Fess Parker Family Portfolio, Napa Tasting Room is located in the heart of downtown Napa. While there are a number of Napa Valley based wineries with a presence on California’s central coast, it is rare for a central coast based winery to have a presence in Napa Valley.
Fess Parker Winery (died in 2010) was founded in Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County by its namesake, Fess Parker. Prior to his wine business he was known for his film and television acting with a career that began in the early 1950s and lasted through the early 1970s. He was most known for his roles in the television miniseries Davy Crockett (1954–55; ABC) and the television series Daniel Boone (1964–70; NBC).
Fess and his wife Marcella (died in 2019) purchased the 700+ acre Foxen Canyon Ranch in Santa Barbara County in 1988 and planted their first vines, Riesling, a year later. Their tasting room opened in 1992. Still family owned, Fess Parker Winery now owns more than 1,500 acres of vineyards on the central coast. And the winery made an appearance in a memorable scene in the 2004 film, Sideways where actor Paul Giamatti (Miles) tries to drain the dump bucket after the host refuses to give him a full glass. Interestingly, the author of Sideways, Rex Pickett now spends a lot of time in Napa Valley and we sometimes see him in downtown Napa and at Vintner’s Collective.
Addendum is Fess Parker’s brand dedicated to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; while not yet owning vineyards in Napa Valley, Fess Parker works close with several winery growers including Clos du Val and Round Pond. The initial interest in producing Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon came through Fess Parker’s winemaker Blair Fox and his ‘Napa network’. He began initially working with Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak for Syrah. All grapes for the Addendum wines are harvested in Napa Valley, and then trucked down to Fess Parker Winery for fermentation and cellaring. The inaugural vintage of Addendum was from 2014 and each bottling is generally a tiny production, often 100 cases or less with total production around 1,400 cases. A special ‘Addendum Room’ is located at Fess Parker Winery.
Select Wines
Addendum
The 2018 Addendum Napa Valley Rutherford, The Hills Block 6 is 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon; the ripe and primarily red fruited bouquet offers aromas of cherry, plum, raspberry jam and blackberry, red licorice, dried mushrooms and dried rose petals. On the palate there are flavors of cherry, raspberry, currant, Santa Rosa plum with some assorted dried herbs including sage. The tannins are grainy and lightly gritty; both texture and fruit run in tandem for some ways on the extended finish. Lingers with a light drying character, a red fruited tartness and a freshness carried on the back of its bright acidity. Balanced, this wine is saddled perfectly between the temptation to showcase the ripeness of the region versus restraint. Pair this bottling with a lighter styled Wagu cut of meat – perhaps a leaner top sirloin.
The 2018 Addendum Napa Valley Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby and nearly opaque in the glass; darker berry fruited the bouquet sports scents of blackberry, blueberry, dark raspberry and boysenberry with plenty of enticing aromas from its oak aging including cocoa powder, vanilla, chocolate, mocha, Graham cracker, cardamom and clove. On the palate there are flavors of ripe blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry, dark plum and cherry. Tasting this reminded us of some of the brambly characteristics of harvesting ripe blackberries in the middle of summer when we were children and the now related nostalgia of those memories. This wine also offers notes of cinnamon stick, mocha, espresso, mocha and milk chocolate. The gravelly, dusty and tumbled tannins continue to persist beyond the fruit on the finish, felt more on the front of the palate than the back. Offers plenty of depth in terms of both flavor and texture and 6 years post vintage, stills shows as a highly youthful wine. If your looking for a crowd favorite bottling to introduce friends to, this bottling is an ideal candidate.
The 2018 Addendum Skellenger Lane Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford is medium to deep ruby in color; the initial aromatic hit reminded us of our grandmother’s velvet lined old cedar box used for some of her jewelry that she gifted to us several decades ago before she passed. And there is a floral attributes at play including of dried rose petals, accompanied by dried herbs including sage, a sweet tobacco spice of someone smoking – but not the darker related aromas of tobacco smoke far after the pipe has been finished, espresso, dried earth and fruit notes of raspberry, cherry cola and red plum. Balanced across the palate, it offers primarily red fruited flavors of raspberry, cherry and plum. The finish is bright, juicy and mouthwatering and filled with fruit with its barrel aging providing a complementary character. The dusty and gravelly tannins continue to persist for quite some time with a moderate but firm grip. Pairs best with an energetic song from Abba, perhaps Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
The 2018 Addendum Stagecoach Vineyard, Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in color; the diversely fruited bouquet offers aromas of dark licorice, spiced plum, black cherry, dark raspberry with a hint of mocha, assorted sweet baking spice and a subtle note of toasted oak. Sometimes we describe a palate as being comfortable to taste, in this case this wine is comfortable to smell. Remarkably balanced for a mountain appellation in Napa Valley, especially in terms of its textural profile. Has mountain fruit but without a heavy accompanying texture. The flavors offers a perceived sweetness of mostly red fruit including raspberry, cherry, plum and strawberry. The finish lingers with grainy tannins of a moderate grip and loads of fruit; it keeps on giving. This wine has loads of life ahead of it with the proper aging.
The 2018 Addendum Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from all sites used in their single appellation bottlings. As a result it is an expression of both valley floor and hillside sites. The bouquet reveals scents of red licorice, dried rose petals, old cedar box, dried mushrooms, sage and some lighter dessert spices including mocha. But its scents are primarily about its core of fruit. On the palate there are flavors of red cherry, strawberry, raspberry and red plum. Easy drinking and very approachable at 6 years post vintage, the finish lingers with a red fruited tartness and freshness from its bright acidity. The tannins are dusty, and clearly felt with moderate grip and persistent grip. Lingers with a note of dried tobacco, a hint of red chili spice and sage. This bottling is the perfect introduction into the Addendum portfolio. This is priced reasonably for the pleasure that it delivers.
Fess Parker
The 2023 Fess Parker Dry Riesling, Rodney’s Vineyard is 100% stainless steel fermented left with 2% residual sugar, an off-dry Riesling. This wine is named in homage to Fess Parker’s son-in-law Rodney, the same name as their winery estate vineyard. This wine is medium gold in color; highly floral the bouquet immediately offers scents of honeysuckle, star jasmine and citrus blossom along with baked pear, lychee, apricot, white peach at the peak of its ripeness, white nectarines, pineapple guava and a very subtle herbal hint including of pine branch or juniper berry. Expecting more sweetness knowing the percentage of residual sugar, we were pleasantly surprised by its bright and refreshing acid profile. The palate reveals flavors of guava, kiwi, green apple, passion fruit, pomelo, ruby grapefruit and a lasting note of lime. The acidity is not bracing but has plenty of zip, that we did not even notice the residual sugar. Tasting this wine made us want to pair it with raw oysters, our favorite Napa oyster spot is Hog Island Oyster with an oyster bar located at the nearby Oxbow Public Market. And this has been their most popular wine, sold in their Napa tasting room to date.
The 2022 Fess Parker Rodney’s Vineyard Viognier, Santa Barbara County is medium yellow in the glass. If a symphony, composed of numerous instruments all playing as one, were an aromatic, the bouquet on this wine would be the equivalent performance. Highly aromatic and well layered, it offers both floral and fruit scents, including honeysuckle, citrus blossom, baked pineapple, apricot, ginger and yellow peaches and nectarines at the peak of their ripeness (but not overripe). And there is a light herbal note deeper in the aromatics including of lemongrass. The richly flavored but balanced palate offers flavors of pineapple, ripe honeydew melon, apricot, yellow peach and nectarine and mandarin orange. The fleshy texture is complemented by a rich, bright and sweet/sour finish. This wine is delicious by itself. But if we were to pair it with something, it would be seafood with some substance to it, such as pan-seared swordfish steaks covered in a citrus glaze.
Epiphany
Wines produced under this label focus on single Rhone varietal bottlings.
The 2020 Epiphany Cellars Rodney’s Vineyard Petite Sirah, Santa Barbara County is deep ruby in color with an amaranthine rim. The bouquet is driven hard by its darker fruit, savory and floral aromas. These include scents of plum, dark raspberry, bacon fat, licorice, boysenberry preserves, bramble, Persian mulberries, crushed pink peppercorns, mocha, roasted coffee beans, espresso, lavender and dried rose petals. Brightly lit across the palate, it offers flavors of red cherry, cranberry, plum, raspberry and currant with a lingering note of white pepper, dried sage and smoked meats. The tannins are remarkably well managed, are ripe and rounded and seamlessly integrated into the persistent fruit and dark spice filled finish. Juicy. Mouthwatering. We would like to pair this with a flank steak covered in a spicy dry rub from the BBQ. This wine is a blend of two clones, Palisades and Rockpile and was aged for 21 months in French oak, of which 17% were new barrels.
The 2018 Epiphany Cellars Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah, Napa Valley is deep ruby in color; the bouquet is a union of contemplation and a generous helping of fruits, baking spices and dried herbs. It offers primary aromas of plum, cherry, blackberry and boysenberry, complemented by secondary aromas of mocha, coffee grinds, toast, vanilla, milk chocolate and Graham cracker. And a note of violets and sage. Balanced across the palate, there are flavors of red cherry, currant, plum and raspberry. The tannins are lightly grainy, and bounce around energetically among the bright acidity, especially noticeable on the finish. Their texture continues to persist as a dusty character, outpacing the fruit. Juicy, mouthwatering and built to last, this beauty is showing in a sweet spot 6 years post vintage at the time of our tasting.
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Other wines produced include Festivity, a sparkling wine and Crockett, a red blend of Petite Sirah and Sirah from Rodney’s Vineyard representing the best grapes that year from the estate. Fess Parker also crafts a red blend called Big Easy, with a New Orleans’s look at feel to the packaging.
Tasting Room, Napa
Fess Parker opened this tasting room, their their first outside of Santa Barbara County, on July 17, 2024 and held their grand opening party the weekend of August 10th and 11th. Prior to their occupancy, this space was most recently home to Brendel Wines. And before them, it housed The Mustard Seed Clothing, a boutique store for women and before that, Shoes on First.
This is in the heart of downtown Napa directly across from the Archer Hotel and next door to the historic Goodman Library. The tasting room is located in a building named after the prominent Migliavacca family whose Napa wine operations were founded by patriarch Giacamo Migliavacca in 1866 in the city of Napa. And Fess Parker Napa is not the only tasting room housed inside; Alpha Omega, also with strong central California roots, maintains a tasting room on the other side of the building showcasing their portfolio of brands.
The tasting room is contemporary, spacious and very welcoming and still echoes an internal vibe of when Brendel Wines was here but now with the Parker family touch including family photos, a winery timeline and maps of their own vineyards. Like with the previous occupant Brendel, who used to showcase wines from some of their other Napa Valley sister properties, select wines from several of the Fess Parker brands are also available for tasting by either the glass or bottle and are for sale.
Flights include Bright & Crisp, a selection focused on white wines, the Best of Both Worlds, including wines from both Santa Barbara and Napa and the Reserve Addendum, Cabernet Sauvignon exclusively from Napa Valley. During our visit, nearly 30 different wines were available for purchase with some bottlings rotating weekly. And some of their wines are from varieties not often grown or produced in Napa Valley including Vermentino and Mourvèdre. And sometimes wines made for their wine club are available to taste.
Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are also accepted via Tock and are recommended for weekend visits. The space is dog friendly and as one of the larger tasting rooms in downtown Napa, it features a variety of seating including at the bar, a long wooden table, at small tables or weather permitting directly outside on the sidewalk. While there is no full kitchen on site, there is a prep kitchen to bring in small bites and charcuterie plates from nearby vendors.
The room in the back of the space will eventually become a temperature controlled library room, with a windowed door so that guests in the front room can see the collection. This will showcase older vintages of their various wines. And some of these wines will be available for guests to taste and purchase.
And for those who enjoy Santa Barbara County as much as we do, (we plan to have a house in Santa Barbara sooner than later), enticing scenes from both the city of Santa Barbara and property and spaces owned by Fess Parker continue to play on one of the walls.
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For more information, to purchase wines or to schedule a tasting, visit: www.fessparker.com
Fess Parker operates the following places and spaces in Santa Barbara County; we will visit these as time and budget allows and will update then:
Fess Parker Winery (including horseback adventures), Los Olivos
Fess Parker Wine Country Inn, Los Olivos
Previously called The Grand Hotel, this property was purchased by the family, remodeled and re-opened in 1999.
Wine Country Cabins, Los Olivos
Epiphany & The Bubble Shack Tasting Room, Los Olivos
Third Window Brewing, Santa Barbara
Fess Parker Funk Zone Tasting Room, Santa Barbara (opened in 2023)
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