Epiphany Winery Spring Trio
Mar 24th, 2008 by admin
First blossoms of spring
The more you drink, the better
The flowers will look
Those hearty reds got you
through the winter. Hunkered down in the cold, you wrapped their heavy,
comforting flavors around you like a bearskin sleeping bag. They warmed
your insides and delivered a smackdown on Jack Frost. But what now,
with spring here? The sun’s staying out longer. Tiny, tentative shoots
of green are on the trees. The Chicago Cubs have not yet been
eliminated from World Series contention. Isn’t it time for something a
little lighter – lighter in color, lighter in flavor, lighter in
disposition?
The sparrow returns
Spirals with joy through the air
Is it drunk, or what?
Let Epiphany hop on down your
bunny trail. Hippity, hoppity, exquisite springtime flavor’s on its
way. Winemaker Eli Parker, who has overseen winemaking at Fess Parker
Winery for years, started Epiphany to let him craft small lots of more
esoteric offerings than usually appear under the Fess Parker label.
This diverse trio has one thing in common: all three possess a
sparkling, refreshing quality perfect for springtime. OK, and they’re
all made from grapes. And they all come in bottles. So that’s three
things they have in common.
Dig, little chipmunk
Unearth the nuts you hid – wait:
Do chipmunks do that?
There’s the distinctive
Epiphany 2006 “Inspiration”, a white blend of Roussanne, Marsanne,
Viognier, and Grenache Blanc. It entices nostril and tongue alike with
notes of Asian pear, jasmine, apricot, guava, nectarine, honeydew,
beeswax, and vanilla. There’s the Epiphany 2006 Rodney’s Vineyard
Grenache Rosé, with aromatics as beautiful as its lovely deep-pink
color. Strawberry, cherry, watermelon…if wine was Jolly Ranchers, it’d
taste like this. And there’s also the Epiphany 2006 Goodchild Vineyard
Pinot Gris. In January, its brightly acidic flavors of light citrus,
melon, apricot, and pear would have seemed a cruel mockery. But the
March palate is only too ready for it. And with reason: the 2004 and
2005 vintages both scored 90 points from Wine Enthusiast.
I’ve had just about
Enough of this winter crap
You know what I mean?
So as you emerge, dazed and
starving, from your igloo, reach for this Epiphany three-pack. These
wines glisten like sunshine on snowmelt, soar like a kite in the March
breeze, and surprise like an over-the-hill free-agent pitcher who wins
a spot in the rotation.
Walking in a glade
Of young violets, I had
Three Epiphanies
Epiphany 2006 “Inspiration”
- Vineyard Sources: 50% from Camp 4 Vineyard in Santa Ynez & 50% from Rodney’s Vineyard in Santa Ynez.
- Barrel Aging: 10 months in 1 year old & neutral barrels
- Alcohol: 14.7%
- T.A.: 0.585 g/100ml
- p.H.: 3.56
- Production: 224 cases
- Composition: 35% Roussanne, 15% Marsanne, 35% Viognier, and 15% Grenache Blanc.
Epiphany 2006 Rodney’s Vineyard Grenache Rosé
- VINEYARD SOURCES: 100% FROM RODNEY’S VINEYARD IN THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
- BARREL AGING: 71% BARREL FERMENTED AND AGED IN FRENCH & AMERICAN OAK FOR 5 MONTHS; 29% STAINLESS STEEL FERMENTED AND AGED FOR 5 MONTHS
- ALCOHOL: 13.8% ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
- T.A.: .502G/100ML P.H.: 3.57
- PRODUCTION: 807 CASES
- COMPOSITION: 100% GRENACHE NOIR
Epiphany 2006 Goodchild Vineyard Pinot Gris
- VINEYARD SOURCES: 95% FROM GOODCHILD VINEYARD IN THE SANTA MARIA VALLEY & 5% FROM ASHLEY’S VINEYARD IN THE SANTA RITA HILLS
- BARREL AGING: 70% STAINLESS STEEL TANK FERMENTED AND AGED FOR 6 MONTHS; 30% BARREL FERMENTED AND AGED IN NEUTRAL FRENCH OAK FOR 6 MONTHS
- ALCOHOL: 14.7% ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
- T.A.: .963G/100ML
- P.H.: 3.46
- PRODUCTION: 592 CASES
- COMPOSITION: 100% PINOT GRIS
- HARVEST DATE: SEPT. 22ND & OCT. 11TH
- COOPERAGE: Francois Freres, Lafitte
- BRIX: 24.5 – 25.4
- 2005 Vintage 90 Points Wine Enthusiast
- 2004 Vintage 90 Points Wine Enthusiast
Rules and restrictions:
- Wine sold by winery (or a retailer in your state where necessary)
- You must be 21 or older to order
- Whoever receives the package must be 21 or older
- If you're drunk when the package shows up, you will not be allowed to receive it
- Wine cannot be delivered to a P.O. Box
- We highly recommend you use a business address as your shipping address
Thanks to stick-in-the-mud buzzkilling state legislators, wine may only be delivered to the following states:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District Of Columbia
- Florida
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
If your state's not on the list, you're out of luck... for now. Keep up with the ever-changing laws over at ShipCompliantBlog.com, and/or sound the alarms with your state assembly person through FreeTheGrapes.org. Meanwhile, all Federal, state and local laws are complied with in providing this wine.
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- 30 Second Wine Advisor: Think pink for spring There's something about warmer weather than makes a glass of...
