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 28 separate Zinfandels 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.
Pesenti Vineyard, in Paso Robles, is estate-owned and certified organic. The vineyard was planted by the Turley team using cuttings from the Hayne vineyard.
Dark crimson in color. 15.8% ABV. Awesome nose of red fruits, baking spices, peach and pepper. Medium body with mouth watering acidity. Perfectly balanced. Absolutely bursting with bright, juicy fruits. Cherry, strawberry, raspberry compote and white pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. This has aged beautifully and paired incredibly well with homemade pizza. Best over the next year.
My rating: 95 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 a tasting room in Paso Robles. If you are not on the mailing list, this is an easy way to secure bottles and should not to be missed if you are in the area.