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Table of Contents The Bear and Star Restaurant Harvest Notes Harvest 2014 Harvest 2015 Wine Club Shipment Wines 2015 Inspiration 2014 Counoise 2014 Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon Upcoming Events Discovery Tasting Series The Bubble Shack Epiphany A sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into reality or the essential meaning of something, often initiated by some simple, commonplace occurrence 2974 Grand Avenue PO Box 908 Los Olivos, CA 93441 phone: 866.354.9463 e-mail: wineclub@epiphanycellars.com www.epiphanycellars.com 1
The Bear and Star The Bear and Star is now open, at 2860 Grand Avenue in Los Olivos next to the Fess Parker Wine County Inn. The restaurant showcases Refined Ranch Cuisine inspired by the Santa Ynez Valley and the storied heritage of the Parker family. The Bear and Star s Refined Ranch Cuisine model is intrinsically intertwined to the 714 acre Fess Parker Home Ranch located seven miles away on Foxen Canyon. 75 head of Wagyu cattle are raised and finished with the spent grains and pomace from the family brewery and winery. Also raised on the ranch for use in the restaurant are chickens, quail, rabbits, Local stuffed quail pigs, bees and a number of heirloom fruits and organic vegetables ultimately linking the Parker family s expertise in hospitality, winemaking, and ranching to the dining experience. With this all-encompassing ecosystem developed under Chef John Cox s (formerly of Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn and Le Bicyclette in Carmel) passion and vision, the ranch is supplying much of the produce for The Bear and Star, with beef and pork anticipated to be available by fall 2017. We look forward to seeing you! Refined ranch cuisine The restaurant is open daily for breakfast from 7:00-10:30 a.m.; full day menu for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. 10:00 p.m. and serves brunch on weekends from 10:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m. The Bar and Star Bar is open every day from 11:30 a.m. close. The Bear and Star 2860 Grand Avenue, Los Olivos, CA 93441 www.thebearandstar.com follow The Bear and Star: Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebearandstar Smoked Wagyu meatloaf 2 Twitter: TheBearAndStar_ Instagram: @thebearandstar
Harvest 2014 T he 2014 vintage started with a mild winter. Warm January days, combined with dry vineyard soils, triggered a somewhat early budbreak. Record low rains continued the drought concerns, with reservoirs and wells getting lower. The warm summer led to an intense and early harvest. Harvest began three weeks early, and we picked grapes nearly every day for nine straight weeks. There was a nice-size crop, with good color and intensity. Overall, the quality was high with small berries leading to very concentrated flavors. It turned out to be an excellent vintage and produced some beautiful wines. Harvest 2015 To say the 2015 harvest was a challenge is an understatement. It was the warmest, driest (4 th vintage of extreme drought) and the earliest harvest on record, starting the third day of August and finishing by the first week in October. During a typical harvest, we are punching down active fermentations and pressing off wines into the Thanksgiving holiday. This also made for the lightest yielding harvest in Santa Barbara County history, down by as much as 80%, but around 50% seemed to be the norm for most varietals. A light crop isn t always the end of the world; it makes for outstanding quality and concentration. 3
Eli Parker, Founder & Proprietor Recipient of the André Tchelistcheff Award Given to Winemaker of the Year ~ 2006 Blair Fox, Winemaker Recipient of the André Tchelistcheff Award Given to Winemaker of the Year ~ 2008
Wine Club Shipment Wines
201 5 INSPIRATION SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WHITE WINE ALC. 14.5% BY VOL. 2015 Inspiration Santa Ynez Valley Harvest Harvest Date August 25 September 21, 2015 Harvest Brix 24.1 25.4 Vineyards Appellation Santa Ynez Valley - 100% Camp Four Vineyard Vineyard Blocks 23, 20, 22, 14D Winemaking Composition 44% Grenache Blanc, 31% Viognier, 13% Marsanne, 12% Roussanne Barrel Aging Aged 8 months in 1 year old & older French oak barrels Cooperage Alcohol 14.5% ph 3.22 Sirugue, Boutes, Mercurey, Seguin Moreau T.A. 0.662g/100ml Bottling Date May 26, 2016 Production 388 cases 6
Winemaker Notes This was a very short vintage with extremely small yields. Grenache Blanc was used as the highest percentage in this blend because it produced the best crop. Inspiration possesses the bright, refreshing qualities of Grenache Blanc, the melon and white flower characteristics of Viognier, along with the rich ripe and honeyed notes of Marsanne and Roussanne. Tasting Notes This year s Inspiration is a light straw color. Aromas of white flowers, honeydew melon, jasmine and vanilla exude from the glass along with yellow peach, nectarine and orange marmalade. You will be inspired to enjoy a glass on a warm summer day with flavors of citrus, tangerine, vanilla, almond, honeysuckle and lemon cream tantalizing the palate. Asian cuisine comes to mind when pairing Inspiration, but soft cheeses, steamed lobster or curry dishes would be excellent choices as well. 7
2014 COUNOISE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY 2014 Counoise Santa Ynez Valley Harvest Harvest Date October 15, 2014 Harvest Brix 25.7 Vineyards Appellation Santa Ynez Valley 100% Rodney s Vineyard Vineyard Block Clonal Selection Composition S Tablas Winemaking 100% Counoise Barrel Aging Aged 20 months in 100% large format 500L French oak puncheons, of which 30% are 2 years old & 50% are neutral Cooperage Cadus Alcohol 14.9% ph 3.48 T.A. 0.586g/100ml Bottling Date July 19, 2016 Production 194 cases 8
Winemaker Notes % of this year s Counoise is from Rodney s Vineyard located 100 on the Fess Parker Winery home ranch in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley. The 2014 vintage produced a moderate crop with good warmth and was a great year for Rhone varietals producing rich and ripe fruit with good intensity. We aged this wine in large format 500L French oak puncheons, which retains intense fruit characters while rounding out and softening tannins. Tasting Notes This Counoise coats the glass with its rich dark garnet hue. On the nose, classic fruit aromas of dark cherry, wild black raspberry and red plum will elegantly combine with cedar, forest floor, anise, vanilla and baking spices. A fruit theme continues on the palate with black cherry, plum and wild strawberry, finishing with cinnamon, vanilla and a hint of sandalwood. You can t go wrong pairing this Counoise with grilled meats, hearty sausages or summer stews. 9
2014 Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Ynez Valley Harvest Harvest Date September 30 October 20, 2014 Harvest Brix 26.1 27.4 Vineyards Appellation Santa Ynez Valley 100% Camp Four Vineyard Vineyard Blocks 4 & 17 Winemaking Composition 59% Syrah, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Aging Aged 20 months in French & American oak, of which 26% is new Cooperage Alcohol 14.9% ph 3.81 Ermitage, François Frères, Seguin Moreau, AP John T.A. 0.652g/100ml Bottling Date July 20, 2016 Production 552 cases 10
Winemaker Notes Camp Four Vineyard is located deep on the eastern side of the Santa Ynez Valley and sees long warm days during harvest, which is ideal for growing both Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. This is a unique blend in the states but is made with an homage to Australia, where the blend is common and Winemaker Blair Fox made wine in 2003. The 2014 Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon is aged in a combination of French and American oak. Interestingly enough, the American oak is actually coopered in Australia by the AP John Cooperage. Tasting Notes The 2014 Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful dark garnet color. Scents of black cherry and blackberry waft from the glass followed by hints of saddle leather and dried tobacco rounded out by cassis, vanilla and baking spices. With the exception of vanilla, bold dark fruit flavors of black cherry, red plum, boysenberry, black currant dominate on the palate. Pair this robust blend with braised short ribs, roasted duck or savor with a red velvet cupcake. 11
12 Discovery Tasting Series For those of you who have had a chance to join us for one of our Discovery Tasting Series, we hope that you have enjoyed taking a more in-depth look at our wines, and we d like to thank you for joining us! If you haven t had the chance to try this, Epiphany is now offering a brand new tasting experience, our Discovery Tasting Series. These tastings will be led by one of our skilled wine educators and are limited to 12 attendees in a seated format. Discovery Series tasting themes will include, but are not limited to, Expressions of Syrah, Single Vineyard Wines, Big Red Wines, Grenache 5 Ways, and Esoteric Varietals, just to name a few. Pricing will be $ 25 / $ 15 for Wine Club members. The Discovery Tasting Series will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the following dates: Reservations are required for our Discovery Tasting Series and can be made with Barrett at barrett@fessparker.com Esoteric Varietals J u n e 1 0 t h & 2 4 t h Marsanne. Counoise. Sounds intriguing, but how do you pronounce them? We will demystify these esoteric Rhone varietals as well as others as we taste and learn all about them and why they thrive in Santa Barbara wine country, what foods to pair with them, and how delicious they are to drink. This is sure to be a fun, informative, and unique tasting experience. Single Vineyard Wines J u l y 1 s t & 1 5 t h For this tasting series, we will be focusing on small production wines made from a single vineyard source. Learn why different varietals thrive in various climates and soils, what makes each vineyard site unique and special while making each wine a stand out in their own right. 90+ Wines A u g u s t 5 t h & 2 6 t h Join us as we taste through a flight of our most highly rated wines. Featured wines have all received critical acclaim from the likes of Robert Parker s Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast and Antonio Galloni s Vinous.
Esoteric Varietals S e p t e m b e r 2 n d & 1 6 t h (See above description) Expressions of Syrah O c t o b e r 7 t h & 2 1 s t Expressions of Syrah will focus on single vineyard Syrahs grown throughout Santa Barbara County and beyond. We will taste through 5 single-vineyard Syrahs and learn how differences in terroir makes each of these Syrahs unique. When you taste Syrah, it will tell you where it s from. ~ Epiphany Cellars Winemaker Blair Fox Keep checking the website for future dates in the Discovery Tasting Series www.epiphanywineco.com New expanded hours at The Bubble Shack! The Bubble Shack is now open Friday thru Monday from 11am 4:30pm. Stop by and enjoy our award-winning sparkling wines. For extra incentive: After months of being sold out we are thrilled to release the new 2015 vintage Fesstivity Brut Rose, just in time for summer! The hands-down favorite of our previous vintage releases, the Brut Rose vintage 2014 also received 91 points from both Wine Enthusiast & Antonio Galloni s Vinous. The 2015 is equally bright, refreshing and flavorful as its predecessor. 13
PO Box 908 2963 Grand Avenue Los Olivos, CA 93441 phone: 866.354.9463 e-mail: wineclub@epiphanycellars.com www.epiphanycellars.com Printed on recycled paper.