The 2009 Block B was made by Epoch's first winemaker, David Gelineck, and blended by current winemaker Jordan Fiorentini. Although there was a typhoon of 12 inches of rain this season, fruit for this wine was picked September 25-October 12, before the deluge. It was fermented in stainless steel and puncheon and aged 23 months in 43% new oak. Opaque in color, it's scented of black cherries and blueberries, with notes of coffee beans, tar and dark spices. The palate is full-bodied, lush and ripe, with concentrated dark fruits on the finish. It's a well-made Syrah with a bit less finesse than the more recent iterations. 182 cases were made.

The 2009 Block B (Syrah) comes across as remarkably primary. There is considerable minerality keeping all of the elements focused in this delineated, classy wine. The fruit shows tons of depth all the way through to the dramatic, explosive finish. This is another dazzling wine from Epoch. The Block B is a single parcel of Syrah from the Paderewski vineyard that spent 22 months in French barrels, 43% new. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2021. 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

Firm, tight and spicy, with a subtle earthy edge to the dried berry flavors. Full-bodied and offering a touch of mocha, it firms and dries on the finish. Drink now through 2022. 182 cases made. -JL