Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2012 Turley Zinfandel Pesenti 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.

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.

Crimson in color. 16.2% ABV. Heady nose of ripe red fruits, licorice and pepper. Full bodied with ample acidity and a touch of heat. Big, modern and plush. Black cherry, raspberry liqueur, baking spice and pepper on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Delicious and easy to drink but probably best served at cellar temperature. Best over the next 1-2 years.

My rating: 92 points.

The 2019 vintage of Pesenti will be released early next year.

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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