Zinfandel With Christina Turley

"Life is hell without Zinfandel", an American saying goes. I´m not surely I agree whole hearted but I like to drink the odd bottle of Zinfandel from time to time, and when I got an invitation from Divine to meet Christina Turley and taste the wines from Turley, I jumped at the chance.

Christina, who is daughter of Larry Turely, who founded the estate in 1993, presented the wines and the philosphy of the estate with knowledge, humour and lots of charm.

2014 White Zinfandel
This is a relatively new wine from the estate, the first vintage was 2011. The 2014 has a cool, light and fresh nose with notes of ripening raspberries, liquorice and crushed rocks. Good.
The taste is dry and fresh with notes of red currants, liquorice and minerals. Very nice in a light, upfront way.
86p   (tasted 2016/02)

2013 Juvenile Zinfandel
The youngster in the line up - grapes from young vines - shows a dry, seedy nose with notes of diesel, plums and chewing tobacco. Some wood smoke. Good.
The taste is big and somewhat fiery with notes of dark plums, tobacco and liquorice. A medium long, dense finish. A touch burly, should get better in 1-2 years.
85p   (tasted 2016/02)

2013 Old Vines Zinfandel
The Old Vine wine is much better than the young version. The nose is deep and meaty with notes of black plums, dark chocolate, sweet flowers and figs. Very good.
The taste is tight and full bodied with notes of plum marmelade, chocolate and warm rocks. Long and fairly intense. Really nice.
90p   (tasted 2016/02)

2012 Kirschenmann Zinfandel
This sports a deep, concentrated nose with notes of blackberries, diesel, sweet liquorice and a camp fire. Very, very good. Ripe but holding things together.
The taste is big and brawny with a firm backbone. Great notes of ripe plums, blueberries, dark chocolate and figs. The finish is long and obliging. Very, very good.
92p   (tasted 2016/02)

2012 Vineyard 101 Zinfandel
This vineyard was planted around 1920 and the grapes delivers a wine with a deep, ripe nose with notes of blackberries, raspberry liquorice, dark perfume and sweet minerals. Intriguing and fine.
The taste is steady and dark with notes of blueberry pie, (over)ripe raspberries, tobacco and crushed rocks. At the end of the long finish there are som hefty tannins present. Should work wonders with a juicy steak.
91p   (tasted 2016/02)

2012 Zampatti Vineyard Zinfandel
The Zampatti shows a ripe, almost over the top nose with notes of blackberry jam, paint and chocolate mousse. Very, very big, maybe a tad so.
The taste is very intense, jammy and tight with notes of blackberries, dark chocolate, figs and moist earth. Very long and very fiery, again, a tad so. Maybe a bit to much for feeble me...
87p   (tasted 2016/02)

2012 Judge Bell Zinfandel
The Judge Bell wine turned out to be my favourite in the line up, beacuse of the noose on the label... The nose oozes up from the glass with lovely notes of forest raspberries, crushed rocks, Cigar smoke and lots of sweet flowers. Complex and deep. This is really fine. There is Carignan and Grenache in the blend.
The taste is young, tight and focused with notes of ripe red plums, dried flowers sun warm rocks and a touch of Cigar. A long, structured finish with an excellent balance. Great wine.
94p   (tasted 2016/02)

2013 Pesenti Zinfandel
Also a Zinfandel, Carignan and Grenache blend, this lovely wine showcase a deep nose with notes of ripe blueberries, diesel fumes, minerals and liquorice. A very fine sweetness to the fruit. Very, very good.
The taste is big and forward with notes of more ripe cherries instead of the usual blue- and blackberries, with additional notes of warm tiles, tobacco and leather. Long and warm. The acidity shows more in this one than in the others, giving it a different taste profile. Very, very good.
91p   (tasted 2016/02)

2013 Fredericki Vineyard Zinfandel
A big, powerful, intense nose with notes of figs, raw rubber, smoke and sweet minerals. Verging on Port on the nose. Very deep.
The taste is very big and broad with notes of chocolate covered blackberries, wood smoke, burnt rubber and crushed rocks. The finish is very long and in the end there are some alcohol popping through. Although good this is not really my cup of tea.
87p   (tasted 2016/02)

2012 Estate Petite Syrah
With the last three we changed profile an structure of the wines. The 2012 Estate Petite Syrah sports a deep, peppery nose with notes of tomatoe juice, violets, meat and crowberries. Very interesting. And good!
The taste is young, tight and peppery with notes of sweet lingonberries, veal stock, violets and cigarette ashes. Long and seedy. Very, very good.
91p   (tasted 2016/02)

2012 Hayne Vineyard Petite Syrah
The 12 Hayne is a stunner! The nose is very focused and intense with notes of dried blueberries, sweet violets, flowers and a whole gas station. Impressive. A high, pure nose with lots to offer for the future.
The taste is very young and concentrated with notes of ripe blueberries, crushed black pepper, violets and ink. The finish goes on for minutes. This will need serious time in the cellar. Great wine in the making.
93p   (tasted 2016/02)

2006 Hayne Vineyard Petite Syrah
The 6 year older version is also a stunner! The nose has more or less the same characteristics as the 12 but time has rounded of the edges somewhat. A lovely nose full of rubber, fire smoke and rubber - yummy!
The taste is more on the same page as the 12 in that it doesn´t seem to have aged a bit - very intense, very long and very impressive. Built for ages. Really, really fine.
93p   (tasted 2016/02)