| Score: |
95 RP.
"Consistently spectacular in the capable, meticulous winemaking hands at Turley Cellars, the 2013 Zinfandel Ueberroth Vineyard comes from one of the oldest Zinfandel vineyards in California (planted in 1885). The ungrafted, head-trained vines from steep limestone slopes just down the road from Justin Smith’s Saxum Winery have produced a monster and a fascinating Zinfandel in 2013 . . . . the wine displays deep black raspberry and black cherry fruit, hints of crushed rock, and fresh acidity that is no doubt attributable to the pH of the limestone soils. The wine, in spite of its relatively lofty alcohol, comes across as remarkably elegant, concentrated, and stunningly proportioned. This [is a] full-bodied tour de force in Zinfandel winemaking . . . . 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 |