2008 Epoch Authenticity

The 2008 Authenticity is a gorgeous wine layered with dark fruit, espresso, licorice, spices, all of which come together in a rich, sensual style of notable class and elegance. Soft and voluptuous through to the finish, Authenticity shows tremendous balance and tons of personality. It is a big, bold red to drink now and over the next decade or so that presents the more refined, domesticated side of Syrah. The 2008 Authenticity spent 22 months in French barrels, 52% new. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. Epoch is a new project headed by owners Bill and Liz Armstrong. The estate is made up of three major holdings. The first is Paderewski vineyard, which the Armstrongs purchased in 2005 and re-planted with the help of Justin Smith of Saxum, who also serves as consulting oenologist. This 300+ acre holding once belonged to celebrated musician and politician Ignacy Paderewski, one of the early pioneers in Paso Robles. So far, all of the Epoch wines have been made from Paderewski, which has a relatively warm microclimate. More recently, the estate added the 30-acre Catapult Vineyard, a cooler-climate site next to Booker Vineyard and purchased the York Mountain Winery, another historic property in Paso, that is currently undergoing renovations and that will become the estate’s winemaking facility. New vineyards will be planted here as well. Jordan Fiorentini runs the day to day winemaking. The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts and bottled with no fining or filtration. Epoch is among the estates that uses concrete to ferment some of their wines. So far, Epoch has used concrete mostly for Grenache and Mourvedre. The 2009s were aged in French oak for 20-23 months, 30-45% new, depending on the wine. Fiorentini found the 2008s in the cellar when she arrived in 2010. She finished the elevage and made the final blends. The 2009s I tasted suggest her style is a bit more finessed driven, although some of that may be attributable to the vintage. It will be interesting to find out. In 2008 the estate suffered through frost and drought conditions with very little rain, both of which resulted in low yields. The 2009s are the result of a season that was mostly cool, until heat spikes in August caused sugars to rise quickly. The estate brought in all of their fruit before the October 13 downpour. Tel (805) 237-2011. www.epochwines.com

All Syrah (compared to a 60/40 split of Mourvedre and Syrah for the ‘09), the 2008 Epoch Estate Wines Authenticitee, aged for 22 months in 52% new French oak, shows stunning aromatics of both black and blue fruits, freshly crushed flowers, bramble, and charcoal. Like the ’08 Block B, this ripe, hedonistic beauty pairs power with elegance and class. Full bodied, lavishly textured, and seamless, with beautiful purity, and awesome length on the finish, this should drink well for a decade or longer.

(100% syrah) Glass-staining purple. Red and dark berries and Indian spices on the nose, with exotic potpourri and lively mineral accents. Nervy and precise, with impressive depth to its raspberry and boysenberry flavors. Becomes tighter with air and finishes with serious grip and spicy thrust. This could use a bit more bottle age but looks very promising.