Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A new offering, the 2002 Zinfandel Dante Dusi Vineyard is a 650-case cuvee tipping the scales at 16.5% alcohol. This Amarone-styled, deep ruby/purple-colored Zinfandel reveals dark earthy fruits along with hints of figs, raisins, plums, and prunes, abundant sweetness from high glycerin, excellent density, and tremendous purity for such a dry table wine. It may be one of the few Turley Zinfandels I would prefer to have with cheese at the end of the meal.
Range:90-93 -
Wine Spectator
Bright, deep red. Explosive aromas of black cherry, plum and licorice, with liqueur-like ripeness. Sweet, thick and velvety, with an impressive core of raspberry fruit. Very large-scaled, concentrated zinfandel with a distinctly syrupy ripeness but firm supporting acidity.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.