I don’t get to write much about Turley in this blog, as most of their wines fall outside the “Central Coast” theme. I presented some Turley Pesenti Vineyard wines from Paso Robles back in December (https://decantingmonterey.com/turley-pesenti-a-whole-other-reason-to-love-paso-robles-wines/ ). During Christmas week, we opened a Turley Zinfandel from Contra Costa County – stretching the limits of the Central Coast AVA!
I don’t know that much about the Contra Costa County AVA but I found this description on Wine Searcher here: “Contra Costa County is an AVA directly east of San Francisco Bay in California’s Central Coast AVA. Once a prolific wine-growing region, the county is home to some century-old plantings of Zinfandel, Mourvedre and Carignan that produce rustic, earthy and leathery styles of red wine.
“The county sits on the edge of the San Francisco and Suisun bays at the entrance to where the Sacramento Delta begins to weave its way inland towards Lodi. Livermore Valley is directly south of Contra Costa County, and the city of San Francisco across the bay gives the county its name – contra costa meaning ‘opposite shore’ in Spanish…
“The quality soils of Contra Costa County are the defining feature of its terroir. Gnarled old vines were planted 100 years ago on deep, sandy soils that have restricted yields, particularly as the vines have aged. Deep and free-draining, the sand offers little resistance to wandering root systems, and the lack of water in the ground means that the vines produce small, concentrated berries with thick skins. This in turn leads to concentrated wines with firm tannins and excellent structure.”
2017 Turley Zinfandel Salvador Vineyard, Contra Costa County, 15.9% ABV, $38** (#224*)
About Turley Zinfandel Salvador Vineyard from www.turleywinecellars.com: “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.”
Winemaker Notes: “The Salvador feels like truly old-school California, reminiscent of what wine might’ve tasted like when it was first made from these vines well over 120 years ago! Aromas of dark berries, peach skin, sandalwood & leather make this one of the most intriguing iterations of Salvador to date. The palate is intensely concentrated, co-mingled with an energizing acidity. These ancient, ungrafted vines in sandy soils make for some of the suavest tannins and most elongated finishes around.”
Wine Spectator Review – 89 points: “Briary and loaded with zesty pepper, smoky plum and eucalyptus flavors that build speed toward mildly rustic tannins. Drink now through 2023. 545 cases made.” TF, 2018
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate highly rates other vintages giving the 2014 and 2017 94 points and the 2016, 95 points.
My Review of the 2015: Vanilla and spice on the nose, berry and cedar on the palate. Spice on the finish. Could be that sandalwood and eucalyptus! December 2020
**I bought this through their mailing list at the prices above. Found this wine at Napa Cabs for $65. Take a look at Turley’s special packs open to everyone – very good opportunity to get some Turley in your wine cellar. They will ship wine and do tasting room pickups (Paso Robles and Amador). https://www.turleywinecellars.com/shop/?view=products&slug=PTRRemotePurchases. No tastings available right now.
*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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