How the Pandemic Pushed a Texas A&M Grad to Create a Winery With His Family — Parable Wines Emerges From a Fire

Editor’s note: James Brock loves to talk about wine with people who share his passion for it. They open bottles, swap stories about travel, winemakers, terroir and residual sugar, and discuss taste, food and restaurants. They recommend wines, they drink, they learn. In Wine Talk, Brock introduces you to friends, acquaintances and fellow travelers in the wine world — people who love to taste as much as he does. You’ll enjoy their insights, he hopes, and learn something along the way, too.

Wine and family. I love those two words. They make my mind wander to Germany, where I first began learning about and drinking wine (riesling, natürlich). I moved there when my father, who was in the U.S. Air Force, was assigned to Europe.

Those words also bring back memories of visiting wineries and meeting the families who founded them — families who poured their energy and love into their land and bottles. One is lucky indeed if family and wine are there for you.

I recently met a wine family from Austin. They now own a piece of property in Calistoga, California — 10.5 acres once known as the Dutch Henry Winery. The Glass Fire devastated most of the estate’s infrastructure, but a cave was spared. This family, the Epprights, has big plans for the property. Enter Parable Wines.

From Austin Roots to Napa Vines

But first, a brief introduction: Fred Eppright, the owner of a commercial real estate firm in Austin, has a son named Trey. Trey took his first sip of wine in 1999 0r 2000, at age 15 (one sip only, of course). Later, he immersed himself in all things wine, especially Wine Library TV. By 2013, after traveling, tasting and learning, he decided to make a career of it.

In 2021, the Epprights — Fred, his wife Paula and their sons Trey and Matt — purchased the Calistoga property that had been home to the Dutch Henry Winery. That’s when the big plans truly began.

Trey, a Texas A&M graduate, spent some time in Oregon in 2020 working for a friend who ran a farm supplying local restaurants with produce. He loved the work — digging into the soil and growing things. Those practices served him well when he persuaded his father to buy the property and start making wine.

Of the 10.5 acres on the Parable estate, 2.4 originally hosted syrah. Those vines have been replaced with cabernet sauvignon. The Epprights, along with winemaker Kale Anderson, hope to bottle their first estate vintage in 2025 or 2026. In the meantime, Trey and Kale have been sourcing fruit from other plots, including the Vangone Vineyard, the Ritchie Vineyard and the Beckstoffer Bourn Vineyard. Parable has also signed a five-year sourcing contract with the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. The 2024 vintage of this cabernet sauvignon, crafted from that famed (and expensive) fruit, will be released in 2027.

If you’re interested in Parable’s current offerings, they include a 2021 Beckstoffer Bourn cabernet sauvignon, a 2021 Vangone cabernet sauvignon and 2022 chardonnays from Ritchie Vineyard and Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard. You can find them in this section of the winery’s site. For now, the team uses a custom crush facility for production, but plans to move everything to their property and make full use of the 4,400-square-foot cave.

In the latest Wine Talk, Trey Eppright shares his insights.

Tell us about three wines you think are drinking well at the moment. What makes them worthwhile? How about a food pairing for each?

The 2021 Parable Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon ($225) is drinking beautifully now. It’s a classic Atlas Peak Cab. I’d pair it with barbecued pork ribs and beef brisket — and not just because I’m from Texas.

The 2022 Parable Ritchie Creek Chardonnay ($90) from Russian River is stunning. Fermented in a concrete egg rather than oak barrels, it has wonderful complexity. I’d enjoy it with raw oysters or a flaky white fish in lemon butter sauce.

The third isn’t a Parable wine but deserves a mention: the 2012 Maya Dalla Valle Red Blend. It’s a 50-50 blend of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon, crafted from exceptional soils. It’s everything you’d want in a wine. Funnily enough, I paired it with pork and beef tacos. (Editor’s note: While not many bottles of this vintage are on the market, a quick search found a few priced around $450. JJ Buckley is selling the 2020 vintage for $599.)

How did COVID-19 change your life, both personally and professionally?

Because of COVID-19, I ended up with a winery in Napa Valley. My life couldn’t have changed more. During the pandemic, I moved to Oregon and got into farming. Then I moved to California, where my family and I bought a winery — Parable. If not for COVID-19, I probably would have stayed in Austin, where I grew up, trying to figure out my life. The pandemic helped me figure a lot out.

If cost was no consideration, tell us the one bottle you would add to your personal collection, and why?

DRC (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) Échezeaux Grand Cru. I paid $2,000 for a bottle, which was 30 percent below market. I thought, “I guess I have to.” La Tache (also from DRC) and Salon Cuvee ‘S’ Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne would be amazing, too. It’s a toss-up — there are just too many great wines.

What is your favorite grape and why? If you don’t have a favorite, tell me about one that you’re especially passionate about?

I don’t have a favorite — that would be boring. But if you forced me to choose, I’d say syrah. I’m also super passionate about chardonnay. But syrah is so versatile; it shows terroir exceptionally well, offering a real sense of place. It’s also a fun grape to work with because as a winemaker, your input has a big impact. Chardonnay is fascinating, too, since it’s used to make both Champagne and still wines.

How about one bottle that our readers should buy now to cellar for 10 years, to celebrate a birth, anniversary or other red-letter day? It can be one of your wines, but it doesn’t have to be.

The 2018 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon from the MacDonald brothers’ section of the To-Kalon Vineyard. It has incredible power and energy, but it needs a 12-hour decant. As far as Napa Valley vineyards go, it’s an amazing, near-perfect wine. It just needs 10 years in the bottle to truly shine. (Editor’s note: Angry Wine Merchant is selling this vintage for $1,095. This wine should age wonderfully for decades.)

Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle (outside your home and workplace)?

V Wine Cellars in Yountville. It’s a special wine bar with couches and an incredible selection. Anything you can dream of, they’ve got it — great chardonnays, amazing Champagnes. And on Fridays after 2 pm, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet a vintner or a winemaker if you stop by.

If there was one thing you wish everyone would keep in mind when buying and drinking wine, what is it?

Enjoy it. Just enjoy it. I think we all take wine too seriously sometimes. Share it, savor it and take a second to appreciate it. Close your eyes on that first sip.

What is your “wine eureka moment” — the incident, taste or encounter that put you and wine on an intimate plane forever?

The first sip of wine I’d ever had changed the direction of my life. It was the 1993 Dom Pérignon Champagne, sometime in 1999 or 2000. The whole experience stuck with me: a lawyer had won a big case and brought it to this place. There was Dom stuffed into a commercial ice maker. I was only allowed to have one glass — after all, I was 15 — but it was unforgettable.

What has been the strangest moment or incident involving wine that you’ve experienced in your career?

I shared a bottle of 1982 Salon with Lady Gaga’s bandleader, Brian Newman, in Las Vegas. He was performing after one of Gaga’s shows, and the next day, I found myself seated next to him at brunch. I handed him a glass of the Salon, and we became fast friends — playing blackjack and sharing a joint.

Your favorite wine reference in a work of literature (fiction, film, poem, etc)?

“Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life’s most civilized pleasures.” It’s by Michael Broadbent, a British wine critic and wine writer. The quote perfectly sums up one of my favorite pastimes — something I’m lucky to enjoy often.

For more wine, travel and others stories from James Brock, check out Mise en Place.