NEWS

 

 

In the high-stakes game of life, what's a good story without all the twists, turns, highs and lows? I believe we can all call this the spice of life. And when you leave the past behind to go "all in" on your future, it can get very, very spicy.

 

We started our journey in 2016 as two bright-eyed harvest interns, full of different life experiences outside of winemaking and are now the stewards of a beautiful vineyard estate all our own. When you have a full life filled with professional successes, why begin anew? Why gather all of your chips in front of you and push them into the future? In the quiet of twilight at the Copia Estate Vineyard, Varinder and I occasionally get a moment to reflect on this very question. 

 

We two, self-proclaimed wine mavericks, are now in our third leaf at the vineyard, working our sixth harvest together and releasing our fourth vintage of Copia wine to you. The journey is beautifully tricky, unexpected at times and food for our passion. If you want to accomplish anything in life, we tell ourselves, it will naturally take sacrifice and undying focus. Copia is our baby and in those early days, before there was a tasting room or a team member, Varinder and I picked up the phone, pounded the pavement and sent out emails to one and all. For us, succeeding in our dream of creating premium, small-lot wine is an actively chosen, all-consuming one. Quite simply, the answer to our question of "Why do this?" is that the risk is worth the reward.

 

Part of that reward is being able to share the next release of Copia wines with you, our treasured club members, before anyone else. With great pride, it's time for us to reveal the 2019 reds and our 2020 white and rosé! The 2019 vintage is made with the ingredients of more experience, brilliant fruit sources (including 9 different Syrah sites) and a gentle growing season allowing for longer hang time on the vine. There was a beautiful balance between sugar and acid at pick time, which was a couple of weeks later than the previous vintage. Mother nature spared us any major curve balls, the conditions were near perfect and the grapes were positively singing. What results are wines of concentration, rich color and complexity. Many are saying that this is one of Paso Robles' finest vintages to date and we would agree.

 

Classic members will be receiving a shipment of 6 bottles and Premium members will be receiving a shipment of 12 bottles - all detailed below. 

 

The Copia story continues and we will always remember sharing it with you, one-by-one. As always, you have our eternal gratitude for your enthusiastic support of Copia wines.

 

Cheers to going "all in" on life,
Anita and Varinder Sahi and the Entire Copia Vineyards Team

SEPT 24: WINE SELECTION CLOSES. This is the last day to make any changes to your account, including; wine selection, billing information, shipping address or shipping date. 

SEPT 28: YOUR ORDER WILL PROCESS. The card we have on file will be charged.

OCT 9: COPIA CLUB PICK UP PARTY (RSVP necessary).

OCT 10: YOUR ORDER IS READY FOR PICK UP AT TASTING ROOM (pick-up members only; during business hours).

OCT 11: YOUR ORDER WILL SHIP (ship-to members only; weather permitting). By default we ship via UPS Ground, if you prefer GSO or Fedex, please email and let us know.

We are happy to accomodate customizations and requests. If you would like to request changes to the winemaker's selection above, change your billing/shipping address, shipping type or date; please do so via written request before the end of Friday, September 24th.

 

THE WINE

2020 WHITE  |  45% CHARDONNAY, 35% ROUSSANNE, 20% VIOGNIER

Fermented & aged in 40% new French oak
Central Coast

Vineyards: John Sebastiano Vineyard, Caliza & Denner Vineyards

Classic | $36     Premium | $31.50

 

2020 ROSÉ  |  73% GRENACHE, 25% SYRAH, 2% MOURVÈDRE

Fermented & aged in stainless steel
Central Coast

Classic | $24     Premium | $21

 

2019 THE STORY  |  92% GRENACHE, 8% SYRAH

Aged 20 months in 50% new French oak
Central Coast

Vineyards: Denner Vineyards, Alta Colina, Christy & Wise, Jespersen Ranch

Classic | $44     Premium | $38.50

 

2019 THE CURE  |  45% SYRAH, 29% GRENACHE, 26% MOURVÈDRE

Aged 20 months in 45% new French oak
Central Coast

Vineyards: Denner Vineyards, Alta Colina, Live Oak Ranch, Jespersen Ranch, John Sebastiano, Kimsey

Classic | $44     Premium | $38.50

 

2019 THE SOURCE  |  93% SYRAH, 7% GRENACHE

Aged 20 months in 75% new French oak
Central Coast

Vineyards: Kimsey, John Sebastiano, Bien Nacido, Alta Colina, Live Oak Ranch, Denner Vineyards 

Classic | $52     Premium | $45.50

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2020 Syrah • Bien Nacido Vineyard • Santa Maria Valley • This is shaping up to be one of the richest, most concentrated expressions of Syrah this vintage, we can’t wait to bottle it as is #2020 

Varinder and Anita looked like two kids heading out to the candy shop this morning #blending  

 

A BOUTIQUE VINEYARD THAT TAKES THE CAKE FOR 2021 

FOOD  | NOVEMBER 16, 2020

Copia Vineyards, owned by Varinder and Anita Sahi, is a dynamite operation on California’s Central Coast – putting forth a small but stunning variety of wines into a market ready to receive them. In the span of five years, Copia Vineyards has made a big name for itself and its wines have won innumerable awards. Their poetic approach to winemaking and their operation through the lens of gratitude is obvious, setting forth a clear path to success now and in the future. Anita and Varinder’s journey together began in 2015 so, if success has reached them so soon, there’s no telling what the future holds. I recently had the privilege to taste some of their offerings as was completely blown away with their product. 

Copia established their Copia Estate Vineyard in 2019 but have been sourcing their grapes from some of the area’s top grape growing properties, 12 of them in fact. The varying microclimates and elevations of vineyards in the paso Robles area as well as Santa Barbara County create nuances that are unique to Copia wines. There’s something about Anita and Varinder’s selection, along with their hospitality manager, Sarah Boone, that have made this wine-making moment blossom for them. The Copia Estate Vineyard is planted with Syrah, Grenache, Mourvédre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot. Their other vineyard partners offer grapes cultivated in unique growing conditions that add to the complexity of all Copia wines. 

 

I received the following wines from Copia, and fell in love with every single one of them. Below are the wines and my thoughts on the product.

The Story is a Grenache-dominated blend with grapes hailing from the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. In this wine, from the terroir, you will taste oceanic influences from the Pacific as well as juicy notes and minerality that make for an incredible flavor. The taste is sweet and spicy and incredibly smooth. The wine is full-bodied with ripe red fruit and tart berry. This wine is fabulous on its own or with food. The wine is typically rested for 20 months before release and is derived from grapes picked in September and October. 

The Cure is Copia’s take on the Rhône’s classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The grape varietals, mainly Grenache and Syrah, are grown in the Central Coast’s Edna Valley, Willow Creek District and Santa Barbara County. Following traditional Rhônes, cassis will perfume the glass and flavors of chocolate, spice and slight wood might be noticed with a smooth finish. You might also taste elements of pepper, blackberry and deep red fruits as you sip this. I absolutely fell in love with this wine on its own without anything needing to be paired. 

An elegant wine composed of 90% Syrah, The Source comes to life from the area’s cool climate which brings out spice and earthiness, while still remaining very drinkable on its own. Wine lovers will notice notes of white pepper and incense, while tasting firmly, dark red fruit without a jammy flavor. This is the perfect wine for a fatty red meat like lamb or duck. 

I love Cab…and this one stunned me. Composed of grapes from the warmer Santa Ynez Valley’s “Happy Canyon”. This wine is incredibly drinkable and elegant, rich and silky – with notes of tobacco and blue fruits. What you might notice here is a full body, yet a soft and easy wine that is perfect on its own or with food. This is my favorite cab I have tried this year – hands down. 

After experiencing Copia Vineyard’s offerings and seeing their true dedication and understanding of the art of winemaking, I am truly astounded by what they’ve done in such a short time and am excited for the future. The family and small team here are passionate about what they do and, it seems, were drawn to Paso Robles from the Midwest with a higher purpose in mind. Their wines are not just loved by me, but are rated incredibly high by publications like Wine Enthusiast and Connoisseur’s Guide.

Wine lovers can visit Copia Vineyards for a tasting or even a stay. They offer tastings in their tasting room and overnight stays in the Willow Creek District area of Paso Robles at their guesthouse. For TRUE red wine lovers – this is a vineyard and winemaking operation that must be on your 2020-2021 bucket list. Now is the time to go before the secret is out – the wines are just THAT good.