Virtual Wine Tasting Featuring Foxen Winery with Special Guest Jenny Dore

Vito Corleone: I like to drink wine more than I used to.
Michael: It’s good for ya, Pop.
Vito Corleone: Anyway I’m drinkin’ more.
The Godfather

It’s Wednesday that means Virtual Tasting time!

Today we have our good friend from Foxen Winery Jenny Williamson Doré.  Join us as we welcome one of the top producers from the Santa Barbera and Santa Rita Hills appellations of Southern California on Wednesday, May 26th at 6pm EST.  We will be showing four wines from Foxen Winery and we have a package of these four wines listed on this e-mail and in the Wine Watch gift Box section at www.winewatch.com.   If you want to follow along you can purchase all four wines in one pack or any of the wines individually on our web page just type in Foxen and you will find the selections we are showcasing for the event along with all the wines available from this landmark southern California winery. 

For those that would like to attend in person and be part of the studio audience on the day of the event the price is $55 + tax and there are only 10 seats available to our studio audience the day of the tasting.  There will be a few small bites served but this is not a dinner.  For reservations to be part of the studio audience please call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Virtual Wine Tasting Featuring Foxen Winery
with Special Guest Jenny Williamson Doré
Wednesday, May 26th 2021
6:00 PM

Virtual Tasting Kit 4 pack for Foxen Winery - Wine Watch
Price: $159

2019 Foxen Chenin Blanc Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard Santa Maria
Price: $28.50       Your Price: $25.08
One of the best kept secrets at Foxen is their Chenin Blanc made from the oldest planted vines in California Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard was planted in 1966.  This wine has incredible depth and complexity and has an aging potential of a decade or more. 
WINE WATCH REVIEW:  There were only 900 cases of the 2019 vintage of Foxen’s Chenin Blanc produced and this wine has a wonderful bouquet of quince kiwi and starfruit with notes of lightly toasted oak spice and a distinct minerality, white flowers and more as this wine opens.  Rich and creamy on the tongue with a solid core of fruit, zesty acidity and a long-layered finish.  Try this wine on the second day after the bottle is opened it is even better!  Finish 50+ Most Excellent TASTING DATE 3/24/21.

2018 Foxen Vineyard & Winery Chardonnay Block UU Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria  Valley
Price: $37.50       Your Price: $33.00            Quantity in Stock: 12
(93 Points) The 2018 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard Block UU sports a light gold color as well as a pure, crystalline bouquet of honeyed apple, pineapple, citrus blossom, spice, and white flower. It has a kiss of background oak, but it's beautifully integrated, and the fruit is front and center. With good acidity, a balanced, layered texture, and a great finish, it’s already drinking nicely yet should keep for 7-8 years, if you're so inclined.  Jeb Dunnuck

2017 Foxen Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley 
Price: $39.00       Your Price: $34.32
At Foxen Winery 50% of production is Pinot Noir and 2000 cases of it is this wine. This wine is Pommard clone and spends 1yr in 2nd year French oak Francois Frere barrels. Sourced from a variety of sites, this wine has a pretty nose of wild flowers, exotic spices, light red berry fruit, raspberry and strawberry with light smoky notes.  Smooth and silky on the tongue with a good hand of that spice and floral nuance form the nose lasting through the finish, a smoky earthy character coming in at the end, that light berry fruit lasting through the end, nicely built.  Finish 45+    Excellent +

2017 Foxen Pinot Noir Block 43 Santa Maria Valley 
Price: $75.00       Your Price: $66.00
(93 points) "The 2017 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 43 is bright, punchy and full of character. Next to the Block 8, the Block 43 has more overt fruit, while floral and savory notes lie in the background. Sweet red cherry, plum, and blood orange build in a supple, absolutely engaging Pinot that will drink well right out of the gate. This is such a pretty wine." - Vinous

Wine Watch invites you to participate live on ZOOM at 6pm EST on the 26th of MAY, simply click the link below at 6pm and you will be admitted to the party.

Topic: Virtual Wine Tasting with Foxen Winery
Time: May 26, 2021 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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A bit about Foxen Winery:

Bill Wathen and Dick Doré (also known as the “Foxen Boys”) have been making wine together since 1985, when they founded Foxen Winery & Vineyard at the historic Rancho Tinaquaic in northern Santa Barbara County. Since that time, their dedication has remained the same—the creation of very small production, sustainably-farmed, vineyard-focused wines using a "minimalist" approach to winemaking.

Life has come full circle for Dick Doré. Born and raised on the family-owned Rancho Tinaquaic, this sixth generation Santa Barbara County resident returned to his roots in 1985 where he established FOXEN Vineyard & Winery with Bill Wathen.

After working as a banker in the late sixties and seventies, this University of California at Santa Barbara graduate gave up his nine-to-five job and moved his family to Europe. Over the next year and a half, Dick traveled the back roads of France, Italy and Spain, where he developed his love of wine. Dick returned to the Rancho Tinaquaic in the late seventies, just as the Santa Barbara County wine industry was emerging. With his passion for great wines firmly established, he initially worked to support his family, which included working for the Tepusquet Mesa Vineyard. It was here that Dick and Bill’s paths crossed and a life-long friendship and partnership was established.

Born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Bill Wathen is a true Central Coast native.  He chose to attend Cal Poly University where he graduated in 1975 with a degree in Fruit Science, specializing in vineyard management.  After graduation, Bill’s first job was to work for two Santa Barbara County viticultural pioneers -- Dale Hampton and Louie Lucas, at the Tepusquet Mesa Vineyard (now owned by Cambria Estate) and the Nielsen Vineyard (currently owned by Byron Vineyard.)

In 1978, Bill went north to become vineyard manager at Chalone Vineyard, where he was mentored by California wine pioneer and Chalone founder, Dick Graff. It was here that Bill learned traditional French winemaking techniques and appreciation for great Burgundies. Graff’s influence inspires Bill’s winemaking philosophy to this day. Bill’s approach to winemaking is straightforward as he explains, “It goes back to my roots as a viticulturist. I make every effort to make the perfect wine in the vineyard. Maximized viticulture equals minimalist winemaking.”

Returning to Santa Barbara County in the early eighties, Bill joined long-time friend, Dick Doré, and began making plans to make wine together.

The winery was named in memory of William Benjamin Foxen, an English sea captain and Dick's great-great grandfather, who came to Santa Barbara in the early 1800's.  In 1837, this Santa Barbara County pioneer purchased the Rancho Tinaquaic, a Mexican Land Grant that originally totaled nearly 9000 acres and comprised most of what is now known as Foxen Canyon.  Captain Foxen adopted the distinctive "anchor" as his ranch cattle brand, which has become a trademark of the winery.  It is very fitting that FOXEN has made its home on the 2000-acre Rancho Tinaquaic, which remains in family hands.

With the completion of FOXEN’s new solar-powered winery and tasting room in 2009, the historic and beloved “tasting shack was renamed “Foxen 7200”, where Bill and Dick now feature their Bordeaux and Cal-Ital-style wines, under a newly designed label. FOXEN Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and Rhône-style wines are showcased in the new solar-powered tasting room at 7600 Foxen Canyon Road.
The rest of the Foxen Wines available at Wine Watch:

2015 Foxen Chardonnay Block UU Bien Nacido Santa Maria
Price: $37.50   Your Price: $33.00      Quantity in Stock: 4
Foxen's Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard Block UU is one of the quirkiest California Chardonnays readers will come across. The plant material here is Chardonnay grafted onto own-rooted Riesling rootstock that was originally planted in the early 1970s. Oddly enough, this wine often shows distinctly tropical, Riesling-inflected notes, as it does again in 2014. White peach, ash, slate, pear and crushed rocks show superb energy allied to power in a Chardonnay with searing intensity, fabulous balance and tons of personality.

2013 Foxen Block UU Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley
Price: $42.50   Your Price: $37.40      Quantity in Stock: 2

2016 Foxen Pinot Noir Block 8 Santa Maria Valley
List Price: $65.00        Price: $57.20   Quantity in Stock: 4
(95 Points) Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the 2016 Pinot Noir Block 8 Bien Nacido is a beauty that was brought up all in 3- and 4-year-old barrels. Sporting a vivid ruby/purple-tinged color as well as notes of wild strawberries, black raspberries, scorched earth, forest floor, and salty minerality, this beauty hits the palate with medium-bodied depth and richness, vibrant acidity, and a fresh, focused core that's mostly covered by the upfront 2016 fruit. I love its purity and vibrancy, and while you can certainly drink this beauty today, it's going to evolve gracefully on its balance.  Jeb Dunnuck

2016 Foxen Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Santa Rita Hills
Price: $55.00   Your Price: $48.40
(92 Points) "The 2015 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is a bold, direct wine with more of a savory character than the other Foxen Pinots. My impression is that the 2015 needs time to fully open up, as there is quite a bit of density and depth waiting to emerge. Even today, though, the John Sebastiano is compelling."- Antonio Galloni, Vinous

2017 Foxen Syrah Williamson-Dore
Price: $55.50   Your Price: $48.84
Appellation:Los Olivos DistrictClone(s):Entav 174 (57%) and Entav 877 (43%) Harvest:Harvested by hand on September 15th, 2016Yields:1.98 tons per acre Crush:90% whole berry destemmed/10% whole cluster into open-top fermenters; 4-day cold macerationInnoculum:Rhône 2056Fermentation:19 day active with punch downs 2 times dailyBarrel Regime:20 months in large format French and Hungarian oak puncheons, 50% newRacking: Once late spring 2017; then prior to bottling in June 2018Bottling: Without fining or filtration late June 2016Alcohol: 14.1% by volumeTA: 0.56 g/100mlpH: 3.67Production:400 cases

2015 Foxen Syrah Williamson-Doré Vineyard Los Olivos District
Price: $50.00   Your Price: $44.00      Quantity in Stock: 4
(93 Points) "The 2015 Syrah Williamson-Doré Vineyard is fabulous. Inky blue/purplish fruit, crème de cassis, menthol, licorice, lavender and exotic spice notes are pushed forward in this sensual, exotically ripe Syrah from Foxen. There is plenty of tannin and structure lurking beneath all of the fruit and yet all the elements are impeccably balanced throughout." - Vinous