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96 RP. "From a high-elevation vineyard in Atlas Peak, the 2013 Zinfandel Mead Ranch has its origins at a site planted in 1880, although Larry Turley’s block dates only from 1970. The vines are head-pruned and the soils purely volcanic. One the profound Zinfandels from Turley in 2013, this wine is locked-and-loaded, so to speak – powerful, packed, rich, and full-bodied, with blackberry, blueberry, black raspberry and cherry fruit in abundance. It is obviously full-bodied, thick, even unctuously textured, while it seems to have slightly less acidity than some of the other cuvées – or at least, that’s how it presents itself. This is a stunner to drink . . . . It is a great Zinfandel and one of the most sumptuous and exotic in the portfolio. Probably no one in Northern California has done more for the renaissance and resurrection of old vine Zinfandel than Larry Turley. He started Turley Cellars after selling most of his interest in Frog’s Leap Winery to his original partner, John Williams. The Turley Cellars project was founded in 1993, and is now over 20 years of age. The great thing about Larry Turley is that he’s quick to admit he’s never met an old vine he’s not fond of. As a result, they farm and buy fruit from 35 different vineyards, with some of them dating back to the late 1800s, long before Prohibition. There are at least 30-plus separate wines, and some super-talented winemakers have worked for Turley – first Ehren Jordan and more recently Tegan Passalacqua. I have praised these wines from the beginning and, to my surprise, older vintages . . . have aged remarkably well . . . . Turley’s Petite Syrahs are probably 50-year wines . . ." eRobertParker.com #218, Apr 2015 |