Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Representing the essence of Zinfandel, this wine boasts a dark saturated purple color, mind boggling fruit extract and concentration levels, compelling harmony and overall balance, particularly for a wine of such massive size, and a whoppingly long finish. The dominate characteristics are its blackberry/black raspberry/cherry liqueur-like flavors, voluptuous texture, and seamless integration of wood, alcohol, and acidity. I am not a great believer in the capability of Zinfandels to age, but this wine, although accessible now, should last well beyond a decade. Kudos to Turley!
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Wine Spectator
Here's a big, ripe mouthful of Zinfandel from a winery specializing in the variety. You can feel the energy in this seductive wine--dense, chewy and jam-packed with rich, concentrated plum, black cherry, blackberry and spice character. From a 90-year-old vineyard.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.