Epoch Estate Wines

After completing her B.A. at Dartmouth College in Engineering Sciences with a minor in Italian Language and as many visual arts classes she could fit into her curriculum, Jordan headed west to Napa Valley to have a fun, new experience as a harvest intern in the Fall of 1999. Winemaking stole Jordan’s heart and in the fall of 2000, she started the Master’s of Science program in Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis.

Her studies and internships brought her to work for renowned wineries such as Araujo Estate in Calistoga, CA and Antinori in Tuscany, Italy, where she met her husband Manu. In 2003, the couple moved to Jordan’s home state of Georgia to join Jordan’s family in their newly established vineyard and winery, Frogtown Cellars, to learn all sides of the business.

After several years in the North Georgia Mountains, Chalk Hill Estate in Healdsburg hired Jordan as the Director of Winemaking in 2007. At Chalk Hill, Jordan rooted herself in California viticulture and ultra-premium winemaking, making a name for herself in the production of estate grown Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Bordeaux varietals and Syrah. In 2010, after an extensive international search, Epoch owners, Bill and Liz Armstrong, found their dream partner in Jordan Fiorentini.

Passionate, dedicated, and not afraid to push the envelope, Winemaker, Jordan Fiorentini, brings an enthusiastic and experienced spirit to Epoch and now has amassed a plethora of highly regarded wines as well as 12 collector-worthy vintages at Epoch. In addition to writing about each wine, Jordan lets her artistic side shine through drawing visual interpretations of her wines’ palates.

Jordan oversees all the wine and vine decisions along with the day-to-day needs of the winery. Alongside her staff of four, she works tirelessly to ensure every bottle of Epoch is always at its best. She has been fortunate enough to receive many outstanding accolades during her tenure at Epoch. Most recently, Jordan was peer-nominated 2021 Winemaker of The Year for San Luis Obispo County.

Geologists, Bill and Liz Armstrong, share a similar spirit, one that is dedicated to the purity of science and endless exploration. Bill, a self-diagnosed “cork dork,” is a huge believer in the fun and “truth” that is wine. One day Bill woke up and realized he wanted to be more than just a wine lover; he wanted to be a wine producer. And thus, he set out on a deliberate (and quite fun) search for the perfect plot of land, land that would produce wine he and Liz would love to make, drink, and share with family and friends.

While studying oenology in his spare time, Bill’s palate quickly took a liking to wines from the Rhône region in France, particularly the Southern Rhône. These wines reflected their unique sense of place, were crazy good, and had a fun/ happy factor that was totally up Bill’s alley. So, with a specific wine style in mind and a Geology degree in his back pocket, Bill embarked on a quest for the ultimate American terroir that would produce world-class wine.

In 2004, this mission led Bill and Liz to a small pocket of land on California’s Central Coast between Paso Robles and the Pacific Ocean. The unique soils, weather, hilliness, and extreme temperature swings found at Paderewski Vineyard were exactly what they were searching for. What they were not expecting was how much the Paso culture totally jived with their personalities; the entrepreneurial spirit and All-American vibe had Bill and Liz feeling at home from day one. With the later purchases of Catapult and York Mountain, Bill and Liz’s Epoch journey expanded, and they look forward to many years of crafting delicious wines, preserving Epoch’s rich history, and enjoying every second of this winemaking adventure.