2021 Epoch Grenache York Mountain Vineyard

The 2021 Grenache York Mountain takes things to a darker and more serious place, blending sweet sage and lavender with hints of pine, dusty rose and black cherries. Cool-toned and racy in feel, it sweeps across the palate with textures of pure silk, further enhanced by opulent wild berry fruits and a contrasting tinge of sour citrus. It tapers off long and pleasantly bitter, leaving crunchy tannins to fade beneath an air of violet inner florals.

The 2021 York Mountain Grenache was matured for 17 months in neutral French oak. It has deep, slowly unwinding scents of wild berry fruit, oolong tea leaves, lavender and woodsmoke. The medium-bodied palate features concentrated, dynamic fruit. It has an elegant frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and earthy. 530 cases were made, which will be released in the spring of 2024.

slightly deeper hued than the Sensibility, the 2021 Grenache York Mountain offers a darker, meatier style in its darker berry fruits, ground pepper, iron, and smoked meat-like aromas and flavors. Rich and medium to full-bodied, it has plenty of tannins, a supple, layered, elegant mouthfeel, gorgeous purity, and a great finish. Epoch continues to pull heavily from their estate Paderewski Vineyard, but they’re also releasing new cuvées from their York Mountain estate as those vines come online. I expect this trend to continue. Looking at the wines reviewed here, I was able to taste all their 2020s now from bottle, and they’ve clearly produced some of the top wines in this challenging vintage. If there’s any smoke in these wines, I was unable to find it, and they have remarkable purity in their aromatics and ripe, polished tannins. I was also able to go through the 2021s with winemaker Jordan Fiorentini, and there are some legit genius wines in here that are as good as anything out there. I’d wager these 2021s are some of the finest wines produced from this estate, and I can’t wait to try them again from bottle next year.