After nearly 30 years making Burgundian and Rhone variety wines, renown Santa Barbara winery Fess Parker has announced its ambition to produce world-class wines based on Bordeaux varietals, building and expanding upon founder Fess’s pioneering vision of winemaking.
To do so, the second-generation Fess Parker family leveraged their long-term relationships with California growers and selected for the first wine in the project, a 2014 vintage, one of the most prestigious and qualitative vineyard sites in the Napa Valley: Stagecoach vineyards.
Fess Parker’s new project is called Addendum, which in Latin means ‘that which is to be added’, underlining how much of a step forward it represents for the winery.
For those needing further intro and details about what such a project means, let’s elaborate over the background of both Fess Parker winery and Stagecoach vineyards.
Fess Parker: the Man, the Winery, the Family
During the 1950s and 1960s, Texas-born Fess Parker portrayed TV characters Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, causing an international sensation and inspiring generations of Americans.
Fess Parker passed away in March of 2010, but the Fess Parker Winery is still family-owned and run by his daughter and son: Ashley and Eli.
The winery received critical acclaim with many awards including Eli Parker and his successor winemaker, Blair Fox, the tittle of Andre Tchelistcheff Winemaker of the Year in 2006 and 2008 respectively.
The Fess Parker Winery situated on 714 acres on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail , owns and farms over 125 acres in Santa Barbara County, not to mention the three acres in Napa Valley for Addendum.
It’s expanded its wine offering with a Rhone varietal program under the Epiphany label, explored the traditional method for making sparkling wine with the Fesstivity line (and dedicated Bubble Shack tasting gallery), and in 2017 opened the Bear & Star restaurant in Los Olivos.
To find more information about Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard, visit FessParker.com
Stagecoach Vineyards
The History of this rugged-terrain site in Napa’s Vaca mountains first started in the 1800s when the gentleman bandit Charles Earl Bowles, known as Black Bart, robbed the daily stagecoach that traveled over the hill from St. Helena to Monticello.
Early German settlers first grew grapes here, already commanding some of the highest prices in the Napa Valley.
It is only in 1991 that Dr. Jan Krupp, noticing 100-year old vines on the property, acquired it and began developing viticulture, clearing more than a billion pounds of volcanic rock to make it suitable for growing vines.
Today, nearly 600 acres of vines have been planted, mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon making Stagecoach the largest contiguous vineyard in the whole of Napa Valley. The 1,100+ acres of rocky, characteristically red volcanic terroir extends from the southern edge of Pritchard Hill overlooking Oakville to the westernmost regions of the Atlas Peak appellation.
Addendum Wines
For its first Addendum Stagecoach wine, Fess Parker officially sources from two Atlas Peak blocks that were planted in 1998. They had been sourcing Syrah from this property since 2007 for their Epiphany program.
Winemaker Blair Fox described his first visit to the dramatic vineyard of Stagecoach as “jaw-dropping in its extremity” and I had the pleasure of visiting the vineyard sites he sources grapes from with him.
As Blair said, it is indeed a stunning and impressive, unique vineyard site: hilly, elevated, dry, full of vegetation and immense. Get a feel for what it’s like with the following short video:
Afternoon among vines ???
At Famous Stagecoach Vineyard in #NapaValley
With Winemaker of @FollowFess Making ? Cabernet Sauvignon #Wine pic.twitter.com/JIrWb0KoOV— Julien Miquel #Wine (@JMiquelWine) May 12, 2017
Addendum’s Stagecoach blocks were selected for their expression of classic mountain Cabernet Sauvignon (clone 15), from well-draining soils, extreme southern hillside exposure, and the nearly 20-year-old gnarly vines giving very small berries.
The Long Gnarly Vines…
For @FollowFess Cab Sauvignon #Wine ??
On the Typical Red Soil of Splendid Stagecoach Vineyard, #NapaValley ? pic.twitter.com/zIQwLZRCJA— Julien Miquel #Wine (@JMiquelWine) May 12, 2017
Addendum also includes a proportion of Stagecoach Syrah to complete and add complexity to the blend. It is also grown on the characteristic red volcanic rocky soil which you can witness in the video below:
So, let’s explore more specifically what sort of wine the combination of Fess Parker Winery and Stagecoach fruit has given birth to…
How Good is Addendum Stagecoach Wine?
Score: 95/100
The grapes for Addendum were 100% de-stemmed and sorted by hand. The must was fermented in closed-top fermenters with gentle pump-overs and followed by a long 30 to 45-day maceration on skins. No press wines were not included in the final blend.
Mainly working with cooler climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Syrah fruit, Fess Parker Winery’s winemaker Blair Fox told me that he also looked at infusing finesse into the new Napa Valley wine, preserving fruit character and elegance that is a signature of Fess Parker wines.
Blair Fox, Winemaker @FollowFess
Presenting his new #Wine from #NapaValley
Addendum Cab Syrah ?#Winelover #California #Travel ???? pic.twitter.com/UsVelYRUr7— Julien Miquel #Wine (@JMiquelWine) May 12, 2017
But let’s find out what Addendum actually tastes like:
Tasting Notes for 2014 Fess Parker Stagecoach Vineyard Addendum Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah, Napa Valley
This Napa Cabernet Sauvignon comes in a very dark, intense, and concentrated red color, with hints of purple hue intensifying the depth further. Nearly black to the core it is, an impressive color!
The nose is almost equally intense, dominated by fruity and toasted aromas. Fresh and vibrant blackcurrant and dark blackberry excite the senses at smelling this wine, while notes of dark cocoa, caramel, and toasted brioche provide depth and amplitude to the profile.
As soon as you put it in your mouth, the wine strikes you with its vibrant and intense acidity, but also the utter smoothness of its tannins.
It is extremely dense and concentrated, but the tannins are so fine and silky it doesn’t feel so much of a big wine, at least from a tannic perspective. It is full-bodied though, and boasts a huge amount of concentrated flavors: dark red berries, raspberry, and cassis jam, the fruity tones dominate. They’re well backed up, amplified, and deepened by a wealth of sweet spices, vanilla, clove, and caramel from a well-integrated and relatively discreet use of oak (for the style).
The lively acidity balances all this richness well, underlining some vibrant blueberry characters which makes the wine feel alive and full of fresh fruit flavors. Quite intense peppery notes, probably from the Syrah in the blend, amplify this impression and lift the experience up to a spicier level, like chili does to a rich dish.
The finish is extremely long and intense, on caramel and a wealth of sweet spices, mainly.
Overall
A Napa Cabernet-dominant blend, augmented with a little Syrah, that enchants and surprises, pleases too, thanks to its two-faceted personality. On one side is a rich, dense (though utterly smooth), and tannic Cabernet like we love and expect from Napa, from Stagecoach Vineyard in particular. On the other hand, the wine reveals a distinctive vibrancy in its fruity expression and acidity that provides a relative lightness and enjoyable frivolity to the tasting experience. It retails for $80.
Addendum Range of Wines
Beside the Addendum Atlas Peak Cab-Syrah that I tasted, Addendum is also about to release a full range of wines from a notable vineyard in Napa Valley’s famed Rutherford appellation.
Given the quality of the Addendum Atlas Peak Cab-Syrah, the other Addendum wines promise to be particularly interesting.
2014 Addendum Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Sourced from a blend of Stagecoach Cabernet and prestige Rutherford Cabernet, this will be a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine aged 28 months in 100% French oak barrels (from Bossuet, Boutes, and Gamba cooperage, 67% new). It will retail for around $90 in the US.
2014 Addendum Skellenger Lane Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
With 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes source 100% from an iconic Rutherford AVA vineyard in Napa Valley, aged for 28 months in 100% New French oak, the Skellenger Lane Cab promises to be outstanding. It will retail around $95.
For reference, the prestige site from which Skellenger Lane is sourced is located in the heart of the Rutherford AVA, and was planted in 1895 by Mrs. Thomas Rutherford herself. A 300-acre block, it was the site for BV’s Rutherford wines of the 1960’s and 70’s and was an obvious choice for Addendum due to the impeccable farming by the renowned vineyard team.
2014 Addendum Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak
This is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine, sourced 100% from the Stagecoach vineyard and aged for 28 months in 100% French oak (Bossuet and Gamba cooperage, 40% new barrels). It will retail around $95.
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