- Producer: Epoch Estate Wines - read about the Estate
- Winemaker: Jordan Fiorentini
- Region (AVA): Paso Robles (Willow Creek)
- Blend: 89% Syrah and 11% Mourvèdre
- Vintage production: 517 cases
- Winery location: York Mountain
- Owners: Liz & Bill Armstrong
- First vintage: 2007
- Drinking window: 2019-2035
About The Wine
Sourced entirely fromt he Estate Paderewski Vineyard, this sultry and seductive Syrah-dominant hillside blend smells and tastes like autumn – sweet leather, dried tobacco, brown cooking spice, red plum and fresh cranberry compote.
Authenticity’s Syrah roots shine with a plethora of roasted meatiness and roasted herb flavors (sage, rosemary and thyme, of course). As usual, a healthy dollop of Mourvèdre adds length and tames the bigness of Syrah, revealing a touch of wet earth, pomegranate, forest floor and sassafras.
Fermented in stainless steel, oak and concrete tanks and new ½- ton French oak puncheons (39% whole cluster). Aged 18 months in French oak barrels and puncheons (66% new) , it was bottled in May 2016.
Epoch Estate Wines Authenticity 2014
"Seeing the largest percentage of whole clusters of all the cuvées, the 2014 Authenticity is a blend of 89% Syrah and 11% Mourvèdre that was fermented with close to 40% stems and brought up in 66% new French oak. Its inky color is followed by a huge, unctuous, seriously decadent red that offers notes of blackberries, creme de cassis, barbecue smoke, white chocolate and spring flowers. With a stacked mid-palate and impressive concentration, as well as sensational purity and notable structure, it's a killer wine. I like it today, but I suspect it will be even better in another year or two.”
97 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Aug. 2017)