Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2010 Turley Zinfandel Dragon 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.

Dragon Vineyard is a certified organic, estate vineyard. Planted at 2400 feet at one of the highest points on Howell Mountain.

Dark crimson in color. 15.3% ABV. Exquisite nose of brambly red and black fruits, baking spices, anise and pepper. Full bodied with ample acidity. Well balanced. Big and plush with fruit in spades. Raspberry liqueur, black cherry, earth and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Just a delicious Zinfandel from a challenging vintage that keeps you coming back for more. Best over the next year or so.

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 2018 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.

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