Having released only three wines in 2021, its debut year, Idyll Time Wines received several critical nods for their flagship syrah/pinot noir blend Syrapinot including a Gold Medal and 92-point rating at the USA Wine Rating Competition and Silver Medals at the Sunset International Wine and Orange County Fair Commercial Wine competitions. And the winery scored a big local get by becoming the primary selection on the wine list of the newly opened Baler Steakhouse.
That the winery is performing so well is no surprise. The syrah, zinfandel, and pinot noir grapes that are grown at the Idyll Time Vineyard in Hollister, founded in 1999 by Anthony Escover, were in high demand from the start with wineries like Pessagno, Calera, and Leal. And following his passing in 2016, Anthony’s daughter, Joan Escover, his grandson Nathan Chang, and Nathan’s wife, Alexia, have kept control of the business—and the quality—in the family.
They also have a secret weapon in veteran winemaker Al DeRose of Alchemy and DeRose Wines.
“Al is a really, really good guy, and he is a true artist,” said Escover. “He does know his wines, but he also knows the business end of things. ‘Here’s how much it’s going to cost, here’s the numbers, here’s the math.’”
What really impressed Escover, though, was that DeRose wanted to craft wine for her taste, not necessarily his.
“Bottom line is I like the way he just said, ‘Well, how do you want me to make this?’” She said. “And I was able to tell him, ‘Look, I really don’t like dry wines. I prefer them to be fruit-forward. I like them to be easy to drink and smooth.’ And we worked together to create these wines.”
Last year, Idyll Time released three 2019 wines from their vineyard, The Beginning Syrapinot, Genesis Syrah, and Zinny Zin Zinfandel, along with Symphony #1 Chardonnay from the DeRose vineyard.
This year they offer the same three reds in a 2020 vintage, now branded as Manifestation Syrapinot, Mysteria Syrah, and Firebird Zinfandel. But they have kept a distinctive bit of marketing: if you buy the three wines together of this or the previous vintage, you receive them in a gift box with a set of art prints based on the label design.
This year, expanding their line, they are offering “shiners,” the industry term for unlabeled bottles, to the public through their website. The wines, including an excellent pinot noir, a young zinfandel, and a red blend, usually intended for corporate giving or restaurant use, can be customized with an assortment of labels.
This is a very intentional marketing move on Escover’s part, who owns JP Graphics, a large full-service printing and design company in Santa Clara. Part of her interest in the business comes from a marketing perspective and trying to figure out how to break a new label onto the market.
“I started out with the Syrapinot, taking it places and trying to get it into retail stores,” she said. “I would go to the managers and owners, write them a nice letter, and drop off some wine. And I would never hear back. It is difficult because I am not looking for a steady flow. My goal is to get 10 cases a week out there.”
Having a printing shop means that Escover can offer peripheral services, like private labeling and the printing of menus and promotional materials for restaurants, with mixed success.
“I asked one place to give our wines a shot,” she said. “I gave him some bottles to try, redid their menus for them, and then was told I would have to sell him the wine at $8.50 a bottle. I just can’t make that break. And then I hear them tell me that they can’t sell wine at the bar, but you look, and what they are trying to sell are the cheap wines that are not very good.”
Grocery stores are another obstacle, with the major wine distributors using their leverage to gain more shelf space for their products while pushing out other winemakers, Escover said.
“What I did not know was that they would come in and say to store owners, ‘If you want Prisoner, then you have to take this other wine, too,’” she said. “It means that small wineries like ours have less chance to find shelf space in the big supermarkets.”
But Escover has an iron-bound desire to keep her father’s vineyard going, the help of a world-class winemaker, and the marketing and design sense to make Idyll Time stand out in the crowd.
“I asked Nathan when we started to give me five years to make this a successful business,” she said. “I am determined to do it, and more importantly, we have really great wines to promote. All I am asking from anybody—restaurants, grocery stores, or wine enthusiasts—is to give our wines a try. And I know they will fall in love with them.”
The Wines of Idyll Time Wine
2020 Idyll Time Firebird Zinfandel ($45) – Named partly from the idea of a phoenix rising from the ashes, this wine celebrates Idyll Time Vineyards not suffering any smoke damage in the recent fires. The wine is anything but smokey, with a light aroma of pomegranate and pepper. It has a full mouthfeel with balanced tannins, a little tartness, and an elegant finish with more pepper at the end. Escover’s penchant for fruitiness is less apparent with this wine, which trades some of the fruit for a mature and deeper flavor. An excellent wine to go with Christmas turkey or ham, it is also bold enough to stand up to heavier dishes like pasta with red sauce or pizza. Very adaptable and very delicious.
2020 Idyll Time Manifestation Syrapinot ($25) – I was present at the blending of this wine and was surprised with how effortlessly it came together under the guidance of DeRose. And the wine lives up to my memory of that day. A blend of 35% syrah and 65% pinot noir, the aroma is a subtle mix of cranberry and dried tobacco. The wine leads with dark cherries that move to citrus and berries with slight acid notes that give it added brightness, and it finishes with a lingering oaky dryness. This is not a serious wine for those moments when you are deep in portentous thoughts about the nature of the universe as you smoke cigars by a fire. It is, instead, a lighthearted wine made for sipping while lying on the grass (weather permitting) and observing butterflies while eating chocolate truffles. It is an eminently fun wine and is my pick of the ones I tasted.
2020 Idyll Time Mysteria Syrah ($65) – This is a more full-bodied wine that still maintains the smoothness and luxurious finish of the Syrapinot. The fruit here is raspberry with a modest peppery burn at the back of the throat and just enough tannin to bind and ground the taste. It is elegant while still maintaining a rustic quality that makes for very comfortable drinking. This is a very good dinner wine, and would pair well with grilled portobello mushrooms, some good barbecue, roast lamb, or a nice slice of chocolate cake.
2020 “Shiners” ($25) – Intended for restaurants, private labeling, and gift packaging, these bottles lack a front label and can be customized for delivery. There is a full-bodied red blend, made with syrah and zinfandel, which is a perfect steak or pizza wine and an amusingly rambunctious zinfandel that starts off very smooth but offers a playful brashness toward the finish.
But the star here is the pinot noir. “I had people trying the Syrapinot and asking why we just didn’t have a pinot, as well,” Escover said. “So I decided to have some of the pinot bottled so restaurants could put their own labels on it. And this is a great pinot—the grapes are just unbelievable.” As with the other Idyll Time wines, this pinot has a supple, bountiful fruit flavor front and center that evokes sunshine, blossoms on the tree, and springtime with a long, complex finish that makes you want more. It is a gorgeous wine and could stand as the younger brother to the pinots of Cienega Valley. The Syrapinot is my favorite, but this one is certainly a must-try.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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