Winemaker Notes
Salvador Vineyard in Contra Costa County is a paragon of old vine Zinfandel. These organically farmed vines were planted on their own roots in 1896. The roots are free to roam deeply as the soil is solid sand for 40 feet down. The wine is stunning: suave, complex and powerfully elegant.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple, the 2019 Zinfandel Salvador Vineyard is scented of fresh red and black berries with notes of soil, dried flowers and licorice. The medium-bodied palate is smooth and juicy, with a bright fruit character that serves to lift the wine, and it finishes long and perfumed.
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Wine & Spirits
Turley’s last vintage from Salvador Vineyard brings out what Tegan Passalacqua thought to be the textbook expression of the site—a dusty, windblown mineral texture that infused the fruit. it’s ripe, to be sure—the crushed berry, fig and black plum flavors are heady and posh, which is a hallmark of Turley’s style. The flavors are fleshy and suave, the tannins polished by lavish oak treatment, but with a fine grained, mineral back note.
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.