The February installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Old Vine Zinfandel from the the 2013 vintage. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened on Saturday and a Bottle Note will be published the following week.
2013 was an exceptional vintage for Zinfandel throughout California. The wineries featured below have meticulous Winemakers who work hard in the vineyard and I am confident in saying the wines from Bedrock, Carlisle and Turley will rarely disappoint. Pagani Ranch and Hayne Vineyard date back to the early 1900’s while Bedrock Vineyard dates back to the 1880’s. More on the vineyards on the Historic Vineyard Society website.
The Contenders:
- 2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Red Wine Pagani Ranch – The 2013 Proprietary Red Pagani Heritage rivals the incredible 2012. An ancient vineyard of mixed black grapes planted in the 1880s, this full-bodied, multifaceted wine offers a stunning display of blue, red and black fruits intermixed with floral notes, a juicy, exuberant personality, and, most importantly, a boatload of pleasure. Drink it over the next decade. 96 points from the Wine Advocate.
- 2013 Carlisle Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard – From the famous Napa Valley site in Santa Helena, the 2013 Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard (15.9% alcohol, but only a mere 216 cases produced) is a blockbuster Zinfandel. There is something magical in this wine, which in 2013 is also 100% Zinfandel from 110-year old vines. Deep ruby/purple, with a stunning nose of licorice, incense, camphor, blackberry, blueberry, kirsch and earth, the wine is majestic, full-bodied and an absolute tour de force in Zinfandel winemaking. 96 points from the Wine Advocate.
- 2013 Turley Zinfandel Bedrock Vineyard – A wine of real phenolic weight and vertical texture, the 2013 Zinfandel Bedrock Vineyard is explosive from start to finish. Iron, smoke, tobacco, savory herbs and dense red stone fruits blossom in a wine built on serious structure. In this vintage, winemaker Tegan Passalacqua gave the Bedrock three additional weeks of time on the skins, which no doubt explains much of the energy and power here. Dollops of Petite Sirah and Alicante round out a very classic-feeling Sonoma Valley field blend. 94 points from Vinous.
Which 2013 Old Vine Zinfandel Should I Open?
- 2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Red Wine Pagani Ranch (39%, 31 Votes)
- 2013 Turley Zinfandel Bedrock Vineyard (34%, 27 Votes)
- 2013 Carlise Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard (28%, 22 Votes)
Total Voters: 80
Thanks for voting! I’d love to see a comment below on why you picked one bottle over another.
Also, let me know if you have any suggestions for the March Installment of Pick My Next Bottle.
I previously ranked all these vineyards in Top 10 Old Vine Zinfandel Vineyards.
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Turley Bedrock Vineyard is my pick. Curious how Zinfandel this vineyard compares with Zinfandel from other Turley vineyards.
Peter makes a good argument for Turley, however I went with Carlisle as I’m curious about Hayne vineyard/Carlisle and more likely to drink this in the future. Even though I have all three of these producers in this vintage, yet again I do not have the wines you’ve picked. Ha!
It is unfortunate that Carlisle Hayne is no longer being made. Need to savor the few that I do have.
I voted for the Bedrock Pagani. These are arguably the 3 hottest Zinfandel winemakers today. For my taste, though, Twain-Peterson strikes the perfect balance in his wines. It’s rare for me to open any of the Bedrock wines and not find them exciting. I do like Carlisle but wish Officer would dial it back just a notch. 15.9% ABV – Woah! Anything from the Bedrock Vineyard is hugely tantalizing but that Turley wine seems like it could use some more time to let the tannins subside.
Thanks for the thoughts. Carlisle and Turley are definitely in my sweet spot for Zinfandel. I’ve been following Bedrock since day 1. I think Morgan is still honing his craft and the wines get better each and every year.
I chose the Bedrock. The thought of mixed varietals, old vine …