One of the all time greats out of Santa Barbara County, Foxen is a family-run winery that produces world class Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Set in the rolling hills, if you have never visited Foxen, you are in for a treat. Foxen has two distinct lines of wines – one that focuses on Bordeaux style wines and another that produces Burgundian styles, along with an some gorgeous single vineyard Syrah. Sideways decided to film one of their big scenes here but even after that exposure Foxen remains one of the hidden gems of the valley.
I first visited Foxen back in 2003 and I’ve been so impressed with the consistency of their wines. Don’t miss out on their brilliant new 2020 Foxen ‘Bien Nacido Vineyard Block UU’ Chardonnay (OB, 94) which is wonderfully salty and shows a crazy good texture. Even better was the scintillating 2017 Foxen Block 8 Bien Nacido Vineyard’ Pinot Noir (OB, 95) which also shows this marvelous salty soil character in the wine alongside bright red fruits and earthy nuances. Learn more about these outstanding wines at http://www.foxenvineyard.com/ Here are some of the fantastic new release wines from Foxen.
2020 Foxen ‘Bien Nacido Vineyard Block UU’ Chardonnay- This beautiful 2020 Chardonnay was stored for eight months in 29% new French oak puncheons before bottling. This comes off clean with brilliant Japanese pear, diatomaceous earth, salty minerals and lime zest flavors. The terroir imparted is extraordinarily good with the wine’s salty and stony essence. Drink 2024-2032- 94
2020 Foxen ‘Santa Maria Valley’ Pinot Noir- The 2020 ‘Santa Maria Valley’ mainly comes from the Bien Nacido Vineyard. Stored for 10 months in neutral oak barrels, this offers a smooth texture upon entry with strawberry and guava fruit flavors alongside orange rind and salty soils on the palate. Drink 2024-2030- 93
2019 Foxen ‘Julia’s Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- This Pommard clonal selection Pinot Noir comes from the Julia’s Vineyard which is home to some of Santa Barbara's oldest Pinot Noir vines. This site was first planted between 1970 and 1971 as part of the original Tepusquet Vineyard. This is rich and nicely concentrated Pinot Noir with a smooth mouthfeel and salty/stony accents alongside a brilliant core of red fruit and red rose water flavors. Drink 2024-2040- 95
2020 Foxen ‘Bien Nacido Vineyard- Block 43’ Pinot Noir- The 2020 Foxen ‘Bien Nacido Vineyard- Block 43’ Pinot Noir was stored in only 30% new French oak barrels for 16 months prior to bottling. Soft on the mouth, this revels in its Bing cherry and red raspberry flavors with stony and smoky accents. Drink 2024-2032- 92
2019 Foxen ‘Bien Nacido Vineyard- Block 8’ Pinot Noir- The 2019 Foxen ‘Bien Nacido Vineyard- Block 8’ Pinot Noir utilizes a range of clonal selections, as this was stored for 16 months in 30% new French oak before bottling. Wonderfully salty, this offers bright Yakima cherry flavors alongside black tea, wet stone and shades of tobacco leaf on the palate. Neatly textured, this is drinking marvelously even now. Drink 2024-2040- 95
2020 Foxen ‘John Sebastiano Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- This famed site captures Dijon 667, Swan and Pommard Pinot Noir. The wine is neatly textured and concentrated on the palate with wild blackberry and tar notes alongside salty soils and suggestions of juicy peach on the palate. Drink 2024-2032- 93
2019 Foxen ‘Fe Ciega Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2019 ‘Fe Ciega Vineyard’ utilizes clonal selections Mt. Eden, Pommard as well as Dijon 115 and 667. This has a beautiful texture and weight with loads of mouth-watering red fruit flavors alongside kumquat zest and suggestions of salty minerals. Drink 2024-2040- 94
2020 Foxen ‘Williamson-Dore Vineyard’ Syrah- Inky in the glass, the Williason-Dore Vineyard is set in the Los Olives District. Marvelous black olive and black tea aromas combine with bacon fat and shades of black currants on the nose. The palate is plush and rich as this is a sensational effort despite the challenges of this vintage. Drink 2024-2032- 94
2019 Foxen ‘Tinaquaic VIneyard’ Syrah- The beautiful and unique 2019 Foxen ‘Tinaquaic VIneyard’ Syrah was mostly sourced from the Bajita Block of this vineyard which utilizes Syrah Clone 470. Inky in the glass, this reveals beautiful smoky and stony tones on the nose with Hoisin sauce, smoked brisket and wild blackberry puree flavors, with salty accents. This is going to cellar really well. Drink 2024-2040- 95
2019 Foxen ‘Tinaquaic Vineyard- Old Vines Heritage Collection’ Syrah- This wine is sourced from old vine plantings of Syrah that date back to 1989. Stored for 18 months in Hungarian neutral oak puncheons, this opens with iodine, tar, tobacco leaf and espresso ground flavors that mingle well with shades of creme de violette with a dusting of white pepper. This is sensational stuff. Drink 2024-2040- 95