Cellar Management

Pick My Next Bottle – 2014 Old Vine Zinfandel

The January installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Old Vine Zinfandel from the 2014 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.

2014 was an exceptional year California Zinfandel producers. The contenders in this version of Pick My Next Bottle should be entering a period where they are drinking well for the foreseeable future. The vineyards represented have tremendous pedigree and all date back almost 100 years if not longer. Polls are open until Sunday afternoon.

The Contenders

  • 2014 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard –  Another spectacular wine from an iconic vineyard is the 2014 Zinfandel Monte Rosso. This is from a huge vineyard of nearly 350 acres with lots of different parcels and the famous red soils. The dense ruby/purple 2014 Monte Rosso, which is largely Zinfandel, shows terrific, briary black raspberry and black cherry fruit, superb concentration, licorice, Mediterranean herbs, meat, earth, and a peppery, spicy finish. There is a touch of Alicante Bouschet in the blend, but the Zinfandel is the dominant varietal. Virtually all of this wine is made from dry-farmed vineyards planted in the late 1800s, and Morgan Twain-Peterson believes it can last for decades, although most of us will never be able to defer gratification from this full-bodied, ripe, heady wine that long.  94 points from the Wine Advocate.
  • 2014 Carlisle Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard – The 2014 Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard is a deep, powerful wine. Rich, ample and exquisitely layered, the 2014 exudes class and pedigree. Sweet red cherry, pine, mint, sweet tobacco and cedar add aromatic nuance, but it is the wine’s texture and depth that are the main signatures. The 2014 has a very bright future. Sadly, this is the last vintage of Hayne for Carlisle, as Mike Officer lost access to the fruit. 94 points from Vinous.
  • 2014 Turley Zinfandel Pesenti Vineyard – From the pure white soils/limestone terroir emerges the 2014 Zinfandel Pesenti Vineyard (15.8% alcohol). This is a warm area, but with cold soils, and the result is one of the great classics of Zinfandel from the Central Coast. The intensity of flavor, the colossal richness and the full-bodied power are totally concealed beneath a cascade of fruit. This multidimensional wine reveals gorgeous minerality, loads of black and red fruits, and even a hint of spring flowers. This is a stunner that is layered, extremely long, pure and heady. 96 points from the Wine Advocate.

Which 2014 Old Vine Zinfandel Should I Open?

  • 2014 Turley Zinfandel Pesenti Vineyard (44%, 24 Votes)
  • 2014 Carlisle Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard (35%, 19 Votes)
  • 2014 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard (20%, 11 Votes)

Total Voters: 54

Loading ... Loading ...

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 February installment of Pick My Next Bottle.

If you enjoyed this post please consider subscribing to Zinfandel Chronicles updates by email.

Tagged , ,

8 thoughts on “Pick My Next Bottle – 2014 Old Vine Zinfandel

  1. 2014 Turley Pesenti Vineyard is my pick. Curious how Zinfandel from the Pesenti Vineyard compares to Zinfandel from the Ueberroth Vineyard. Cheers Tom!

  2. They’re all great wines. I order from Carlisle every year but don’t have the Hayne Vineyard from 2014, so I’d like to hear about your experience with it.

    We had a 2013 Carlisle Zinfandel Mendocino Ridge – Dupratt Vineyard last night. Everyone thought it was delicious.

  3. Carlisle. It was literally a coin flip between it and Turley. Almost bought that specific Bedrock last week, but grabbed a Big Basin GSM to satisfy the craving.

  4. All great wines but I gotta go with the Pesenti. Mostly because I feel like the other bottles need more time before they’ll be showing their best and the Turley should be in a really good spot. Looking forward to the note Tom!

Leave a Comment