FOXEN Newsletter
November 2017
Dear Friends, This year’s harvest was quite a wild rollercoaster ride. In early September we experienced an extended heat wave that accelerated our Pinot Noir picking schedule that quickly filled all our fermenters. Billy and winemaker David really had their hands full juggling all of the fruit that came in at such a rapid pace due to the heat. Temperatures finally dropped with a couple of rain episodes later in the month that slowed down and pushed back our picking schedule for our Rhône and Bordeaux varietals and ultimately extended our harvest to early October. Since our last shipment, I’m happy to announce that Wine Club Manager, Katie Longoria, is back from maternity leave and working a full schedule. We are delighted to have her back, but I wanted to also take this opportunity to thank Moselle for taking over the wine club duties in Katie’s absence. It’s great to have our full Foxen Team back in action—just in time for the holiday season. In addition, I also wanted to congratulate our winemaker David Whitehair on his tenth year at Foxen. We are lucky to have David play such a vital role on our winemaking team. He and Billy make quite a formidable duo! And finally, I want to end this by saying that our hearts go out to all those affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. And as I write this, Northern California wine country was hit by devastating wildfires that have led to terrible loss of life and property. The events are simply heartbreaking, and the situation is still unfolding. Foxen and the Santa Barbara Vintners have been longtime supporters of Goleta-based Direct Relief, which has already provided hundreds of millions of dollars worth of desperately needed medical aid to to all of the areas affected by hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, vast areas of the Caribbean, and now wild fires in Northern California. The Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation has set up a fund in partnership with Direct Relief by creating a fundraising site (see link below) specifically benefitting Northern California fire relief. We would ask that you consider a donation to Direct Relief by visiting: https:// November 2017 Payment Detail www.directrelief.org/sbvintners. Keeping others in our hearts truly does make a difference.
Sincerely, Dick Doré
Compass Club Shipping Members: $73.59 (including your 15% discount, CA state tax, and CA shipping) Compass Club Pickup: $53.12 (including your 15% discount, and CA state tax) Your state tax and/or shipping rate may be different depending on your location. Pick-up members are not charged a shipping fee.
FOXEN Vineyard & Winery • 7600 FoxenCanyon Rd • Santa Maria, CA • 93454 • Tel. 805.937.4251 • foxenvineyard.com
Calendar of Events
November 2017
November 11th - Vino de Sueños - Buellton, CA
Vino de Sueños, “Wine of Dreams,” is a wine brand conceived by the non-profit human services organization Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People (PHP) and a small group of premium Santa Barbara County vintners. This group wanted to make a difference in the lives of vineyard and farm workers who are the very heart and soul of the county’s agricultural economy and, more specifically, the vineyard and wine businesses. Founding participant wineries of Vino de Suenos include Alma Rosa, Buttonwood, Foxen and Longoria. General admission is $50. Visit: www.vinodesuenos.com/the-event to purchase tickets.
November 18th- PinotFest at Farallon - San Francisco, CA
Dick and Jenny will return once again to San Francisco’s original, all Pinot Noir bacchanalia at Farallon restaurant. The extensive tasting of Pinot Noir from 56 of Oregon and California’s best producers features sumptuous hors d’oeuvres to complement the wines and an opportunity to meet the winemakers. Tickets are $125 per person. Visit: http://www.farallonrestaurant.com/events-calendar/ to purchase tickets.
December 9th and 10th - Christmas on the Trail - Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, CA
Your Christmas on the Trail passport is your ticket to 20 one ounce pours from 13 participating wineries on the famous Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. On Saturday each winery will serve delicious treats like local chocolates, freshkly baked holiday cookies, cheese and charcuterie for you to enjoy. Included with your passport is a commemorative wine glass, special keepsake and exclusive wine deals. Passports are $45 and two people may share one. To purchase your passport or for more information, visit https://christmasonthetrail2017.eventbrite.com
Harvest 2017
FOXEN & foxen 7200 Holiday Tasting Room Hours Thursday, November 23, 2017 Thanksgiving Day - CLOSED Sunday, December 24, 2017 - Christmas Eve - close at 3pm Monday, December 25, 2017 - Christmas Day - CLOSED Sunday, December 31, 2017 - New Year’s Eve - close at 2pm Monday, January 1, 2018 - New Year’s Day - CLOSED
Billy’s Winemaker Notes
November 2017
2016 Chenin Blanc, Old Vines, Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley: 2016 was an excellent vintage helped by the 12 inches of winter and spring rains that had the vines feeling lively again after three years of serious drought. With normal bud break and no spring frosts, we were “off to the races” growth wise. We were able to pick very healthy fruit under ideal conditions in late September. And at just over five tons per acre, we knew the vines were happy with the season. Roughly 50% of this wine was tank fermented and 50% was fermented in Acacia barrels - resulting in lots of beautiful variables and complexity. The tank-fermented portion displayed classic quince, pear and honeysuckle notes, while the lot fermented in Acacia wood provided tropical melon notes with a nice floral lift. The wine was lightly filtered before bottling to polish it up. The firm, natural acidity of the wine makes it a perfect match for oysters on the half shell, California rolls, or just about any shellfish. I enjoyed this Chenin with an Asian cucumber salad with ginger, jalapeño and cilantro, dressed with rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Remember that our Ernesto Wickenden Chenin Blancs can age gracefully for 5-10 (or more) years. Enjoy! PRODUCTION: 1100 cases | RETAIL PRICE: $26 | COMPASS CLUB PRICE: $22.10
2014 Volpino, Santa Ynez Valley: This was another solid year for our “little fox,” the “workhorse” of our foxen 7200 wines. This Cal-Ital style blend is comprised of 80% Sangiovese from Faith Vineyard and 20% Merlot from Vogelzang Vineyard, and was initially aged in once-filled French oak barrels (this wine does not need any new oak) for 14 months. The two lots were then assembled and aged an additional eight months. As usual, it was bottled without any fining or filtration. Our 2014 Volpino has everything imaginable inside a box of fruit and sweet tannin. I think of it as wine candy - with a hard outside but a soft center that displays notes of rose petal, tart strawberry, rhubarb pie, glove leather, violets, sage incense and more. This wine needs time, so don’t be afraid to stick it away and forget about it. If you want to enjoy it over the upcoming holidays, I suggest letting it breathe and decant, if possible. I would pair it with some succulent, fatty meats, hearty sauces or spicy sandwiches. Think Italian! Enjoy now through 2026. PRODUCTION: 250 cases | RETAIL PRICE: $32 | COMPASS CLUB PRICE: $27.20
FOXEN Vineyard & Winery • 7600 Foxen Canyon Rd • Santa Maria, CA • 93454 • Tel. 805.937.4251 • foxenvineyard.com
FOXEN
V I N E YA R D & W I N E R Y
November 2017 Current Releases 2015 CHENIN BLANC, “Old Vines” Ernesto Wickenden Vyd 2016 CHENIN BLANC, “Old Vines” Ernesto Wickenden Vyd** 2013 CHENIN BLANC, “The Good Year” Ernesto Wickenden Vyd 2015 BLOCK UU CHARDONNAY, Bien Nacido Vineyard 2013 PINOT NOIR, Sta. Rita Hills 2013 PINOT NOIR, La Encantada Vineyard 2014 PINOT NOIR, John Sebastiano Vineyard 2014 PINOT NOIR, Fe Ciega Vineyard 2014 PINOT NOIR, Block 8 - Bien Nacido Vineyard 2014 PINOT NOIR, Melville Vineyard 2014 CUVÉE JEANNE MARIE, Williamson-Doré Vineyard 2013 SYRAH, Tinaquaic Vineyard 2013 SWEET ENDING, Late Harvest (375mL bottles)
2015 SAUVIGNON BLANC, Vogelzang Vineyard 2014 VOLPINO Santa Ynez Valley** 2014 PAJARITO, Vogelzang Vineyard 2014 RANGE 30 WEST, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara 2013 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Vogelzang Vineyard 2014 LOS POTREROS, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara 2014 CABERNET FRANC, Tinaquaic Vineyard 2012 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Mamére Vineyard
Retail
Compass Club (15%)
$26.00 $26.00 $45.00 $34.00 $38.00 $62.00 $48.00 $66.00 $62.00 $64.00 $44.00 $48.00 $30.00
$22.10 $22.10 $38.25 $28.90 $32.30 $52.70 $40.80 $56.10 $52.70 $54.40 $37.40 $40.80 $25.50
Retail
Compass Club (15%)
$28.00 $32.00 $44.00 $46.00 $54.00 $72.00 $50.00 $100.00
$23.80 $27.20 $37.40 $39.10 $45.90 $61.20 $42.50 $85.00
QTY
QTY
**included in shipment** TOTAL:
TO PURCHASE WINES Order Online Today store.foxenvineyard.com Email
[email protected] Fax | Phone 805-937-0415 | 805-937-4251 x107 Mail Katie Longoria c/o FOXEN Vineyard 7600 Foxen Canyon Rd Santa Maria, CA 93454
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