Turley Del Barba Vineyard Zinfandel 2022

      Very limited new Turley Zin release. 93 Points Robert Parker: "The Del Barba Vineyard fruit, from vines planted around 40 years ago, used to be incorporated into the Duarte wine. This is the first time it has been bottled on its own, winemaker Tegan Passalacqua explains. Turley lost one of its older vineyard sources in Contra Costa County to new home development—a common occurrence in California and why producers who work with the state's oldest vines are so crucial to saving them. Medium ruby in color, the 2021 Zinfandel Del Barba Vineyard opens its scents of red cherry and blackberry over several minutes in the glass, plus hints of vanilla and earth. The medium-bodied palate is chalky and fresh with perfumed fruit and a long, floral finish. It's elegant but youthfully coiled and will benefit from 2-3 years in bottle." ...One of California's great wineries, Larry Turley's Turley Wine Cellars continues to play a critical role in safeguarding the Golden State's viticultural heritage, saving old, head-trained and sometimes own-rooted vineyards from destruction. With fully 29 different bottlings, Zinfandel (often complemented by small amounts of other co-planted varieties, such as Carignan and Grenache) is the standard-bearer here, though Turley also does a fantastic job with other varieties, most obviously Petite Syrah. Given how distinctive each of the single-vineyard bottlings is, it's tempting to suggest (though some will no doubt think it heretical) that Zinfandel might be the variety best adapted to expressing "terroir" in California."

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