Epoch Estate Wines Ingenuity Red Rhone Blend 2016

96 points - limited                                      Epoch Winery is a phenomenal new label from Paso Robles under winemaker Jordan Fiorentini - not to be missed while still available. 95+ Points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2016 Ingenuity checks in as 54% Syrah, 20% Petite Sirah, 16% Mourvèdre, and the rest Grenache that was mostly destemmed and spent 19 months in 75% new French oak. This deeply colored effort offers up a great yet slightly closed, backward bouquet of black fruits, ground herbs, charred meat, and toasted spices. It's rich, full-bodied, has a fleshy, opulent texture, no hard edges, yet the class to improve with another year or two of bottle age and keep for a decade... ...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!" The proprietors of Epoch, the Armstrong family, have overseen the rebirth of a historic vineyard once owned by the philanthropist and musician, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. This site was dedicated to Zinfandel in the early 1900s. Prohibition put an end to that, but that vineyard is now one of three estate vineyards comprising this 95-acre project. One part of Epoch is near Peachy Canyon, a big chunk of it sits next to the Booker Vineyard, and the rest is on York Mountain. The ambition of the Armstrongs is to produce 100% estate wines, and of the 95 acres, 60 are planted with southern Rhone varietals, and the rest with Tempranillo. Saxum’s Justin Smith, who serves as a consultant, told me that he thinks the micro-climate is slightly warmer than his James Berry vineyard. The first releases, which I tasted, are exceptional, so this looks to be a promising new venture.

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