2019 Epoch Syrah Block B

The 2019 Block B, a varietal Syrah, is peppery and floral in the glass with black raspberry and crushed ashen stone aromas. This is racy and sleek with energizing acidity and depths of mineral-tinged red and black fruits. It finishes with a staining of primary concentration offset by a flourish of citrus and violet florals, lingering long and spicy but only lightly tannic.

The 2019 Block B Syrah comes from the Paderewski vineyard and was matured 18 months in 81% new French oak. Opaque ruby-purple, it takes significant time to unwind to blackberry and blueberry jam, lilac, white pepper and powdered sugar aromas. The full-bodied palate is supple yet powerful with abundant, powdery tannins and youthfully concentrated, floral fruits refreshed by bright bursts of acidity. More detail emerges as it spends time in the glass, and it boasts an epically long finish. Beautiful! 533 cases were made.

The 2019 Syrah Block B comes from a tiny parcel in the Paderewski Vineyard and was brought up in French oak mid-sized barrels and puncheons. It's another inky purple/plum-hued beauty from this estate offering a great nose of smoked black fruits, bacon fat, iron, peppery herbs, and graphite. This carries to a full-bodied Syrah with a focused, dense, powerful mouthfeel, building tannins, remarkable purity, and a great sense of freshness. I always find a singular, meaty, almost bloody quality in this wine, and the 2019 delivers it in spades. Give it a year or so in the cellar and enjoy over the following decade or more. I was able to taste three vintages from winemaker Jordan Fiorentini. Looking first at the 2019s, these are classic, rich, powerful wines that have tons of character and, if anything, are a step up over the 2018s. While still in barrel, I was pretty much blown away by Jordan’s 2020s, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see these end up being some of the wines of the vintage. While there are many subtly smoke tainted wines in this challenging vintage, I found these 2020s to be smoke-free and beautifully balanced. The 2021s appear to be a step up, and while they have classic Paso Robles richness and depth, they shine for their purity and elegance.