The Event: Master wine tasting-lunch with Richard Dore, co-owner of Foxen Winery in Santa Maria (in Santa Barbara) California.

The Date and Time:   Tuesday September 12, 2017   12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

The Event: Master wine tasting-lunch with Richard Dore, co-owner of Foxen Winery in Santa Maria (in Santa Barbara) California.

The Venue: Jump

The Target Audience: wine writer Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

The Availability/Catalogue: all three pinot noirs have been currently submitted to the LCBO for future purchase consideration by David Litner of www.winemoves.com, but the Chardonnay Tinaquaic 2014 Santa Maria Valley is now at LCBO Vintages +414219. Wine Moves uses Vintages and Private Orders to allow consumers to access wine markets, but it does not do Consignment.

The Quote/Background: Our conversation started off, of course, with the impact of the movie "Sideways" on both Foxen and California pinot noir. A lot of the movie was shot at their tasting room 7200 Foxen Canyon Road in 2003/4. They now have a larger tasting room at 7600 for the burgundy and Italian wine varieties (7200 is for strictly bordeaux and rhone type wines). Maybe it was appropriate that Dick Dore was here during TIFF. Anyway, I got my star celebrity quality interview on both the movie and the current wines. Foxen began in 1985 and immediately specialized in pinot noirs. Indeed, 60% of their production is of that grape. Their capacity is 15 – 18K cases annually, totally dependent on microclimate conditions. They produce 28 different wines; 12 are exclusive to their Wine Club of some 5,000 members. The amount of oak aging has always been determined by the winemaker, and varies from vintage to vintage and varietal to varietal depending on microclimate conditions. Some wines have come to Canada, principally to Classics although the Foxen Tinaquaic Vineyard Estate Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley Santa Barbara seems to be an almost annual import offered via Vintages.

 

The Wines:

We tried three pinot noirs with lunch, along with the chardonnay. In an earlier write-up, I had sampled two wines: +414219 FOXEN TINAQUAIC VINEYARD ESTATE CHARDONNAY Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara 2014 $52.95 13.8% ABV, MVC/QPR: 89 (which factored in the price), and +462770 Foxen Block 43 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 Santa Maria Valley California $54.95, 14.5% ABV, MVC/QPR: 89 (which factored in the price). Both were outstanding wines. I had a chance to retry the Chardonnay, and all three pinot noirs were from 2014, and thus forming a mini-horizontal tasting.

 

**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Foxen Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2014 $45.95, 13.4% ABV: a good introduction to the pinots of Santa Rita Hills, very typical. Ripe, dark fruits, chewy cherry, balance of fruit and deft oaking. 17 months in French oak (18% new). No fining or filtration. Affordable quality California fruity pinot noir. 1934 cases made.

 

-Foxen La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Santa Rita Hills $63.95, 13.8% ABV: several cuts above the SRH above, still juicy and dense but with that old world Euro dry finish quality so suitable for food. 17 months in all tight grained French oak with medium toast, 40% new. 800 cases made.

 

-Foxen Block 8 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Santa Maria Valley $71, 14.5% ABV:    Block 8 was planted 40 years ago, these vines were 18 years old in 2014. Here we find   lots of red fruit and a virtually perfect expression of what California pinot noir should be like. All Francois Freres medium toast tight grain barrels, half new; 17 months in barrel; no fining or filtration. Long lingering finish, a wine to savour for its depth. 14.4% ABV. 1400 cases made.

 

-Foxen Tinaquaic Vineyard Estate Chardonnay 2014 Santa Maria Valley Santa Barbara +414219 $52.95: very aromatic, in a Montrachet style with that style of yeast, and dry farmed. Unctuous fruit with some hazelnut, orange and light honey tones (depending on temperature served at). Full on the palate with some orchard fruit suggesting young peaches. Sur lies eight months in barrel (25% new French oak). Very, very long mouth-filling finish. 13.9% ABV. 175 cases made. My favourite wine of today's tasting. And well worth the price.

 

All three pinots have been submitted to Vintages. Block 8 and Block 43 (not tasted by me) have been offered to Classics.

 

The Food: we ate off the menu at Jump. I had the Jump Caesar with kale, and the grilled trout Cobb salad. Both went well with the demanding pinots. Others in the party had wild mushroom soup and bison/boar ragu pasta.

The Downside: It had been awhile since I had been to Jump and at one point I lost my bearings, but I arrived in plenty of time to a high noise level which abated by 1PM.

The Upside: a chance to converse with Dick Dore about Sideways, California imports to Canada, the White House, and European sales. Plus, of course, his own remarkable wines.

The Contact Person: dickdore@aol.com or winemoves@gmail.com

The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 93

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com