wine is fabulously built upon zippy tannins and acidity. This wine should be able to age/mature nicely for another five years or so. Up front the fruity elements shine bright, followed by the rich, creamy, oaky mid-palate, all summed-up nicely by the structural elements (especially the acidity and tannins). The finish is smooth, long, and lingering.
A lot of Cali Chards can be WAY over-ripe, oaky, and flat and flabby (with an exuberance of a tropical fruit profile). This beauty from one of the best Pinot and Chard regions in the world is (as always) very good. This wine is beautifully well-balanced, exhibiting harmoniously well-integrated fruit, spice, earth, oak, and structural elements into one bottle. This wine is also VERY food-friendly. I paired this beauty with one of my usual Chardonnay suspects (pan-seared scallops spiced with CostCo’s “Simply Asia” spice blend (mostly dried ginger, toasted sesame seeds, and sea salt, just to name a few)). This Chardonnay paired beautifully with the scallops and would also pair well with most chicken dishes (especially oven-baked chicken thighs that I also spice with “Simply Asia”) and other medium-bodied fish dishes.
If you’re looking for a well-balanced, delicious Cali Chard that exhibits harmoniously well-integrated flavors and structural elements that is also VERY food-friendly, this would be a good place to start. (2327 views) | | | Tasted by isaacjamesbaker on 3/7/2014 & rated 87 points: Blind California Chardonnays (My Place - Washington, DC): Medium gold color. Nectarine and lime aromas mix with richer notes of cantaloupe and honey. The palate shows medium acid and a creamy mouthfeel on a medium+ bodied frame. Rich orange marmalade and pineapple mix with honey and nougat flavors, a bit of underlying sea shells. Very nutty on the finish, like crushed peanut and hazelnut shells. Aged 10 months in 35% new French oak. (2617 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 1/22/2014 & rated 91 points: Light medium yellow color; tart pear, light cinnamon, ripe apple nose; tasty, tart pear, mineral, baking spice, apple pie filling palate; medium-plus finish (14.1% alcohol) 91+ points (437 views) |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Santa Barbara: The Thrill of Discovery (Jul 2014)
(Fess Parker Chardonnay Ashley's Sta. Rita Hills) Subscribe to see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, November/December 2013, IWC Issue #171
(Fess Parker Winery Chardonnay Ashley's Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (1/22/2014)
(Fess Parker Chardonnay Ashley's Vineyard) Light medium yellow color; tart pear, light cinnamon, ripe apple nose; tasty, tart pear, mineral, baking spice, apple pie filling palate; medium-plus finish (14.1% alcohol) 91+ points 91 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Fess Parker Producer websiteChardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA Wikipedia |
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