We finished the tasting with the 2009 Authenticity, which I loved on release. It didn’t disappoint and gave up rocking black raspberry, cassis, lead pencil shavings and hints of chocolate in a full-bodied, beautifully textured style. It’s still fresh and lively, and will continue to shine through 2021 or beyond. I was blown away by these 2011s from winemaker Jordan Fiorentini, and they showed uncommon depth and richness in the vintage. For the most part, they’re ready to go, yet should evolve gracefully. Moving on to the reds and starting with the 2011s, these showed beautifully from barrel, and didn’t disappoint from bottle. They’re up there with the creme de la creme of the vintage. The 2012s are tighter, with a chewier, savory tannin profile that will be something to watch. They’ll need a year or two in the cellar once released. Tel. (805) 237-2011; www.epochwines.com

The 2009 Authenticity (64% Syrah, 36% Mourvedre) shows a slightly brighter profile than the Ingenuity owing in part to the greater use of whole clusters. This opens up beautifully in the glass, with layers of expressive dark fruit, nicely integrated oak and fabulous length. The finish turns powerful and somewhat brooding. It will be interesting to see the direction this wine ultimately takes. Authenticity spent 22 months in French barrels, 45% new. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. 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

The 2009 Authenticity shows a different side of the Paderewski Vineyard, with a little more inner tension and drive than the Ingenuity, but a similar amount of richness. Dark red berries, grilled herbs and sweet floral notes meld together in this vibrant, totally expressive wine. The blend is 64% Syrah and 36% Mourvedre. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. – (Antonio Galloni)

Firm and tight, with a mix of road tar, rustic dried berry, sage and cedar flavors. Firms on the finish, where the tannins are chewy, providing traction. Syrah and Mourvedre. Drink now through 2022. 453 cases made. -JL