FOXEN
Compass Club Newsletter
Happy New Year!
January 2015
It was a great relief to get some much needed rain since last November, bringing us slightly above normal rainfall for the “rainy” season. But at the time of this writing, with no rain in our immediate forecast, we still need a lot more of the wet stuff to get us out of this three-year drought--so keep up those rain dances! Having said that, our hills are currently bright green, wildflowers are beginning to emerge, the sky is clear and beautiful, and our roads are not congested. So, this is my reminder that February is great time to visit us in Foxen Canyon. Bill’s vineyard crew has been busy pruning and tying (all by hand) our now dormant vines in preparation for the 2015 growing season. And in the cellar our crew has been busy racking and preparing for our first bottling of the year--the 2013 single-vineyard Pinot Noirs and Syrahs--in mid-March. When you get this newsletter, Jenny and I will have already kicked off our 2015 travel calendar with a sold-out dinner at Disney World’s Citricos and a trip to Key West’s Food & Wine Festival for a special Santa Barbara-focused seminar and tasting. Our trip to Florida will be quickly followed by sales trips to New York and San Francisco later in February, and World of Pinot Noir is set for early March. Hopefully my daughter Kaitlin saw some of you at a number of tastings where she was pouring FOXEN last month, including the “Stars of Santa Barbara” in Los Angeles and Orange County. And last but not least, tasting room manager, John Tevis, is planning special Pinot Noir tastings Friday-Sunday this spring at the winery. For a more complete description of these events, I encourage you to check out our “Events Calendar” on our website, www.foxenvineyard.com/events, and get up-to-date news on our wines and events on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/foxenwinery. All in all, 2015 looks like it will be another busy and exciting year, and we look forward to seeing you soon! Cheers! Dick Doré FOXEN Vineyard & Winery • 7600 Foxen Canyon Rd • Santa Maria, CA • 93454 • Tel. 805.937.4251 • foxenvineyard.com
Calendar of Events
January 2015
March 6th & 7th - World of Pinot Noir, Bacara Resort, Goleta, CA
This annual event takes place at the beginning of March and includes two days of in-depth tasting seminars, excursions, Grand Tastings, a Burgundy seminar and tasting and gourmet, locally-influenced lunches and dinners. These extraordinary food and wine extravaganzas will be hosted by participating wineries and feature an outstanding panel of sommeliers from across the U.S. Join Dick and Jenny for the Grand Tasting on Saturday, March 7th. For tickets and more information, go to: www.worldofpinotnoir.com.
March 15th - Family Winemakers of California - Fairplex, Pomona, CA
This one day event is the chance to sample over 750 wines offered by 150 small family-owned wineries from across California. For tickets and more information, go to www.familywinemakers.org. Use discount code FOXEN to receive 10% off the consumer tasting.
April 23rd through April 26th - Vintners’ Spring Festival - Fairplex, Pomona, CA
Throughout the weekend select wineries host their own events on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, ranging from winemaker dinners through library tastings and sales to new wine releases and barrel tastings. Join FOXEN for the Grand Tasting on Saturday. For tickets and more information, go to: www.sbvintnersweekend.com
April 25th - Taste of UCSB - 3-6pm at the UCSB Science Green
This festival serves as the spotlight event during the All Gaucho Reunion. This event integrates vintners, brewers and culinary experts to showcase their talents and expertise while raising money for students in need. Visit with John while he pours a selection of Foxen wines. For more information and tickets: www.allgauchoreunion.com
June 20th - Pinot Days, San Francisco, CA
A decade ago, Pinot Days San Francisco launched a series of seriously fun events featuring pinot noir and the passionate, fascinating winemakers who craft it. It’s now become the largest single gathering of Pinot Noir producers in the world with scores of small, thematic, intimate events around the Bay leading up to our Grand Festival at the Metreon’s City View Room. For more information go to: www.pinotdays.com/festivals/san_francisco.asp
CLUB CORNER
As Dick mentioned, we will be starting some special Pinot Noir flights Friday through Sunday in the winery tasting room. Be sure to check your emails for a special Valentine’s Day trio pack featuring one bottle each of our exclusive DryFarmed Tinaquaic Vineyard Chardonnay, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc. As always, contact either of us if you have any questions at
[email protected] or
[email protected]. Keep in mind that John’s days off are Sunday and Monday, while Moselle’s days off are Tuesday and Wednesday. Cheers! John Tevis & Moselle Barnett | Wine Club Team FOXEN Vineyard & Winery • 7600 Foxen Canyon Rd • Santa Maria, CA • 93454 • Tel. 805.937.4251 • foxenvineyard.com
Billy’s Winemaker Notes
January 2015
2013 Chardonnay, Block UU - Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley: This was the second of the last three successive
phenomenal vintages in Santa Barbara County. In my opinion 2013 was the year where the quality of our white wine was particularly exceptional. Our Block UU Chardonnay grapes from the Foxen sections at Bien Nacido Vineyard were casually picked over a 10-day period (9-23 to 10-3), which allowed us to capture the incremental flavor developments of each pick. We ended up with six lots of juice that became eight different fermentation lots in the barrels. I find it amazing to taste and compare each lot while we assemble the finished wine in our heads. So many variables; so much fun! Needless to say, this could be my favorite wine from our Block UU-Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay to date. Tropical aromas of pink grapefruit, lime peel and just rained-on sage and flavors of guava, grapefruit oil and Meyer lemon carry long on the palate with vibrant acidity. There is a lot of tension and complexity going on in this Chardonnay. I loved this wine paired with tempura rock shrimp and a citrus zest tartar sauce. It even matched up well with asparagus and jalapeño hollandaise. Drinking window: now through 2018. PRODUCTION: 1450 cases | RETAIL PRICE: $32 | COMPASS CLUB PRICE: $27.20
2013 Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley: This wine is a gustatory map of Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir, as
we sourced fruit from three vineyards with this vintage: Solomon Hills Vineyard sits on ancient marine soil in the western portion of the Santa Maria Valley AVA, where fog and cool winds temper daytime temperatures; Bien Nacido Vineyard sits on the Santa Maria Bench to the northeast on deep colluvial soil underlain by shale, and Riverbench Vineyard sits across the Sisquoc River to the southeast, near the mouth of Foxen Canyon, where alluvial soils are comprised with river cobble. These three different terroirs influence the Pinot Noir through multiple forms of expression. Solomon Hills fruit brings strawberries and sea salt. Bien Nacido fruit carries raspberry, cola and Chinese Five Spice. The Riverbench fruit displays distinct cherries and earth. The finished wine encompasses all these aromas and flavors harmoniously and delicately. It is truly a cornucopia of Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir. It matches well with with a variety of foods: salmon, trout, duck, and even egg and gouda mousse. This wine is comprised of 55% Riverbench Vineyard, 40% Bien Nacido Vineyard, and 5% Solomon Hills Vineyard. Drinking window: now through 2020. PRODUCTION: 5000 cases | RETAIL PRICE: $35 | COMPASS CLUB PRICE: $29.75
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
January 2015 Current Releases
FOXEN Retail Anchor (15%) Master (20%) Qty 2013 Chenin Blanc, Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard $25 $21.25 $20.00 _____ 2013 Chardonnay, Block UU - Bien Nacido Vyd** $32 $27.20 $25.60 _____ 2012 Chardonnay, “Steel Cut” - Bien Nacido Vyd $32 $27.20 $25.60 _____ 2012 Chardonnay, Tinaquaic Vineyard $37 $31.45 $29.60 _____ 2013 Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley** $35 $29.75 $28.00 _____ 2012 Pinot Noir, John Sebastiano Vineyard $48 $40.80 $38.40 _____ 2012 Pinot Noir, Solomon Hills Vineyard $58 $49.30 $46.40 _____ 2012 Pinot Noir, Block 43 - Bien Nacido Vyd $58 $49.30 $46.40 _____ 2012 Pinot Noir, Fe Ciega Vineyard $66 $56.10 $52.80 _____ 2012 Syrah, Tinaquaic Vineyard $48 $40.80 $38.40 _____ 2012 Syrah, Williamson-Doré Vineyard $46 $39.10 $36.80 _____
foxen 7200 Retail Anchor (15%) Master (20%) 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, Vogelzang Vineyard $28 $23.80 $22.40 2012 Sangiovese, Williamson-Doré Vineyard $40 $34.00 $32.00 2011 Pajarito, 53% Merlot/47% Petit Verdot $42 $35.70 $33.60 2012 Range 30 West, 60% Merlot/40% Cab Franc $42 $35.70 $33.60 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Happy Canyon of SB $38 $32.30 $30.40
Qty
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