Turley Whitney Tennessee Vineyard Zinfandel 2016
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Robert
Parker
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Winemaker Notes
Everything old is new again, and this wine is no exception. This small, estate-owned, pre-Prohibition vineyard was purchased by the winery in 2009, and we’ve been slowly but surely repairing the soils through organic methods until the wine was ready to make its debut, six years later. Planted on loam and various gravel soils, the Whitney Tennessee vineyard—named for one of Larry’s four daughters—is a mixed planting as well, with small amounts of Petite Syrah and Carignane vines sprinkled throughout. Long-time Turley followers may remember a wine with the same name from the mid1990’s, though this is a different vineyard source, located just off Alexander Valley Road in Sonoma.
Dense dark blue and purple fruits lead off on the nose, followed swiftly by a bright, vibrant lift and a hint of wet stones. We have both the age of the vines and the cool climate of the site to thank for the wine’s vivacious acidity on the palate, as well as the fine-grained texture and juicy, almost saline and deeply-flavorful fruit. Drinking great now!
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From an alluvial site that was formerly exploited by Ravenswood, the 2016 Zinfandel Whitney Tennessee Vineyard reveals aromas of smoky plums, red cherries and dried herbs. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, firm and chewy, with a concentrated core of fruit and lively acids. The most claret-like wine in the Turley portfolio, it will demand a couple years of bottle age.
Rating: 93+
Other Vintages
2015-
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Turley Wine Cellars was founded in 1993 by Larry Turley and makes forty-seven wines, the vast majority of which are single vineyard designate Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs. By focusing on old vine vineyards in particular, Turley aims to both create and preserve California’s unique winemaking culture.
All of Turley’s vineyards are either certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers or somewhere in the process, and the winery uses all natural yeasts in the fermentations.
Turley aims to be stewards of some of California’s most distinctive vineyards, producing authentic wines that reflect their heritage.
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.