Palate

She’s a white wine, but she is mighty and built to last. Like opening Pandora’s box, uncorking this wine is a wild ride of explosive favors – white peaches, citrus blossoms, ginger, lemon oil, crème fraîche, dried straw and custard. Grenache Blanc and Viognier fermented and lees-aged in concrete deliver abundant freshness and rocky minerality. The third sibling, Roussanne, returns to the DNA and lengthens out the palate, gifting age-worthiness and a honeyed viscosity. The 2015 Epoch White will wow you now and for several years to come. Age her – we dare you!

Growing Conditions

Parentage: 71% Catapult and 29% Paderewski Vineyards

Paderewski Vineyard:

Travel just west of Paso Robles, and you will find Paderewski Vineyard: 67 acres of undulating, steep, limestone rich hillsides within 570 rural, spring-fed acres. In the early 1900’s, this vineyard was cherished and farmed by world-renowned pianist, Polish diplomat, and vintner, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Fast forward a century, and this property stood forgotten and fallow. Lucky for us, in 2004, we became the stewards of this amazing piece of property.

Planted: 2004 Acreage: 95 under vine, 570 total Soils: limestone, calcareous, rocky pH: low to mid 8 AVA: Paso Robles District: Willow Creek Red Varietals: Grenache, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel White Varietals: Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, and Viognier

Catapult Vineyard:

Directly in the heart of the Paso Robles’ Templeton Gap, near the acclaimed L’Aventure and Booker Vineyards, sits our Catapult Vineyard. In 2008 we came across 45 barren acres of extreme rocky soils packed with silicious shale and little limestone content. Just the type of soils we love; soils that encourage the vines to struggle while finding nourishment deep within the ground. The reward of this hardworking vine are berries packed with wicked complexity and intense flavors.

Though barely three miles from our Paderewski Vineyard, the pH level at Catapult Vineyard is in the high 5’s. A nice complement to the dirt over at “Rewski”. This pH difference, coupled with the cooler mesoclimate at Catapult allows for different flavor profiles from the fruit produced.

Planted: 2008 Acreage: 28 under vine, 45 total Soils: shale, clay, silt, rocky pH: high 5s AVA: Paso Robles District: Willow Creek Red Varietals: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Tempranillo White Varietals: Grenache Blanc,Roussane, and Viognier

Bottling

Graduation: Bottled March 3, 2016 | Debut: Released Spring 2016

Winemaking

Rearing: Fermented cool in concrete eggs, concrete tulips, and barrels with weekly batonnage. 15% skin contact. No malolactic fermentation.

Aging

Aged five months Sur Lie in 61% concrete, 30% Neutral oak barrels, and 9% new once-used barrels

Food Pairing

Oysters on the half shell