Fess Parker Winery ToDoTC.com To Do in the Twin Cities Wines

	Fess Parker Winery Date: July 2, 2026 6200 Foxen Canyon Rd Los Olivos, CA 93441 Phone: (805) 688-1545 www.FessParker.com

Day 2 Fess Parker winery tour

About a year ago when E decided she wanted to learn about the Santa Barbara wine region, we started asking which of the hundreds of wineries should we visit and review. After asking the Twin Cities masters of wine, the distributors/wine sales people in the trenches that meet with the winery people and the restaurant people in the Twin Cities one winery was clearly a must see: Fess Parker Winery.

We taste every Friday night at North Loop Wine & Spirits of the North Loop in Minneapolis. With six bottle to taste each Friday we normally buy about one under $30 bottle every other week. I could not tell you one name of one the thirty bottles we have in our home stash. But they all tasted good at the time. But after coming home to an empty kitchen and looking what wine we had on hand, we found not one but TWO wines we had bought from Fess Parker in our stash. That alone tells you how much we like to place.

Time has told us, few decisions in life are made for one reason. Most successes in life are because of a series of great choices. And whether we are talking to great dog breeders for our Bird Dog News magazine or great winery people it’s not one thing that makes them successful it’s a series of choices.

Never heard of Fess Parker. You must be under 30. Ever heard of Daniel Boone or Davy Crocket or the Alamo, Fess Parker is the man that made these names famous. Then after his experiences and successes he created an incredible winery in the 1980s.

One of the common traits of monied people, as Fess Parker was, is they spare no money on quality and that was the case with Fess Parker and his wine and winery which shows class from the first glimpse we had of it as we were driving there.
Last week we knew two of the wineries we wanted to visit and do articles for you. We went to the Fess Parker Winery website, it was well laid out and we quickly got our reservation for a tasting July 2nd at 11AM.

Anyway, after breakfast we started our trek on CA101 up the Pacific Shore. Fess Parker Winery which was an hour away. All but the last ten minutes was on freeway through the St Ynez mountains at 65+ mph.

We had reservations for 11AM and arrived at 10:45AM. We ALWAYS get reservations for wineries or restaurants, as we would recommend to our readers and we absolutely NEVER ask for special treatment, though we MAY say we are writing an article on the trip so the winery can know and give us their best if it matters. They certainly did this time.

It’s a ten-mile drive on a standard road you have seen in all the ranch type movies filmed in the area. We saw no cars on the drive there.  On our ten-minute drive through the local roads to Fess Parker Winery we saw absolutely zero cars or trucks at 11AM.

About a mile before we got to Fess Parker Winery, we noticed Rose bushes highlighting our path as got to the winery. Roses and flowers are used by top level wineries not only for the beauty, but it also brings in bees for pollination.   

There was a handful of people/customers at the at Fess Parker Winery. We were nicely greeted and sat outside on a great patio.

After given wine menus, an 80-year-old gentleman JACK SPARROW introduced himself and sat down as our wine guide.  Then Jack proceeded to explain their wines and the tasting we would have for the two hours we were there.

I asked JACK SPARROW, about his name Johnny Depp used in Depp’s pirate movies. He said ask my mom 80 years ago I was FIRST.

When Jack was 63 his wife came home one day and said I’m tired of you laying around the house go out and get a job. So, Jack sheepishly walked out of the house and went for a ride.

Jack had driven many times past the Fess Parker winery and never went in. Seemed it was fate that day in 2004 that made him turn in. There was no one in the building except and aging 6’ 6” + foot giant of a man, that said could I help you? Jack introduced himself and then he heard a huge Texan Voice say: “I’m Fess Parker, I own this place, can I help you?”

Jack said my wife told me she was tired of me laying around the house and sent me out to get a job to keep me out of her hair. Fess said: “well let’s sit down by the fire and talk about this.”

By the time Jack had finished his hour long conversation with Fess, Jack was the new wine guide at Fess Parker Winery. Jack was 63 at the time. Now he is a young living 85. He still works: Tues, Wend & Thursday 10-1.

Jack told us about the winery and the tastings we would be doing. Then Jack made the magic statement. He said and I will tell you about our wine club it is the largest in the valley with over 6,000 members.

E&I have toured dozens of wineries many with incredible wines, and though tempted have never joined a wine club for a dozen reasons. Then Jack said the magic words: By the way our wine club is unique as it is FREE! I looked at E and at the same time we both said we are interested.

What Fess Parker’s marketing people figured out that no other winery has figured out, is a list of people interested in your wine is priceless. We’ll take their four mailings a year and as the holidays approach we will probably order some of their phenomenal wine, because the club is free.

Jack said MOST people join our FREE club. Their Facebook page has 9,000 members. It’s the largest of the 200 wineries in the area. Fess Parker Winery are clearly doing many things right.

Jack first told us about Fess Parker the man. Fess Parker was from Texas. He entered the Navy and after his service he was released in LA. Fess liked southern California and decided that is where he would choose to make his home.

Fess having the Navy Educational program to fund him, chose to go to USC acting school.  He graduated in 1951. Walt Disney was casting the movie Davy Crockett and the Alamo at the time and chose the tall Texan over James Arness who would later become Matt Dillion on Gunsmoke.

Fess is known for many characters including: Davy Crocket, and leads in Old Yeller and the Great Locomotive Chase and from my childhood remember him fondly as Daniel Boone in the TV series from 1964 to 1970. In the 70s he focused on real estate and wine making and in 1987 he purchased his 714 acre winery property 35 miles north of Santa Barbara. He also developed a Santa Barbara Hotel with is now known as the Santa Barbara Beachside Hilton.

But in 1987 Fess put his energies into wine and his winery. He had a son Eli and daughter Ashley both got involved with his winery. He planned on having a cattle ranch but after a few years decided a winery was more in his vision of his property.

 He planted his first grapes in 1989. They started with Riesling grapes. They initially were going to just grow and sell their grapes. That changed as Eli Parker his son became his first winemaker. Ashley Parker Fess’s daughter was the winery manager. They are currently only growing grapes on 14 acres of their 715 acre estate.

Like most wineries, Fess Parker wineries have four on site parties a year. Do you want an invite? Are you a member?

A tasting at Fess Parker Winery will cost you $35. Expect mostly 90+ point wines. We started with a Riesling from the first vines planted at Fess Parker. For the tasting they charged us nothing.

The memorable 2003 wine movie Sideways had a few scenes filmed at Fess Parker Winery. But after Fess Parker saw some early dailies decided to have them change the wineries name on the credits for the movie. The Hitching Post where the restaurant scenes were filmed is about ten miles away and we ate there.

Fess Parker harvests several times a year based on the grapes. The Pinot Noir is harvested in early September. The rest in October. They have harvested as late as November. Their Pinot Noirs are harvested after 11 PM at night as the cold evenings thicken the skins and make them easier to work with. They hold some of their select Pinots four years for release.

Fess Parker Pinots spend 22-24 months in their $1500 American Oak Barrels giving Fess Parker Pinots a better finish. They typically use a barrel eight years.
  
Again, the successful people do many things for their success, not all wineries harvest their Pinot Noir this way.

E&I don’t like most Chardonnays as being too bitter. Fess Parker Chards spend more time in their American Oak Barrels giving Fess Parker Chards a fruity not sharp taste. God they were good!

Their Syrah’s are getting ratings of 94 points and are a meat eaters delight. Again, another great wine we tasted.

Additionally Fess Parker grow Petite Syrah, Grenache, and Cab Sav for blending. If someone asks us to try a blended wine, we ask if it has Petite Syrah in it. That is the grape which may only be 5% of the mix but somehow is chosen by the great houses to adjust the tweak to make the wine great. Kind of like waxing your car before that hot date, every little bit helps!

After we got done with Jack Sparrow’s hour long talk, we did a walking tour of the winery and we were welcome to go anywhere. We noticed the same thing we see at every top shelf winery. Roses at the end of every wine row. Flowers are throughout the winery and the property was groomed.

Little touches everywhere told us they worried about the little things. And their great wines show the little things they do. That tweak may only change your wine taste by 1% but those one percents add up in a world of tens of thousands on wine choices.

If you are touring Santa Barbara wineries and don’t visit Fess Parker, you will be missing the best.

When we go to a region we try to find interesting things. Did you know Fess Parker Winery and Michael Jackson Neverland share a property line? More on that later.

After finishing at Fess Parker at 1PM we needed lunch. So, we went to the Hitching Post 2 restaurant, the main stage restaurant for the 2003 Paul Giamatti Wine movie Sideways. The Hitching Post restaurant was closed at that hour but sharing a parking lot was their burger place where we ate.

Fess Parker is on our short list of great wines & wineries.

Contact us Dennis@ToDoTC.com