Turley Wine Cellars Old Vines Zinfandel - 2014 (750ml)

Another relatively big cuvée for Turley is their 2014 Zinfandel Old Vines (15.5% alcohol) that comes from bits and pieces of parcels that are impressive terroirs, but individually too small to bottle separately. Hence, they are blended together, yet represent vineyards between 41 and 130 years old! This juicy wine offers loads of raspberry and briary fruit, a full-bodied mouthfeel, good purity, zesty acidity and ripe tannin. Layered and rich, it is a satisfying, lusty Zinfandel to drink over the next 4-5 years. All told there are seven Zinfandels from Napa Valley, ranging from Atlas Peak in the south, to Howell Mountain in mid-valley, to the estate vineyard just north of St. Helena. As one might expect, all of these are remarkable Zinfandels. Something new from Turley are their three cuvées of Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Dragon Vineyard from Howell Mountain, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Turley Estate Vineyard and the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Montecillo Vineyard from Sonoma. Great winemaking for Zinfandel certainly seems to translate well when it comes to dealing with Cabernet Sauvignon, at least in the case of Larry Turley and his staff. Turley continues to excel with probably the most underrated grape in California, Petite Sirah. It is the ultimate antioxidant red wine grape, taking forever to shed tannin and be approachable, but lasting easily, in the best cases, for 20-30 or more years. I tasted five cuvées of Petite Sirah from Turley (and remember, they spell “Sirah” as “Syrah”). What is remarkable is that these wines are all significantly lower in alcohol than the Zinfandels or even the Cabernet Sauvignons. The first three Petite Sirahs from the Turley estate are from the Library Vineyard and Pesenti Vineyard, all tipping the scales at 14.4% alcohol, with the Rattlesnake ridge at 15% and the Hayne Vineyard about the same.
Robert Parker - 91 points