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FOXEN Newsletter

Dear Members,

October 2015

This year’s harvest was one for the records book with the earliest start ever. Our harvest officially began with the picking of Pinot Noir fruit during the last week of July. In addition to early, this year’s harvest was also very light. By this I mean that our average yields were all less than usual, which will result in less wine made from the 2015 vintage. The good news is that due to the relatively small berry sizes, small bunches, a light crop generally results in wines of exceptional quality. And so far, Bill is extremely happy with the outstanding quality of fruit we brought into the winery. An often asked question I get is how will the early harvest effect the quality of the subsequent wine. Despite an early start, the length of our growing season was close to normal this year. Due to a mild winter, bud break started early and the growing season was unimpeded by cold storms last winter and spring. As a result of few little rain storms, the development of the fruit was never delayed by cold or wet weather. I am excited that for the first time we have been able to add a special Pinot Noir shipment next month. Due to the overwhelming feedback we’ve received about the Julia’s not being included in your shipments this year, we’ve allocated just enough for our Master & Commander members to beincluded in the first ever November shipment. This optional November shipment will contain three Pinot Noirs: 2012 Block 43-Bien Nacido Vineyard; 2012 John Sebastiano Vineyard; and 2013 Julia’s Vineyard. All three of these wines were critically acclaimed, with scores of 92-94 points from the top wine reviewers. This special Pinot Pack will automatically ship the first week of November, unless you opt out. If you have any questions, please go to [email protected] or call the winery at (805) 937-4251. Bill and I have been heartened and even excited by recent comments and rave reviews by two of the nation’s top wine critics. Earlier this month Antonio Galloni of Vinous stated, “…Bill Wathen and Dick Doré are at the top of their game.” and Jeb Dunnuck of The Wine Advocate, commented, “I continue to be blown away by this estate…” Whew…heady stuff! Jenny and I are still busy with travel over the next couple of months, including upcoming dinners in the Washington DC area and San Diego. And, we look forward to planning lots more fun road trips and events October 2015 Payment Detail in 2016. As always, I recommend that you Master & Commander Club Shipping: periodically check our website calendar page $572.83 (including your 20% discount, CA state tax, and CA shipping) at www.foxenvineyard.com/events, and like us on Master & Commander Club Pickup: Facebook for news and event information. $525.31 (including your 15% discount, and CA state tax)

Cheers! Richard Doré

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 Foxen Canyon Rd • Santa Maria, CA • 93454 • Tel. 805.937.4251 • foxenvineyard.com

Calendar of Events

October 2015

October 9th - Franc Fest at Buttonwood Winery

Join Kaitlin as she showcase our Cabernet Franc and Franc based blend for this celebration of the elusive varietal. Expect a dozen or more wineries pouring their Cab Franc or Franc based blends (along with a white or pink of their choice), grilled snacks, a bit of music and ending with a bonfire on our beautiful pondside beach. (Do S’mores pair with Franc? You be the judge!). Food will also be available for purchase for those wanting a light supper. Participating wineries include (so far) Alexander & Wayne, Buttonwood Farm, Carr, Carhartt, Carlson, Foxen, Habit, Longoria, Martelleto, Star Lane, Sforzando and Turiya. Come help us kick off Celebration of Harvest weekend!

October 10th - Celebration of Harvest Festival, Santa Ines Mission

Join FOXEN for the annual Celebration of Harvest Festival Grand Tasting in the heart of Santa Barbara Wine County at the Old Mission Santa Inés in downtown Solvang, California. All Santa Barbara Vintners’ Association member wineries (more than 120) will gather to present their wines.

October 10th - FOXEN Winemaker Dinner at the Wine Cask, Santa Barbara, CA

On Saturday, October 10, join Dick, Jenny, Bill and Becky for an extraordinarily intimate 2nd Annual Wine Cask FOXEN Winemaker Dinner during next month’s Celebration of Harvest Weekend. The Wine Cask has been a longstanding friend of FOXEN, and we are excited to pair some of our favorite new releases, along with a surprise library wine, with a delicious five-course, farm-to-table dinner created by Wine Cask’s amazing Chef David Rosner. Only 22 seats available! Price per person is $150.00 (plus tax). Place your reservations now since seating is so limited and tickets will sell fast! RSVP: [email protected] or call 805.966.9463

October 21st - FOXEN Winemaker Dinner - Plumed Horse, Saratoga, CA

Join Dick and Jenny for a FOXEN wine dinner at The Plumed Horse in Saratoga. The Plumed Horse is delighted to announce the next winemaker dinner with Dick and Jenny Doré of Foxen Vineyard and Winery. For reservations call (408) 867-4711.

November 10th - FOXEN Winemaker Dinner - JRDN at Tower 23, San Diego, CA

Join Jenny for a special wine dinner at the JRDN Restaurant located in the Tower 23 Hotel. Located at 723 Felspar St, San Diego CA 92109, this is a dinner that shouldn’t be missed! Call 858.270.5736 for reservations and more information.

November 21st - PinotFest at Farallon - San Francisco, CA

Join Dick and Jenny at PinotFest at the Farallon. San Francisco’s original, all-pinot noir bacchanalia returns to Farallon for its 17th glorious year! The extensive tasting of pinot noir from 60 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. Go to: www.eventbrite.com/e/pinotfest-2015-tickets-18341829907 to purchase tickets. FOXEN Vineyard & Winery • 7600 Foxen Canyon Rd • Santa Maria, CA • 93454 • Tel. 805.937.4251 • foxenvineyard.com

Billy’s Winemaker Notes

2013 Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vyd: This vineyard sits on a

magical place that I call the “Pinot Bowl” of the appellation. It is a joy to to work with and to visit the vineyard—from which we source from four different blocks—anytime of the year. Each block is unique, with different orientations, elevations and clones—so timely harvesting can be a challenge. We were in these blocks monitoring phenolic ripeness two-to-three times a week leading up to harvest. In addition, it was a challenge to assemble this wine, because the La Encantada Pinot lots were tremendously shy and unwilling to “talk” to us in the initial stages. Eventually the day arrived when the wines came out of their shells and the vineyard blend all made sense. The 2013 vintage is very typical for this vineyard: lots of flowery, red fruit aromas that are deep and shy, yet eventually giving with time. The flavor profile is full of plum and spice, with a nice rosewater-like finish. This is a wine that can be enjoyed now, but will only improve with time. Tasting through this Pinot again brought back memories of an Eppoisses cheese soufflé I enjoyed while dining in Burgundy this past Spring. Try that one out. Production: 880 cases • Retail: $62

2013 Syrah, Williamson-Doré: This is another terrific Syrah from Dick and Jenny’s vineyard. These Syrah

vines have been locked into a low-yielding pattern the past few vintages due to our drought situation, and the fruit has been stellar and a joy from which to make wine. The berries came to the winery as hard marbles, and it took a few days to coax the juice out of them. The barrel program for the Williamson-Doré is all 500-liter oak puncheons (40% of which are new) and the wine rested in these for 20 months before being bottled, without fining or filtering. Really nice notes of smoky blackberries, asphalt, plum and blackstrap molasses are focused and pure. It will be fun to follow this wine through the course of it’s life. I served this up with a peppered Buffalo Steak and potatoes Au Gratin with Gorgonzola. Production: 495 • Retail: $46 91-93 Points - The Wine Advocate, Jeb Dunnuck - “…exhibits terrific notes of plums, blackberries, smoked earth, olive and assorted meatiness. Medium to full-bodied, focused, elegant and with awesome purity, it will certainly be an outstanding wine that will have a decade or more of longevity.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Grassini Family Vineyard, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara:

This vintage was the first of the big three vintages; records were set in 2012, 2013 and 2014 for grape yields in Santa Barbara County and California as a whole. It is funny to compare harvest dates from 2012 to this year—one of the lightest in many years. In 2012, we picked Grassini Cabernet Sauvignon on November 2 and 5. In 2015 the pick came on September 1—more than 60 days earlier. This wine aged 22 months in Tonnellerie Nadalie French oak barrels (60% of which were new.) Lots of spicy black fruit, cassis, lead pencil and cigar box aromas lead on to plummy-textured goodness on the palate. This wine is drinking really well now, and should continue to do so for another 10-12 years. I recommend pairing this wine with Turkey Mole. I thought it would be a risky matchup, but they suited one another just fine. Drink now through 2024. Production: 500 cases • Retail: $44 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

October 2015 Current Releases

FOXEN Retail Anchor (15%) Master (20%) Qty 2013 Chenin Blanc, Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard $25 $21.25 $20.00 _____ 2012 Chardonnay, Tinaquaic Vineyard $37 $31.45 $29.60 _____ 2013 Chardonnay, Block UU - Bien Nacido Vyd $32 $27.20 $25.60 _____ 2013 Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley $35 $29.75 $28.00 _____ 2013 Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills $38 $32.30 $30.40 _____ 2013 Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vineyard** $62 $52.70 $49.60 _____ 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 Vineyard $58 $49.30 $46.40 _____ 2012 Pinot Noir, Fe Ciega Vineyard $66 $56.10 $52.80 _____ 2013 Syrah, Williamson-Doré Vineyard** $46 $39.10 $36.80 _____ 2012 Syrah, Tinaquaic Vineyard $48 $40.80 $38.40 _____ 2012 Sweet Ending, Late Harvest Wine (375mL) $30 $25.50 $24.00 _____ foxen 7200 Retail Anchor (15%) Master (20%) Qty 2014 Sauvignon Blanc, Vogelzang Vineyard $28 $23.80 $22.40 _____ 2012 Pajarito, 53% Merlot/47% Petit Verdot $42 $35.70 $33.60 _____ 2012 Range 30 West, Happy Canyon of SB $42 $35.70 $33.60 _____ 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Grassini Family Vyd** $44 $37.40 $35.20 _____ 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Vogelzang Vineyard $54 $45.90 $43.20 _____ 2012 Cabernet Franc, Tinaquaic Vineyard $48 $40.80 $38.40 _____ 2012 Guillermo Grosso, Santa Ynez Valley $34 $28.90 $27.20 _____ **included in shipment and exclusive for members for 30 days or while supplies last** TOTAL: ______ ______ _____ TO PURCHASE WINES Order Online Today store.foxenvineyard.com Email [email protected] Fax | Phone 805-937-0415 | 805-937-4251 x107 Mail John Tevis c/o FOXEN Vineyard 7600 Foxen Canyon Rd Santa Maria, CA 93454

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