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Sale Price: $13.97
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As those of you who have watched the movie Sideways may be aware, Santa Barbara County is a bit of a geographical oddity: it contains the longest east-west traversing valley on the entire western coast of the Americas, from Alaska to the southern tip of Chile. This funnels cold air and fog in from over the ocean through the valley, cooling and moderating what would otherwise be a fairly hot and arid climate (Santa Barbara is just about a hundred miles north of Los Angeles), and imparting wines grown there with a freshness and acidity more like wine from Northern California. Fess Parker Winery (recently named one of Wine & Spirits Magazine’s top 100 wineries two years in a row) produces some great examples of this, particularly with their entry-level Chardonnay. It’s barrel fermented in French and Hungarian oak, in a mix of used and new barrels, imparting a moderate, well-integrated oakiness. It’s got a good balance between green apple and creamy flavors, along with a touch of pineapple and vanilla, and a zesty acidity. This would be perfect lobster wine. It would also pair well with simply-prepared, richer foods such as roast halibut, toasted nuts, creamy fiddlehead soup, or chicken pesto.
