York Mountain

York Mountain

Yo rk Mo unt a in Vineya rd What’s Old is New Again

YORK MOUNTAIN VINEYARD The York Family, Paso wine pioneers and owners of this historic property for more than eighty years, planted vines on this land in 1882, making it one of the first vineyards on the Central Coast. Despite five name changes, prohibition, and the catastrophic San Simeon Earthquake, York Mountain Winery ran continuously for 119 years, making it one of the longest continuously run wineries in the United States. When we purchased the property in 2010, the site of the York family’s original vineyard was fallow, but we were eager to one day plant vines again on these historic soils. In the spring of 2015, after much dreaming and planning, we began planting vines at this “cool climate” site. Located just seven miles from the Pacific Ocean at an elevation of 1,500 feet, this property falls in the small 640 acre York Mountain AVA, which is outside of the very large Paso Robles AVA. The soils and climate here are very different from our other two vineyards. The combination of sandstone soils with a very moderate climate due to the even closer proximity to the Pacific Ocean make this site quite the departure from our Paderewski and Catapult Vineyards. Because of its elevation and distance from the ocean, York Mountain receives more than twice the amount of rainfall as our other vineyards and has characteristic foggy mornings throughout the year with cool breezes all day long. When deciding what to plant, we wanted to keep with what we know and love best, but we also decided to experiment a bit too. We planted mostly Syrah and Grenache with the hopes of crafting pure varietal expressions of these two Rhône grapes on our very different terroir. In addition, we planted a small amount of Viognier, Roussanne, Zinfandel, and for the first time ever, Cabernet Sauvignon. We love the site-specific spice, fresh fruit, and bright acidity York Mountain Vineyard brings out in these varieties.

PHOTOS FROM 2018 INAUGURAL YORK MOUNTAIN VINEYARD HARVEST

VINEYARD STATS

PLANTED 2015

ACREAGE 21 UNDER VINE, 220 TOTAL

SOILS FRAGMENTED AND FRACTURED SANDSTONE

PH HIGH 4S TO MID 6S

AVA YORK MOUNTAIN

RED VARIETALS SYRAH, GRENACHE, ZINFANDEL, AND CABERNET SAUVIGNON

WHITE VARIETALS VIOGNIER AND ROUSSANNE

FARMING PRACTICES FARMED USING ORGANIC AND BIODYNAMIC PRACTICES

YORK MOUNTAIN TIMELINE

1882 ANDREW YORK PURCHASES THIS PROPERTY AND EXPANDS THE SMALL EXISTING VINEYARD WITH CUTTINGS FROM NAPA

1893 CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON THEIR WINERY

1906 ADDITIONAL LAND IS PLANTED, AND THE WINERY IS EXPANDED

1920 - 1933 PROHIBITION. WALTER AND SILAS YORK RIP OUT A SMALL PORTION OF THEIR VINEYARD AND PLANT AN ALMOND ORCHARD. DURING THESE THIRTEEN YEARS, THEY ATTEMPT TO SELL GRAPE JUICE, BUT AFTER LITTLE SUCCESS, THEY SIMPLY SELL THE GRAPES 1970 BILL YORK SELLS YORK WINERY TO THE GOLDMAN FAMILY, BUT THE WINERY CONTINUES TO OPERATE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION

2003 YORK MOUNTAIN WINERY SUFFERS CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE FROM THE SAN SIMEON EARTHQUAKE

2010 THE ARMSTRONGS PURCHASE YORK MOUNTAIN

2015 THE THEN-FALLOW YORK MOUNTAIN VINEYARD IS PLANTED BY EPOCH

2016 EPOCH’S NEW TASTING ROOM OPENS IN THE REPURPOSED/RESTORED YORK MOUNTAIN WINERY

2018 EPOCH’S FIRST HARVEST FROM YORK MOUNTAIN VINEYARD

2019 YORK MOUNTAIN VIOGNIER 97% VIOGNIER, 3% ROUSSANNE

Vineyard : 100% York Mountain Vineyard, York Mountain AVA

Harvest Dates: September 30 – October 4, 2019

Fermentation: Fermented in French oak puncheons (33% new)

Cooperage and Aging : Aged nine months sur lie in French oak puncheons (33% new)

pH : 3.51 | TA : 5.3 g/L | Alcohol : 13.8%

Bottling date : July 14, 2020

Cases Produced : 151

Aphrodisiacal at first sniff, this Viognier ventures into new territory where fullness and freshness meet: bosc pear, golden delicious apple, vibrant apricot, orange blossom, grilled pineapple, ginger, and freshly whipped cream. Minerals and acids gently poke through the lush flavors and touch all quadrants of the palate. The 33% new oak heightens texture and length, infusing clove, nutmeg, and vanilla bean. This wine is both voluptuous and ephemeral, a balance hard to strike on any other New World soil.

- Jordan Fiorentini

2018 YORK MOUNTAIN GRENACHE 100% GRENACHE

Vineyard : 100% York Mountain Vineyard, York Mountain AVA

Harvest Dates : September 22 – October 17, 2018

Fermentation : Fermented in concrete tanks and 1-ton bins

Cooperage and Aging : Aged 18 months in neutral French oak puncheons

pH: 3.66 | TA: 5.1 g/L | Alcohol: 15.2%

Bottling Date: May 27, 2020

Cases Produced : 289

Power and grace merge in the 2018 York Mountain Grenache which boasts Old World charm with the intensity inherent to California. Dark and fleshy Amarena cherries, white and black pepper spice, candied orange peel, sweet leather, sun roasted sage, black licorice, and dried violets envelope the nose and race across the palate. Chewy and round at first sip, the wine’s texture and juicy acidity spider graph across the palate, bounding in all directions and finishing with lingering structure. This gorgeous and unforgettable wine heralds a new era for Grenache and York Mountain.

- Jordan Fiorentini

2018 YORK MOUNTAIN SYRAH 99% SYRAH, 1% VIOGNIER

Vineyard: 100% York Mountain Vineyard, York Mountain AVA

Harvest Dates: September 27 – October 11, 2018

Fermentation : Fermented in oak and stainless steel tanks and one-ton bins, 44% whole cluster

Cooperage and Aging: Aged 18 months in French oak barrels and puncheons (29% new)

pH: 3.73 | TA : 5.7 g/L | Alcohol : 14.9%

Bottling Date: May 27, 2020

Cases Produced : 418

Cool climate, yet rich, the sense of place in our York Mountain Syrah is undeniable with notes of forest floor, fresh tar, fresh cut oregano and thyme, ground black pepper, red rose petals, black plum and blackcurrant, cured meats, pencil shavings, and black licorice. Savory, spicey, and seeping with minerality, this wine glides across the palate, filling out all corners with its milk chocolatey texture, void of hard edges or angles. Elegant and full with every sip, balance and completeness linger long on the senses.

- Jordan Fiorentini

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