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Epoch Estate Wines
Brick-By-Brick Restoration Epoch Estate Wines Reconstructing Historic York Mountain Winery Hayley Thomas VINO
T
he folks at Epoch Estate Wines know that historical reconstruction is not for instant gratification seekers. Led by architect Stephen George, the winery is taking the long view as it moves — very slowly and meticulously — forward on its newest project: A brick-by-brick disassembly and restoration of historic York Mountain Winery, located on York Mountain Road in Templeton. “Every piece of [the original structure] was photographed in detail and numbered with chalk so that our team could easily go back and see where piece 33 was in relation to piece 34,” said George. “In a historic stone piece from 1882, every stone was numbered and there was a grid created on the face of the stone…this way, we can
30 Spring 2014
piece it back together exactly the way it was.” Once completed this spring, the structure is slated to house the new Epoch Estate Wines tasting room as well as a museum featuring relics and photos. A nearby stateof-the-art winery is also planned for construction. According to winery owners Bill and Liz Armstrong, the new facility will be used to process grapes sourced from the iconic Paderewski Vineyard — fitting, as the location was once a favorite winemaking facility of Polish statesman and early Paso Robles zinfandel producer Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Known widely as the first winery on the Central Coast, York Mountain Winery was a popular stop between Paso Robles and the coast before the construction of Highway 46. First named Ascension Winery, the structure was erected in 1882 by Andrew
Published by the Paso
Robles Press
Jackson York. According to historical records, each brick was hand-formed on site and enormous beams sourced from a dismantled Cayucos pier were used to construct the building. The 2003 San Simeon Earthquake severly damaged the building, leading to a condemned status. George — who has garnered multiple state and national awards for his similar historical reconstruction of Epoch Estate Wine’s Denver headquarters — is determined to bring the forgotten piece of old Paso Wine Country back to life. “The whole project is exciting for me — the historical building is going to be extremely special,” said George. At this point, George said his team has received the first round of building comments and construction is anticipated to begin in a few weeks’ time. If the team obtained a permit by mid-February, the new tasting
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