2018 Epoch Authenticity
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Vivid purple. Powerful, smoke- and spice-accented aromas of dark berry preserves, candied flowers, mocha and olive carry a suave floral topnote. Fleshy, sweet and deeply concentrated, offering palate-coating black currant, boysenberry, vanilla and baking spice flavors that turn livelier with air. Conveys an appealing blend of depth and energy and finishes with superb clarity, repeating florality and smooth, polished tannins. 77% new French oak, in various sizes.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Authenticity is a blend of Syrah with 10% Mourvèdre and was aged for 19 months in 77% new French oak. Opaque in color, it's aromatically complex, with layers of savory charcuterie, leather, fried sage and thyme over rich Morello cherry fruit. Youthfully boisterous and structurally supple, it offers layer after layer of savory fruit and finishes very long and spicy. It's approachable now but will continue to evolve in bottle over the next 10+ years. 522 cases were made.
The 2018 Authenticity shows the focused, structured style of the vintage beautifully. A blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, it has a dense purple hue as well as bright blue and darker berry fruits, supported by ground pepper, violets, and some meaty notes. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, with ripe tannins, it has wonderful purity and balance. Epoch is another top estate in Paso Robles that has seen incredible growth and change over the past decade. Now in a new facility on York Mountain, winemaker Jordan Fiorentini continues to experiment with new blends as well as different fermentation vessels, also using a touch more whole cluster at times. These are rich, textured, classic Paso Robles reds.