Ben's Blush: Epoch Estate Wines

After being gone for a whole week, it was nice to be home. Ben was very excited to see me, and his mom was very happy to not have 100% of his attention solely directed at her! It was a beautiful week in Colorado; we even had a happy hour/picnic in the park the other day. Ben spent most of the time chasing after the bigger kids that showed up. Unfortunately, they were not as interested in him, but he did expend a fair bit of energy constantly chasing them. Yesterday, we got about 6 inches of snow, but the forecast looks like we should be back in the 50s and 60s by the weekend!

This week was also a bit rough. As you might know, I grew up in Wisconsin and am thus a Green Bay Packers fan. Though I did not have high expectations for the outcome of the NFC Championship game, I was hopeful things would go their way. Ben and I watched the first half of the game, but the bored little guy abandoned me after halftime. I kept giving him updates and he high-fived me when with only a few minutes left in the game the Packers seemed to have an insurmountable lead. Yeah, well, we all know how that turned out. I guess that is kind of like wine in some ways; you get all excited about experiencing something great only to be let down.

At some point during the AFC Championship game (Cheaters vs. Colts), Ben shouted, "Dad, the Packers are winning!" I dejectedly responded to him, "No, bud the Packers already lost." He then apologetically looked at me and said quiet empathetically, "I know, but I was just trying to make you feel better." Things like that are why kids are so amazing. Notwithstanding my son's compassion, such an epic loss deserved an Epoch wine...


2013 Epoch Estate Wines, Paso Robles AVA

Epoch 2013 Rosé

One thing that too many wineries overlook is too often their packaging. Epoch obviously gave a considerable amount of thought to this important, but neglected, part of winemaking. The wine (a blend of 42% syrah, 28% grenache, 18% mourvèdre, and 12% cinsault) is bottled under screw cap, but not the run-of-the-mill type. It is a higher-end closure (I'm guessing Stelvin Lux), that at first glance looks like a normal capsule. Combined with the clean, yet striking label the bottle really is pretty to look at on the counter. Despite the perceived lightness, this wine has a lot going on; crisp acidity, apricots and Ruby Red grapefruit. The flavors linger and are quite delicious. I'm glad that I have one more because I can't wait to taste it out of a plastic cup while playing lawn games this summer! 14.2% abv. Purchased $25. Very Good/Excellent