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.
From Amador vines that average 80 years in age the wine is named for Judge Bell, who presided over town of Plymouth during its Gold Rush heyday.
Crimson in color. 15.6% ABV. Heady nose of red fruits, raisin, baking spices and flowers. Medium body with medium acidity. Just a touch of heat present. Strawberry, raspberry liqueur, watermelon Jolly Rancher and pepper on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. I’m a huge fan of the Turley Zins from Amador but this one just misses the mark. Best over the next 1-2 years.
My rating: 89 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. Not to be missed if you are in the area.
Nice review, Tom. Hard to see the vintage on the bottle. 2023? At this moment I’m slowly sipping a glass of 2023 Turley Zinfandel Juvenile with a bacon, blue cheese burger at Gott’s Roadside (Farmer’s Market on 3rd St. and Fairfax) in Los Angeles. Good burger. Very tasty wine. Smooth and flavorful with a decent amount of complexity despite the young vines. Drinking beautifully right now. 91 points for me.
How did I not know of the Gott’s in LA? I’ll put it on my list for an upcoming visit in Sept. BTW it’s clearly hard to get a good photo of those Turley labels.
Yeah, those Turley labels make it tough to get clear photos. I need to talk to Turley about their label graphics.
The above comment in the Turkey Juvenile was from me, Peter Zachar, Tom. The “log in” doesn’t seem to be working today. Peter
Ahh, my bad, Tom. I see 2021 in the title to your post. Peter