2011 Epoch Syrah Block B
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Tasting notes
2011 was a challenging vintage. "We had a lot of frost that knocked out everything," recalls winemaker Jordan Fiorentini. "Everything was affected by frost in early April, so most of the shoots were secondary." Grapes for the 2011 Block B Syrah were harvested on October 17th and 25th, made with 25% whole cluster, and matured for 17 months in 55% new French oak barrels and puncheons. Opaque in color, it opens with some flinty, graphite notes that give way to classic scents of milk chocolate, violet, peppered meats and cassis. The palate is silky and fresh, with pleasingly restrained, mineral-laced fruits and a long, spicy finish. It's drinking wonderfully now but will continue to evolve over the next 5-8 years in bottle. 236 cases were made.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2011 Block B jumps from the glass with freshly cut flowers, plums, violets, cassis and blackberry jam. Savory notes develop in the glass, but the 2011 is really a wine of gorgeous fruit, floral notes and texture. In this vintage, the Block B impresses for its balance of rich Paso fruit melded together with the more subtle nuances of the cold year. What a gorgeous wine this is.
(100% syrah; 25% whole clusters and 55% new oak): Inky purple. Exotic, heady aromas of dark berries and chocolate liqueur, with intense violet and spicecake overtones. Fresh blueberry, blackberry and fruitcake flavors are complicated by an exotic floral nuance that gains power with air. Palate-staining and powerful but wonderfully balanced, finishing with building tannins and superb length.
The 2011 Block B (100% Syrah) emerges from the glass with layers of rich fruit that fill out its broad shouldered frame nicely. Melted road tar, licorice, smoke and black fruit are all very much alive in the glass. Today, the 2011 is naturally quite compact, brooding and massive. It will be interesting to see what the next year brings. Epoch's Block B emerges from a single parcel within Paderewski. It is Epoch's most dense, full-throttle wine.