2012 Epoch Zinfandel Paderewski Vineyard

One of my favorite Zins out there, the 2012 Zinfandel is another stunner that offers awesome blackberry, bramble, exotic spice, lavender, dried violets and licorice to go with a full-bodied, supple and sexy profile on the palate. It shows the up front nature of the vintage, yet is has building tannin, solid mid-palate depth and serious length, all of which tell me it’s going to evolve gracefully. Drink it anytime over the coming decade. I was blown away by these 2011s from winemaker Jordan Fiorentini, and they showed uncommon depth and richness in the vintage. For the most part, they’re ready to go, yet should evolve gracefully. Moving on to the reds and starting with the 2011s, these showed beautifully from barrel, and didn’t disappoint from bottle. They’re up there with the creme de la creme of the vintage. The 2012s are tighter, with a chewier, savory tannin profile that will be something to watch. They’ll need a year or two in the cellar once released. Tel. (805) 237-2011; www.epochwines.com