Tried three samples while waiting for the Mrs. to complete her mission. Got heavy pours because I guess I was the only one drinking. Fess Parker chard, Curran gren blanc, and Brander syrah. I was recommended to rey Fess Parker on my coconut quest. The personnel behind the counter recommended Curran. Brander was what they described as different.

Fess Parker, Santa Barbara County, Chardonnay, 2022, 13.5% abv.

Nose: metallic grape juice or as they say, "some minerality". Simple.

Palate: light bodied, creamy, smooth, first half is brief with vanilla cream, some toasted nuts, toasted hazelnuts, and do I detect a hint of toasted coconut flakes? these lean more towards toasted hazelnut and toasted almonds with each sip, all in a matrix of peach-grape juice. The back shows some stone fruits mixed with citrus, peach jam, and surprisingly pits of bosc pears with the sweetness of d'anjou pears, everything in moderation though.

Finish: short, not so acidic lemonade, somehow leads to bartlett and bosc pears.

There is a lot of stuff going on on the palate, but for some reason I wouldn't call it complex, perhaps because these flavor elements are well integrated. There is a surprising pear element at the end of each phase.

Grade: C+

D'Alfonso Curran, Santa Barbara County, Grenache Blanc, 2022, 12.8% abv.

Nose: green melons/honey dew, chamhui, hint of unripe cantaloupe, vegetable leaves, herbal, some exotic wood like gum tree wood, rainbow tree wood (smelt this at the LA County Arboretum), bubblegum? Quite interesting.

Palate: light to medium body, sweet, initial sips seem to give a carbonated white wine taste and feel but obviously there are no bubbles here. Back has old shriveled grapes but not yet raisins, dried honey dew, melon syrup/bubblegum? The back has all the elements. Not much in terms of minerality and moderate acidity.

Finish: short, sweetened lemonade, mostly typical chardonnay/metallic green grape elements.

This was surprisingly good. It is a good comparison to the Fess Parker Chardonnay 2022 I just had prior. A horizontal comparison in my humble opinion.

Grade: C+

Brander, Santa Barbara County, Syrah, 2021, 15.2% abv.

Nose: thick grape juice aroma, dark red plums, sautéed cherries, rich strawberry jerky, a moderate red and black fruit compote galore. Wow, puts some red Rhones (and Burgundies) to shame.

Palate: light body, sweet red, has cinnamon, fruit tea, some chemically-wood on the mid palate. Back palate shows a waxy red fruit compote, some bitterness like bitter wood but not oak, cherry stem, dull vines. Unlike the aromas, the palate is shamed by most red Rhones (and Burgundies). What happened?

Finish: short, waxy, old cherries, cinnamon with hot apple cider, old red currants but moderate acidity,

The aromas were great, everything after that was not as impressive, more wood than anything else. Oh well.

Grade: C+