Lost in the
hills of FOXEN
American
Girl- by Tommie Vaughn
The adventure had begun. I was absolutely lost somewhere
within the northern hills of the Santa Ynez Valley, and I must admit I was
somewhat nervous as my family and I drove farther and farther into the Foxen
Canyon with little to no directions as to where we were going. My cell phone service had stopped working for
only fifteen minutes, so of course I was sweating as we bumpily bumped down the
road, our camper in tow bouncing wildly behind us, and I closed my eyes trying
to remember the one landmark detail I had been told to look for.
The old white house. No, not thee White House, but an monument just
the same in the vineyard studded Valley, this vintage whitewashed Victorian
home on the left hand side of the road, where our turn would follow suit and we
would continue up onto the private road of the Doré families property. We had been invited by Paul Doré, son of Dick Doré, the co-owner
and co-founder of FOXEN Vineyards,
who played host to this lively occasion know to the FOXEN family and friends as
“May Party,” an annual celebration forty-one years strong.
Enter into the Fox’s
Den
After we took
our turn, climbing higher and higher into the hills, I raised my eyebrows to my
husband who shook his head, mumbling something like “It’s gotta be up here somewhere.”
And just like that, we rounded the corner into a large flat oak tree studded
parcel with campers, tents and RV’s dotted in every direction, all seeming to
surround a giant stage that was built into an even more giant savannah oak
tree. String lights hung from the branches of nearby trees and long white
tables with green tablecloths surrounded a massive BBQ station that was smoking
with rotisserie meats. People were everywhere, talking and laughing, playing
horseshoes as children played Frisbee and dodge ball in an open field. I
breathed a sigh of relief as my kids cheered from the back seat. We had made it
and now it was time to relax, meet the family, play some music and drink
excellent wine.
The day went
from worried to wonderful in about 30 seconds, as we were greeted by the
charismatic Paul Doré and the lovely Jenny Williamson Doré, who handles
FOXEN’s Marketing and California/Florida sales and just happens to be the wife
of Dick Doré, who’s warmth and excitement I instantly loved, as she told me the
legacy of this historic property.
TV: FOXEN has a strong
family lineage, with the land dating back to the 1800's. Can you tell me a bit
about the family history, including FOXEN’S namesake William Benjamin Foxen?
JWD:
The winery is named in memory of William Benjamin Foxen, an English sea captain
and Dick’s great-great grandfather, who came to Santa Barbara in the early
1800s. In 1837, this Santa Barbara County pioneer purchased the Rancho
Tinaquaic, a Mexican Land Grant that originally totaled nearly 9000 acres and
comprised most of what is now known as Foxen Canyon. Captain Foxen
adopted the distinctive “anchor” as his ranch cattle brand, which has become a trademark
of the winery. Benjamin Foxen and his wife Eduarda Osuna raised sheep and
14 children on the ranch. In the 1880’s, Eduarda and Benjamin’s oldest child,
Ramona, married another Englishman Frederick Wickenden, and built an adobe
home, stagecoach stop and a general store. The old, white wooden victorian
home, that still stands today, was built around the original 2-room adobe
structure built by Ramona and Fredrick Wickenden.
Eduarda’s
step-father was Santa Barbara’s presidio captain and their home was where the
San Ysidro Ranch is today. In fact, the family’s original adobe room is
preserved by the San Ysidro Ranch today. Because of the influence of
Eduarda’s father, Benjamin Foxen was able to purchase the Rancho Tinaquaic, and
became Santa Barbara’s first anglo land owner. Foxen used the proceeds from
selling his ship to purchase the Mexican Land Grant property.
TV: Your husband Dick Doré
and viticulturist Bill Wathen are the founders and the only owners of FOXEN
Vineyard and Winery. The winery has a land lease with the Doré Family. How did
the two meet back in 1985?
JWD:
You are correct that Dick and Bill made their first wine together in 1985, but
they met years before in the late 70’s at a party and became friends then.
They
founded FOXEN at the historic Rancho Tinaquaic in northern Santa Barbara
County, that has been in Dick’s family since 1837.
It
is very fitting that FOXEN makes its home on the 2000-acre Rancho Tinaquaic, on
which the land remains in Doré family hands, who are direct descendants of
Benjamin Foxen. We welcome visitors at our original tasting ‘shack’ at
7200 Foxen Canyon Road, and our new solar-powered winery at 7600 Foxen Canyon
Road that was completed in 2009.
TV: What wines are Foxen's
specialties? And what’s new at the vineyard?
JWD: We are best known for
our Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, but our Syrahs and Bordeaux-style wines are
also some of the most highly-acclaimed wines to come out of Santa Barbara
County.
Our Estate Tinaquaic
Vineyard produces Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and a bit of Petit Verdot.
It is dry-farmed, which is becoming more and more difficult in this historic
drought.
TV: Your friends and
family campout “May Party” has now become legend, how many years has this been
going on now and how did it start?
JWD: Dick started May
Party 41 years ago, and invited a few families to camp and “party”. It has
grown over the years, and Dick delights in the fact that three generations of
his family enjoy this fete. Three years ago, Dick turned over the hosting
duties to his son, Paul Doré.
TV: Being a part of your
campout gave me an insight on how strong your family ties are, and I loved
seeing such strength and community between you all. Does everyone help out
around the vineyard as well? I know both yourself and Bill's wife Becky Barieau
work hard with the label, what about the rest of the family?
JWD: So, only Dick, Bill,
me and Becky run Foxen’s winery and Vineyard activities. Actually, since last
year, daughter Kaitlin manages our California sales. Bill was educated as a
viticulturist, so he handles all of the farming in addition to being our
winemaker. Dick and I divide the sales duties. I handle the marketing and
communications, while Dick oversees the business. And Bill’s wife, Becky, is a
CPA and the perfect person to be our controller. It’s a partnership that has
grown and worked well for 30 years.
TV: What does the future
hold for Foxen? Any chance of a new tasting room on the Santa Barbara Wine
Trail?
JWD: With our two tasting
rooms, we have our hands full and have no plans for additional tasting rooms.
Sorry!
Ok, Ok so a girl can dream right? It was about this time that I was
distracted by the lively music that had started up on the stage and lasted into
the wee hours of the morning, featuring local darlings The Caverns and LA’s
melodic mastermind Omar Velasco. (hot
tip: Omar will be playing at Fig Mountain SB on Saturday May 30) It was a
party to end all parties, with the friendliest family in the Valley… and you
better believe I cannot wait to go back next year- bumpy roads and all. For more information on FOXEN wine and
vineyards go to: FOXEN or
call 805-937-4251.
See original article in Santa Barbara Sentinel- Cover story- page 14
