Not to brag, but one of the great things about writing on our region’s food and wines is it is literally my job to spend time eating and drinking. It’s hard to complain, especially when that means getting to spend some time at a place like Santa Maria’s own Foxen Vineyard and Winery.
Among the wineries and vineyards that fill the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, Foxen Vineyard and Winery has long been a popular spot. Founded in 1985 by Bill Wathen and Dick Doré at Rancho Tinaquaic, the winery specializes in a minimalist approach and focuses on vineyard-designated wines.
Wathen and Doré are vineyard-driven winemakers. They’ve worked with the vineyards they source from for decades. In years when production is especially bountiful and they have more than enough to bottle customer favorites, they’re able to play around and be a bit more creative with some of the wines they produce. It’s a winery that simultaneously delivers tradition and modern spontaneity.
At Foxen, I was greeted by Emily Phenicie, an experienced tasting room professional who crafted my own personalized tour of some of their most famous wines.
“We’re most well known for our pinot noir,” Phenicie told me. “We make 10 different pinots, five from Santa Maria Valley and five from Santa Rita Hills.”
Foxen’s pinots are so popular, they dedicate an entire tasting flight to them. But before I dipped into the pinot noirs, I started off with a 2104 chenin blanc, a wine made from grapes grown in the Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard, just a few miles up the road from Foxen. The vines were planted in 1966 (and I thought I was feeling old).
“We call this our ‘old vine’ chenin,” Phenicie explained. “What I like about this is a lot of chenins can be really big and fat and sweet, like that typical 1980s sweet chardonnay. But this has really good structure and a nice acid, but it’s still a bigger white wine.”
The chenin had floral notes, but it wasn’t sweet. There was also a nice undercurrent of spice, which I like in my white wines.
Moving on, I went for the 2015 Block UU chardonnay, from the Bien Nacido vineyards. Full disclosure: I don’t much care for chardonnays, but with a 94 point rating from Wine Enthusiast, I’d be a fool not to try it.
After the chenin and the chardonnay, I tasted the 2014 Santa Maria Valley pinot noir, described as their “most fruit-forward” pinot noir. It’s also the winery’s most widely distributed bottle and constitutes about a quarter of their production.
“This is what gets a lot of people to Foxen,” Phenicie said. “We distribute it all over the world.”
Grapes used to produce that 2014 pinot noir come from a collection of vineyards, including Solomon Hills, Riverbench, and Bien Nacido.
“I just think that it does a good job of explaining how important both sourcing and winemaking is and how beautiful of a wine you can make if you’re sourcing from the right places and if you’re handling it the right way,” Phenicie said.
If you look at the 2014 pinot noir as a macro example of pinots (pulled from a wide range of vineyards and representing an overview of what Foxen pinots are like), then the 2014 Block 8 pinot noir is a micro version. Named after the 11-acre Block 8 in the vineyard where grapes are grown exclusively for Foxen, the grapes are all from one vineyard and pack some bold flavor.
“You can see how those two wines are similar,” Phenicie said. “But [Block 8] is more in-depth. It’s bigger and more elegant.”
This wine was so good it ended up being the bottle I bought to go with dinner that night. I usually prefer a crisp white wine, something with a little spice that’s not too sweet. I also think if you taste a lot in this region it’s easy to get “pinot fatigue,” when your palate just gets tired of them. But every so often I hit on one that just pops, and Block 8 was it for me.
I didn’t leave without sampling Fa Ciega, made from grapes grown in the vineyard of the same name. It earned 93 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and it was a little more bold and aggressive than the Block 8.
Of course one of the best things (aside from the wine) about visiting a winery on the Foxen Canyon Trail is the scenery. I came to try some wines, but I stayed to immerse myself in the peace and tranquility. Sitting outside on Foxen Winery and Vineyard’s patio, sheltered by a giant tree, it’s hard to imagine the highway is just a few miles away. It’s a wonderfully silent environment, where the buzzing of a fly in your ear might be the only sound you hear for a while.
Arts and Lifestyle writer Rebecca Rose has sworn off cheap boxed wines forever. Maybe. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
• If you’re trying to be good and lay off the calories for summer’s bathing suit season, Bacon and Brine’s roasted carrot salad (pictured) features mixed greens, goat cheese, dill, and crispy fried shallots served with an herb vinaigrette. I had it with shaved raw carrots in lieu of roasted and it was simply divine. But if you’re feeling like dieting is for the birds (like me pretty much every day), then try their famous salted caramel bacon donuts, each only $5. I had both this week, and I regret nothing. Bacon and Brine is located at 1618 Copenhagen Drive, Solvang.
• Santa Maria’s Wine Trolley is officially up and running. I was a guest when they invited media to a preview, and honestly, it was a total blast. From Town Center West, the trolley will take wine enthusiasts, or people who just want to learn more about our vintners, to local wineries including Costo De Oro, Presqu’ile, Nagy in Orcutt, and others for $10 in advance or $18 at the trolley. You’re free to step on and step off as you wish; the trolley runs Saturdays and Sundays every 75 minutes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit santamariavalley.com/winetrolley for more info.
• Scratch Kitchen is now offering ceviche tacos from Chef Augusto Caudillo. This is the perfect menu item for summer, and it’s great to see more ceviche pop onto menus as June arrives. Try out Chef Caudillo’s contribution at 610 N. H St., Lompoc.
This article appears in Jun 1-8, 2017.