Epoch Estate Wines Estate Blend Red Rhone Blend 2016

 95 points                                                        Epoch Winery is a phenomenal new label from Paso Robles.  Justin Smith of SAXUM is the winemaker - not to be missed while available. 95 Points Jeb Dunnuck: "What used to be the entry-level effort of the estate, the 2016 Estate Blend is year in, year out at an incredible quality level that it’s hard to think of the wine those terms. Coming from the Paderewski and Catapult vineyards on the western side of Paso Robles and a blend of 58% Syrah, 19% Mourvèdre, 17% Grenache, and the rest Tempranillo, the 2016 Estate Blend offers a forest, fleshy, pure style that's very much in the vintage. Darker fruits, ground pepper, violets, and meaty notes all dominate the nose, and it's full-bodied, offers ripe, building tannins, and has no hard edges....Superstar winemaker Jordan Fiorentini continues to keep Epoch Estate near the top of the peak in Paso Robles, and these latest 2015s and 2016s are some of the finest wines I’ve tasted from her. These are classic Paso Roble’s Rhône blends that mix the best of California sun and richness with a sense of purity, elegance, and balance. Don’t miss them!" 94 Points Robert Parker: "The 2016 Estate Blend is made up of 58% Syrah, 19% Mourvèdre, 17% Grenache and 6% Tempranillo aged 17 months in 36% new French oak barrels and puncheons. Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, it has a lovely perfume of cracked white peppercorn, mint leaves, violets, warm wild blackberries and crème de cassis with an undercurrent of blueberries, charcuterie, loam and red berry sparks. It’s medium to full-bodied and silky with slowly unfurling savory-laced fruits, firmly grained and juicy with a long, perfumed finish....This was a very impressive tasting with winemaker Jordan Fiorentini and proprietor Bill Armstrong. Epoch's wines succeed in capturing all the power of which western Paso Robles is capable, but for all their structure, extract and ripe fruit, they're beautifully balanced and texturally refined, with new oak very much taking a back seat to the grapes and the vineyards. Fiorentini is clearly passionate and a perfectionist, and I'm sure Epoch is only going to go from strength to strength in coming vintages." A dazzling blend of Syrah, Grenache, Tempranillo and Mourvedre .  Located on the west side of Paso Robles, the Paderewski Vineyard is a patchwork of different vineyard blocks matched to their specific soil and climate types. The Epoch 2010 Estate Blend captures that patchwork in a bottle. Predominantly Syrah, but combined with almost every other red variety from the estate, this wine gives a sweeping glimpse of the vineyard and our winemaking practices. As a true field blend, the Estate Blend combines 15 different harvest picks.   56% Syrah, 26% Grenache, 11% Mourvedre, 7% Tempranillo.  This baby brother to Epoch's Authenticity, Veracity & Ingenuity is a delightful wine that doesn't break the bank.  Five of its siblings all scored between 92 and 96 Points!

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