Willow Creek

Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  This is a blend of 43% Grenache, 43% Syrah and 14% Mataro.  It comes in at 15.6% abv, but it is not noticeable on the wine.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  There is a bit of volatile acidity on the nose but it was not bothersome.  Lots of black cherry fruit with black raspberries and white pepper.  Strong acidity.  On the palate, black cherries, and some black raspberries.  Complex and deep.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue for another ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this would be nice with ribs off th

This is a blend of 56% Grenache, 13% Petite Sirah, 10% Syrah, 9% Mataro, 7% Zinfandel and 5% Tempranillo.  The bottle lists 15.7% abv but it is not noticeable on the wine.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, gravel, and black pepper.  Great backbone of acidity.  On the palate, though young, this is showing a nice complexity.  Medium tannins.  Black cherries and black raspberries with underlying char and gravel.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This may still improve a bit but is drinking great now and should continue for another twe

This is 100% Grenache made only in selected vintages.  The bottle lists 16.4% abv but there is no heat.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is explosive with black raspberries, black cherries, char and slight gun powder notes.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  Great texture.  On the palate, this is deep and complex.  Black raspberries, roasted herbs and slight black cherries.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is still drinking youthfully and should drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this would work nicely with roasted fowl.  

This is a blend of 55% Grenache, 24% Mourvèdre, 13% Syrah, and 8% Counoise.  No doubt in a few years this merits a 100 score.  Right now, it is very young, and although amazing, it needs time to come together.  Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, black pepper, and floral notes.  Full bodied.  This wine is a bruiser!  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, gobs of black raspberries, black cherries with some black pepper and nice underlying minerality.  Long finish.  No harm drinking now but another five years of cellaring

This is 95% Syrah and 5% Grenache and drinking beautifully.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, and roasted meats and herbs.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Deep but the layers unwind in the glass.  Probably not quite at peak but getting close.  Medium tannins.  Long finish.  This should continue to drink well for another twelve to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this would work great with roasted veggies off the grill.  

This is a blend of 45% Grenache, 29% Mourvedre, 18% Syrah and 8% Counoise.  15.7% abv.  Just a beautiful wine, albeit a bit young at age 9.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, black pepper, plums and char.  Full bodied with a lush, rich texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Loads of black cherries and black raspberries with some pepper and spice.  Light to medium tannins.  Long finish.  This should drink well for the next twelve to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this will work well with meats or veggies off the grill

This is a blend of 34% Mourvedre, 33% Zinfandel, 13% Petite Sirah, 12% Syrah, and 8% Tempranillo.  Purple with a few garnet swirls. The nose is great with plums, black cherries, gravel, leather, black pepper, char and cedar.  Some alcohol showing on the nose.  Full bodied. Some tannins.  Deep.  On the palate, plums, black cherries, black pepper, spice and char.  No alcohol showing on the palate but it does have 15.9% abv.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  It drinks great on its own after about twenty minutes.

This is a blend of 48% Syrah, 21% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, 10% Petite Sirah, and 1% Roussane from California's Central Coast.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, grilled meats, plums, roasted herbs, and char.  Full bodied.  High energy.

This is a white blend made from 66% Grenache Blanc, 28% Roussanne, and 6% Chenin Blanc.  Pop and pour, this needed a good hour or more to really open up.  Pale golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a cream soda note.  With air, it shows wax and lemons.  With even more air, some tropical fruits come out (pineapple and guava?).  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate, the experience is similar to the nose; cream soda to waxy lemons to tropical fruits.  A creamy texture.  Some warmth on the finish but this also goes away with air.  This is obviously young and sho

Every time I drink Epoch wines I wonder why I don't buy more.  They are expensive but given the quality, they are appropriately priced to the competition.  They are also outstanding!  This one is a blend of 36% Petite Sirah, 30% Syrah, 22% Mourvèdre, and 12% Grenache.  It is very young and would be well served by further cellaring.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black cherries, char, black pepper, spice and roasted herbs and meats.  Full bodied with firm tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Chunky black raspberries and black cherr