Turley Wine Cellars Old Vines Zinfandel 2017
- Vintage
- 2017
- Country
- USA
- Region
- US-California
- Size
- 750ml
- Grapes
- Zinfandel
- Rating
- WA92, WS90
Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, the 2017 Zinfandel Old Vines features exotic spice accents over a core of blueberry and boysenberry compote, crushed black cherries and berries with notes of cinnamon stick and potpourri. Medium to full-bodied, it has loads of spicy black and blue fruits in the mouth with firm, ripe tannins to frame and juicy acidity, finishing long and very spicy. Drink: 2018~2025- WA92
Sleek and briary, with generous black cherry, licorice and toasty spice flavors. Drink now through 2024. - WE90
The 2017 Old Vines smells like one of my all-time favorite, most vivid summer memories: picking the blackberry bushes that line our Estate vineyard in St. Helena in the late afternoon. Warm and perfectly ripe, these berries were destined for a pie, if I could hold off on eating all of them before I walked back home. Hailing from over 20 ancient vineyards across California and aged in only 10% new oak, the wine has all those bright, pure berry fruit notes and more; the elegant, grown-up version of that Rockwellian memory. Intensely satiating and polished on the palate, with the kind of natural depth, complexity, and grace that can only come from truly old vines. - Winemaker's Notes
Turley's style embraces the full-bodied, robust, and fruit-dominant potential of Zinfandel when grown in Californian heat. The approach has been to bring the fruit to full physiological ripeness which can lead to high alcohol levels – in hot years some of Turley's wines have been as high as 18 percent alcohol.
History
The business was established in 1993 by Larry Turley. Turley, a founder of Frog's Leap Winery in Rutherford, wanted a smaller, more intimate production size, and wanted to work with old vines.
Turley sold his shares in Frog's Leap to begin his own winery with the help of his sister Helen Turley, a notable Californian wine consultant and winemaker. Helen acted as winemaker until 1995 when she went back to consulting and Ehren Jordan assumed the winemaking role.
Jordan left Turley in 2013 when the position was taken by his protégé, Tegan Passalacqua.
Vineyards
The estate makes around 30 wines from 35 different vineyards, split roughly in half between estate-owned land and long-term leases. The focus has been on reviving old vines.
Some of the vineyards are more than 100 years old, including the Hayne and Ueberroth vineyards, planted in 1902 and 1885 respectively.
Wineries and cellar doors
Turley now has two wineries – one in Templeton in Paso Robles, and the other in St Helena in Napa. A cult following and moderate production volumes – around 16,000 cases a year – means that the majority of the wines are sold through mailing list with a two-year wait list.
The company also has two cellar doors – one in Paso Robles, south of San Francisco, and one in Amador County, east of the city. - Information from Wine Searcher