Fäsi Estate Winery’s 2013 Malbec Reserva
While this wine actually does come for a vineyard that Ralph P. Fäsi is a partner with Argentina winemaker Karim Mussi. The vineyard is in the Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina. Ralph Fäsi does have a winery and vineyard here in California where some excellent Syrah wines are being produced.  More about that as we go on but let’s focus on our 2013 Fäsi Argentina Malbec.

 

This 2013 cellaring suggest that this wine would age well for up to 7 years, or 2020. Well, we are just into 2021 as we review this wine, and it has held up well. On the nose there is ripe plum, fig, red fruit, and a hint of cola about mid-palate. Earlier when I tasted this same vintage, I noticed plum and mocha, cocoa. This wine is still rich, creamy with a slightly chocolatey berry flavor. While the flavors are not a distinct as when I enjoyed this wine a couple of years ago, take your time with your glass of this Malbec Reserva and you will enjoy the syrupy-like feel, with just enough acid support to compliment the ripe fig and dark fruit. A beautiful blend of red fruits and lush supple tannins.

When pairing this wine, it would be difficult to go wrong with BBQ Meats, stews, grilled asparagus, and pasta dishes.

A bit of history for some of the folks that make up Fäsi Estate Winery

Ralph P. Fäsi immigrated to the United States from Switzerland when he was 28 years old with about $2,000 dollars in his pocket. Being born and raised in a country where the legal drinking age is 16, it surprises most that this wine enthusiast never had a single sip of alcohol until he was 26 years old. In 1981, Ralph and his wife were traveling through Yosemite on vacation and were in a horrible car accident that threw them off a 150 foot cliff at Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park. This car accident is what led them to the nearest hospital in Fresno, which later became the location for the start of Ralph’s entrepreneurial endeavors. At the time, Ralph didn’t know that he happened to land in one of the world’s largest agricultural hubs, but soon found out that the Ag industry is a trade he would come to admire.

After some success in farming, Ralph was able to purchase a River Ranch property which included a 42-acre vineyard. The vineyard was originally planted with Grenache grapes, but in 2000, Ralph decided to plant Syrah grapes with the desire to create his own wine one day. He quickly realized that he is no winemaker, and that this career takes someone with far more experience than he had at the time. Ralph began donating a portion of his grapes to a local college, California State University, Fresno, for the viticulture students to produce wine.

Ralph’s passion to create an amazing wine did not stop with providing wine grape to Fresno State. His business endeavors took him to Argentina on many occasions.  Ralph was always being told and reminded about Mendoza and the amazing wine produced there. After years of flying over the Andes on his travels to Argentina he connected with a winemaker by the name of Karim Mussi. Karim and Ralph quickly connected and understood one another love of the grape and the wines produced. Ralph wanted to invest in Karim’s wine operation and shortly thereafter they became business partners and set out to create something wonderful, Fäsi Argentina wines.

Winemaker Ken Post

In 2019, Ralph expanded Fäsi Estate Winery by merging with Buoyant Winery, owned by Ken and Julie Post. Ken is the current winemaker at Fäsi Estate Winery and with the introduction of Ken's Central Coast wines, Fäsi Estate now offers wines from 3 regions: Madera County, Central Coast, and Argentina.  (See interview with Ken) By the way, Ken can whip up a really delicious pizza on the grill out back at times.

Whether you want to taste something extraordinary, learn something new, or simply enjoy an afternoon, Fäsi Estate Winery will welcome you. The tasting room is pleasantly cool on a hot summer day and the patio area invites guests to relax, catch up with friends, drink a glass of wine and maybe even spot a hawk or a coyote. Yes, there are hawks near the winery. I remember well how our drone was taken out by one of these hawks while interviewing winemaker Ken Post. Good news! The hawk was fine, and the drone was up and taking aerial photos after a week in the shop for repairs. 

Fäsi Estate Winery is located on Road 208, right off Highway 41, just 15 minutes north of Fresno’s River Park Shopping Center.