Turley 2023 Zinfandel, Old Vines

The Wine

This is a plush yet balanced Zinfandel - the very trademark of a Turley Zin. The wine offers ripe blackberry, plum, and baking spice and, despite its high alcohol (15.2%), still finishes with the experience of freshness. The 2023 vintage was moderate and steady, allowing old‑vine parcels to ripen slowly and evenly, conditions which allow for what wine geeks call
"full phenolic ripeness". In other words, the full potential of the fruit, including nuances lost when warmer temperatures would speed the ripening process.

The wine is believed to be 100% Zinfandel, but as its sourced from old, heritage vineyards across California, their may be some inter-plantings of other varieties, a common practice back then. The vineyards selected for this wine were planted between the 1920s and 1940s and all have farmed organically since forever.

Pairings: This is definitely a dinner wine, not a lunch wine! Though it does well as a solo act, its richness pairs well with roast pork, pizza with fennel sausage and anything grilled or charred. Cheese-wise, this is one of those wines that can handle big, salty, creamy, funky, or aged cheeses, reach for aged Manchego, Taleggio, Blue cheeses or a nutty aged Gouda. 

The Winery

Without debate, Turley is Zinfandel royalty in California. Pulling from a wide assortment of California's best properties and regions for this most Californian of grapes.

Turley is the country’s leading steward of historic Zinfandel vineyards, rescuing and rehabilitating old sites from Lodi to Paso Robles to Napa. Their commitment to organic farming, careful vine restoration, and single‑vineyard bottlings has helped preserve California’s old‑vine heritage. “Old Vines” is a blend of these rescued parcels, offering a snapshot of the state’s Zinfandel history.