Yesterday, Jan 30 2010, my wife, Eva and two of our daughters, Michelle and Serena, drove up past Santa Barbara to Highway 154 where we detoured onto the Foxen Canyon Road. There we stopped for a picnic at Fess Parker Winery and capped off the afternoon at Zaca Mesa Winery.
Fess Parker is a fantastic place for a picnic. The lawn is about the size of a football field with picnic tables, trees, and ample room to play catch with a football or just kick back.
For us, it involved a football, a picnic basket filled with assorted cheeses, cold cuts, salad... and wine glasses.
Of course, we supplemented our experience with a shared tasting from the winery and purchased a bottle of 1999 Fess Parker Syrah - a wine that has mellowed over the years and turned from a fruit bomb into a peppery wine with nice acidity and fruit to perfectly compliment our picnic.
The folks at the winery were their usual hospitable and fun selves! Not only did we taste some of their newly released Pinot Noir (delicious wines) and their Syrah (delicious also), we got to keep the glass. Well, Michelle got the glass.
From there we drove up around the bend at Zaca Mesa and stepped past the very fun concrete chessboard... about the size of an average kitchen and into a very festive and full tasting room, where we enjoyed some more very delicious Syrah (2003, 2005, and 2006 Estate) as well as a fantastic Grenache!
After hanging out on the patio and playing half a chess game, we drove away with smiles on our faces through that beautiful countryside, culminating with some very tasting and budget-friendly sushi in Goleta.
This isn't so much a review, as you can see, as much as it is just a reflection on a great afternoon. Watching my wife and our girls laugh, talk, discuss 'boys', etc etc... was pure joy.
The wine was just an accessory. And a good one at that.
Cheers!
