Tag: Robert Parker

With the deepest respect for the synchronicity of coincidence and the series of events that brought their winery to life, three partners founded Eleven Eleven Wines in 2013. Ellie Anest, Aurelien Roulin, and Carol Vassiliadis can literally trace the origin of their business back to the air, where Ellie and Aurelien met on an international flight. When it came time to name their enterprise, Eleven Eleven was the perfect name, because it symbolizes every surprising, awe-inspiring, or fated moment that awaits everyone.

A winding uphill drive on a stunning mountain road brings wine tourists to the 180-acre Keenan Winery in St. Helena, CA. The dramatic greens and dusty browns of the Mayacamas Mountain Range color the scenic backdrop, while wisps of fog create the perfect microclimate for growing the distinctive, flavorful grapes. It’s easy to see how this mountainous region lured a late 19th century vintner and how again—80 years later—it enticed yet another enterprising winemaker by the name of Robert Keenan.

When famed actor Fess Parker purchased his 714-acre ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley back in 1987, he had a great vision for the future of his family and Santa Barbara County as a whole. He pictured a multigenerational winery producing wines that would express the terroir of the land he so fervently loved and believed in. A warmhearted and hospitable man, he also dreamed of owning an unpretentious inn where guests could relax and truly experience Santa Barbara wine country. Today, Fess’s dreams are realized in Fess Parker Winery on the Foxen Canyon wine trail and just a few miles down the road at Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa in downtown Los Olivos, California.