It’s been a long while since I’ve presented a Central Coast Turley – and this is a good one. We got this wine when released for $32 as a Turley Mailing List Member, a bargain for the quality.
I last brought you a Contra Costa County wine – another Turley – back in January: https://decantingmonterey.com/turley-salvador-1896-now-those-are-old-vines/
About Turley: “Turley Wine Cellars was founded in Napa Valley by former emergency room physician Larry Turley in 1993. Under the direction of winemaker Tegan Passalacqua, Turley now makes 50 different wines from over 50 vineyards across California, primarily Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, with many vines dating back to the late 1800s. By farming organically and focusing on old vine vineyards of these varieties, Turley aims to both create and preserve California’s unique winemaking culture.”
2016 Turley Zinfandel Duarte Vineyard, Contra Costa County, 15.6% ABV, $54 (#425*)
About Duarte Vineyard from Turley.com: “This wine is an homage to Joe Duarte, a prominent grape grower in Contra Costa who first introduced Turley to the incredible vineyards of the area. The wine is comprised of fruit from the turn-of-the-century Evangehlo, Mori, and Salvador vineyards, planted between 1890 and 1960.Thanks to the sandy soils and impressive age of the vines, the wine has some of the softest, silkiest tannins we’ve ever seen in a Zinfandel.”
Wine Advocate – 91 points: “From old vines growing in sand in Contra Costa County, the 2016 Zinfandel Duarte Vineyard offers up aromas of sweet cherries, raspberries, red fruit preserve, bay leaf and licorice. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, generous and fleshy, with rich, youthfully chewy structuring tannins and considerable concentration, depth and matter.” William Kelley 09/2018
My Review: Deep ruby, almost purple in the glass. Huge palate bursting with blackberry and cassis with a little cocoa. The cocoa continues into the finish, wrapping up with a touch of tobacco. This is a fabulous Turley. I would rate this wine 93 points. July 2021
While this vintage seems unavailable, the 2018 is available at MacArthur’s for $42. Buy and hold a little. And Robert Parker rates the 2019 (not yet released) 94 points! You can also shop online from Turley’s two tasting rooms or join its mailing list here: https://www.turleywinecellars.com/remotepurchases. Turley tasting rooms are open! Check it out and make a reservation here.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
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