Fess Parker Fess Parker The Big Easy 2021 750ml

One of the finest vintages I’ve tasted, the 2020 The Big Easy brings more elegance and purity than usual and has a beautiful bouquet of blue fruits, game, iron, and bay leaf. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has silky tannins, a layered, satisfying mouthfeel, and a great finish. The blend is 52% Syrah, 24% Petite Sirah, 18% Grenache, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 21 months in 15% new French and American oak.

Dense aromas of cassis meet with rich caramel and fudge on the ripe and deep nose of this bottling. The palate is thick and intense yet retains a big-wine balance, offering cocoa, black fruit, light herb and cracked pepper flavors.

Dark, plummy fruit aromas are layered in toasted herb and peppercorn on the complex nose of this bottling. The palate is fresh with dark red and purple fruits that ride a lively acidity through a toasted nut midpalate and a peppercorn finish.

One of the larger production releases from this team (the largest?), the 2021 Big Easy is based on 56% Syrah, 32% Petite Sirah, 10% Grenache, and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon. Its vivid purple hue is followed by a rock-solid nose of pure black and blue fruits, pepper herbs, cured meats, and spice. This carries to a medium to full-bodied red that leads with its fruit yet has ripe tannins, a juicy spine of acidity, and a great finish.