Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2014 Turley Zinfandel Fredericks Vineyard – Bottle Notes

Turley Wine Cellars was founded in 1993 by Larry Turley and specializes in small lots of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from some of California’s most historic and treasured vineyards. Turley now makes right around 50 separate wines from 47 different vineyards, some with vines that date back to the late 1800’s. Tegan Passalacqua is the Director of Winemaking at Turley and has been instrumental in revitalizing the brand.

Planted in 1937, Fredericks Vineyard is just a mile and a half from the Napa border on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas, located in the Moon Mountain AVA.

Crimson in color. 15.8% ABV. Sublime nose of ripe red and black fruits, molten licorice and pepper. Medium to full bodied with ample acidity. Exceptionally rich and plush. Blackberry, raspberry liqueur, cocoa and white pepper on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Big, bold delicious Zinfandel. Not for the faint of heart but I am a fan. Best over the next 1-2 years.

My rating: 92 points.

With all due respect to Carlisle, Turley is arguably the best Zinfandel producer in California. Certainly the scale of the operation is second to none. Exceptional vineyards sources throughout the state of California and no detail spared in the winemaking process. The wines are simply better than ever.

Turley wines are available via the mailing list and periodically at retail. Turley has tasting rooms in both Amador and Paso Robles. If you are not on the mailing list, this is an easy way to secure bottles. Both are not to be missed if you are in the area.

Turley fared well in The 2020 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.

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5 thoughts on “2014 Turley Zinfandel Fredericks Vineyard – Bottle Notes

  1. Tom, I am a Zinfandel fan and stumbled onto your blog site yesterday and I am impressed. I am sure that you have thought this through in the past, but why don’t you include the price point in your notes on these wines? This is a consideration for the average wine drinker/collector. I am needing to go to the winery web sites and crawl around to get a price on these. As I have experience with Napa, Sonoma, and Walla Walla cabernet sauvignon, you can find a good or excellent bottle for $20-$40 or up to $250-$300. It really helps to know up front which rabbit to chase.

    1. First of all, glad you found my blog and hope you continue reading. When a winery provides me samples I always include the price in the review. On wines I pull from my cellar like the 2014 Turley Fredericks that hasn’t been my practice because the wine is likely no longer available. Sometimes I do try to note what the current vintage of the wine would cost. To your point maybe I could be more consistent here. IIRC the current vintage of Fredericks is in the $38-$42 range.

  2. We have discovered a producer in the Columbia Gorge @ Hood River making an excellent Zin. He bought a property and discovered old abandoned Zinfandel plantings. He restored the vineyards and is making an Old Vines Zinfandel from The Pines Winery in Hood River, OR. Have you tried it?

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