Drinking Wine With Davy Crockett
Who's 6 feet 6 inches tall, went to the University of Texas, left to pursue an acting career, ended up in one of the most camp sci-fi thrillers of all time (Them!), moved on to become a hero to every boy and a lot of girls born between 1945 and 1960, made a small fortune as an actor, then a larger one as a real estate investor? The same man that made nearly as much merchandising money for Walt Disney as Mickey Mouse? The same man who played both Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone? We're talking about Fess Parker. He was in town recently to pick up the Texas Medal of Arts award for Film/Television & Acting. I pretended to be there to talk about wine, but I really wanted to meet Davy Crockett.
We met in the lobby of the Driskill Hotel. At age 79, Parker walks a little carefully, but his brain is as sharp as Mingo's tomahawk. In person, he has an "aw, shucks" personality, is self-deprecating about his success, and exudes an intense humane warmth. We spent about two hours together. He told me about how, when actor Adolphe Menjou came to UT in 1950, Parker got the job as his driver. They became friends and Menjou introduced Parker to his agent. After making a few films, Parker met Walt Disney. Turns out Disney had seen him and James Arness in Them! and wanted to interview both for his new TV series. When Parker came in, Disney asked him if he could sing. He had developed a three- or four-chord proficiency on the guitar and started singing a little song he had written ("one that would fit my limited vocal range and guitar playing") about a train. What he didn't realize was that Disney was nuts about trains. Parker got the job. (Don't feel sorry for Arness. He ended up starring in the longest-running prime-time TV drama of all time, Gunsmoke.)
After the public lost its taste for Westerns, Fess was in a bind. He was typecast. So, like his father before him, he decided to put some money into land. Unlike his father's West Texas land, Parker bought beachfront property in a little California town called Santa Barbara. In 1987 he bought some more land, and in conjunction with his son and daughter, opened Fess Parker Winery, the ostensible reason for our meeting.
Parker and I were tasting through the wines when a man in his late 40s ran up with his cell phone stuck to his ear, breathlessly informing Parker, "This is my brother on the phone. Tell him who you are!" Parker kindly took the phone and said, "Hi. This is Fess Parker." The man was almost dancing, he was so excited. Parker acted like it was an everyday experience. After a short, cordial conversation, Parker gave the phone back and the man ran off, saying to his brother, "Can you believe it!?"
Anyway, back to the wines. Fess III, aka Eli, is the winemaker, and he is making some excellent wines. The best price/quality ratio is their Frontier Red ($10), a Rhone-ish blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, and Carrignan. It has great intensity for the price and is just about perfect with a steak or hamburger. Their other red wines were delicious, but priced from $25 up to $45, they are definitely in an area where you should try a taste before buying. His white wines tend to be very lightly oaked with good acidity. Their Santa Barbara Chardonnay ($17) was rich but not overtly buttery. They also make a nice dessert wine, a Late Harvest Muscat Canelli ($12 for a half-bottle).
Parker stood there and talked to anyone and everyone. Some folks were star struck, and others wondered who the old dude was. All received the same gracious treatment. Personally, I was glad to have tasted the wines, especially the Frontier Red. But, wow! I drank wine with Davy Crockett! How cool is that? 
