About This Wine:

Petite Sirah is one of the last grapes that we pick each year. To get the rich, full-bodied complexity in this wine that so many of us have come to love, the wine crew has to be very patient. In general, Petite Sirah can be a pretty fickle grape. First of all, it has a thin skin which allows it to rot easily when rained on. So, in 2007, we had an ideal harvest for the Petite Sirah because there was no rain!

Petite Sirah also retains a high level of natural acidity, so we strive to leave the grapes on the vine late into the growing season to allow sugar levels to rise creating a softer, less tannic wine. The end result is a big, bold wine with a chocolaty texture that only becomes more sophisticated as it ages.

As Petite Sirah goes, we are proud to say that we use some of the very best grapes. Camp Four and Rodney’s Vineyards consist of clones from the Palisades and Rockpile vines which are, originally, 100+ year clones from Rosenblum up in Napa/Sonoma. The production for our Petite Sirah grapes in 2007 followed suit with our other reds, but with a few subtle, yet important changes. We pressed off the juice a little early when sweet to once again help soften the tannins. We then took the drained juice and basket pressed the must as a gentle, non-manipulative way of doing a final juice press. For barreling, we aged the juice for 22 months in primarily French oak (60% new) barrels with a little bit of the juice going into American oak barrels for a slight vanilla flavor. As a final blend, our 2007 vintage consists of 83% Petite Sirah and 17% Syrah from the Stagecoach Vineyard in Napa to add some depth and complexity to the wine.

This opaque, dark purple/black inky wine exudes aromas of blackberry, plum, cocoa, black pepper, black licorice, espresso, cinnamon and smoke. The massive structure and full texture is nicely balanced by the palate subtleties of blackberry compote, dark chocolate, dark roast coffee, blueberry, vanilla and allspice. An impressive addition to a long time favorite wine for Epiphany, the 2007 Petite Sirah will be a wine that can be enjoyed for years to come.

About The Winery:

When Fess Parker was cast in the roll of Davy Crockett in the mid-1950’s, it caused an international sensation and changed his life forever. So too did the purchase of 714 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley change the course of the Parker family’s history.

Realizing the potential of Santa Barbara County as a premium grape-growing region, Fess and his son, Eli, originally set out in 1989 to plant a small vineyard and sell fruit to local producers. But, as Fess’ daughter, Ashley explains, “ Fess is from Texas, so he can’t do anything small. “The Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard now farms almost 700 acres on four vineyards throughout Santa Barbara County.

The characters Fess portrayed, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, inspired generations of Americans. Throughout the late 1950’s and 1960’s Fess was at the pinnacle of a television career that has an unprecedented impact upon American popular culture. But is was Fess’ entrepreneurial spirit that prompted his leaving Hollywood to go into business for himself. The traits that Crockett and Boone embodied – integrity, resourcefulness and good humor — carried over to Fess’ personal life and formed the foundation upon which the family business was built. First-class hospitality has always been at the core of their ventures, first as hoteliers and eventually with the opening of the winery.

Working as a family has always been a great source of pride and pleasure for the Parker family. Eli Parker began in the family business as assistant winemaker in 1989. After several years of learning the craft at the side of renowned and accomplished winemakers, Eli took the reigns as winemaker himself with the 1995 vintage. A leader of the winery since it’s inception, it was in 1996 that Eli formally assumed the title and responsibilities of President. In the early 1990’s, Ashley ran the first tastings out of the barrel room and represented the winery at trade shows. In 1998, Ashley became Eli’s partner, working on the public relations and sales and marketing teams. The presence of Fess and his wife Marcy as the founding visionaries of the winery is a vital and enduring one.

About The Winemaker:

BLAIR FOX – Head Winemaker – Graduating from UC Davis in 1999 with a combined degree in Viticulture and Enology, Blair Fox gained winemaking experience at Sunstone Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley (1999-2001), and at Haselgrove Winery – a custom-crush winery in McLaren Vale, Australia (2003).

He also traveled through France’s Rhône Valley before returning to his hometown of Santa Barbara. He then joined Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard as Associate Winemaker, overseeing the Rhône varietal wines. Fox had previously consulted in the vineyard for the winery’s 2002 harvest.

“Having focused on the winery’s estate Syrah and Rhône varietal vineyards, I’m excited to add on the responsibility for Ashley’s and Bien Nacido vineyards and control the Burgundian part of our portfolio (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay),” said Fox. “The vineyards and clonal selection here are of such high quality, and the Parkers are a great family to work for.”

Fox continues the stylistic direction set by Eli Parker when capturing the terroir of the vineyards. He aims to continue raising the bar for the award-winning Fess Parker wines, such as the 2001 Rodney’s Vineyard Syrah (91pts, Wine Advocate), 2002 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir (93pts, Wine Spectator), and 2001 American Tradition Reserve Syrah, (92pts, Wine Advocate).

Technical Analysis:

Alcohol: 15.2