Fess Parker Winery in Santa Barbara Country reporting the loss of 2024 vintage

in their main vineyard due to smoke from a fire in July. For now it seems that only red wines are affected

Not sure if other wineries in the area are affected, but it seems likely

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Fess Parker Family Portfolio

Harvest Update

Smoke Taint in Rodney’s Vineyard Reds

We are writing today to inform you that the highly anticipated 2024 harvest at Rodney’s Vineyard, has sadly, been negatively impacted by the proximity of the Lake Fire in early July. Out of concern we tested the various blocks extensively and many of them came back positive for high levels of smoke taint. These results have led us to make the difficult decision to not harvest and produce wine from any of the red grape varietals grown on our estate vineyard this year. While this is terribly disappointing, we simply won’t take the chance of compromising the quality of our estate programs under the Fess Parker and Epiphany labels.

As of now the white varietals grown at Rodney’s Vineyard remain viable options because the winemaking process for them does not involve extended contact with the skins. Our grape sources in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA were not impacted by the fire and picking there is proceeding without interruption.

While this is certainly a challenge, we are confident that we can continue to deliver on fabulous wine club offerings and supply key markets with our award-winning wines moving forward.

Thank you for your understanding, and more than ever, thank you for your ongoing support of the Fess Parker Family Portfolio of wines.

Sincerely,
The Fess Parker Family

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