$36.99 at Crush Wine & Spirits in Bryant, Arkansas (AR)
91 points – Wine Enthusiast
90 points – Robert Parker
100% Pinot Noir from Santa Maria Valley’s Bien Nacido, Riverbench, and Solomon Hills Vineyards
Nine months in French oak barrels one to six years old
4,000 cases made
Aromas of red fruits with smoky notes. Flavors of cherries and strawberries with notes of cinnamon, clove, and mineral. Soft mouthfeel.
Bill Wathen and Dick Doré founded Foxen Winery & Vineyard at the historic Rancho Tinaquaic in northern Santa Barbara County in 1985. They named the winery in memory of William Benjamin Foxen, an English sea captain and Doré’s great-great grandfather. Foxen arrived in Santa Barbara in the early 1800s and purchased Rancho Tinaquaic in 1837 which consisted of almost 9,000 acres. He used an anchor as his ranch cattle brand which became the trademark of the Foxen winery. In 2009, Foxen completed its new solar-powered winery and tasting room. Their original building, known as the “Shack” and featured in the movie Sideways, was renamed Foxen 7200. Their Bordeaux and Italian-style wine are made there under a new label design. Their Burgundy and Rhône-style wine are now presented at the new location close by.
Bill Wathen was born and raised in San Luis Obispo and received his viticultural training at Cal Poly University where graduated in 1975. After graduation, he worked at two Santa Barbara County pioneer winemakers, 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, moved further north in the Central Coast and became the vineyard manager at Chalone Vineyard where he was mentored by its founder, Dick Graff. This was where he learned traditional French winemaking techniques. In 1985, he returned to Santa Barbara County to create Foxen with his long-time friend, Doré. Wathen lives in Santa Ynez Valley with his wife, Becky who is the winery’s controller.
Founder and co-owner, Dick Doré was born and raised on his family’s Rancho Tinaquaic. He had a career as a banker in the late-sixties and seventies. When he gave up that line of work, he moved his family to Europe for a year. While there traveling the back roads of France, Italy, and Spain, he developed a love for wine. After Europe, he returned to Rancho Tinaquaic just as the Santa Barbara County wine industry was developing. He worked at Tepusquet Mesa Vineyard where he crossed employment paths with Wathen. Doré lives in Santa Ynez Valley with his wife, Jenny, who also works at Foxen making up the sales force with Dick.
David Whitehair started working on the winemaking team at Foxen in 2007. He is originally from Santa Ynez Valley, and he began his career in 2006 working for Brander Winery in Santa Ynez. He also worked in New Zealand at Cloudy Bay on the 2007 harvest. He returned to the States and worked at Chalk Hill in Healdsburg. Since 2007, he has been back in Santa Barbara County, and he was promoted to Foxen’s winemaker in 2016.
