Turley Old Vines California Zinfandel 2021

Very limited Turley Zinfandel. 93 Points Robert Parker: "The 2021 Zinfandel Old Vines has a medium ruby color and plush red and black cherries on the nose with accents of mushrooms, forest floor, savory spices and mint. The full-bodied palate is grainy and refreshing with generous berry fruit and a long, spicy finish. It's similar to the Juvenile with a bit more oomph, and it's just as easy to drink." 91 Points Vinous: "The Turley 2021 Old Vines Zinfandel offers terrific brightness and energyu. Crushed red/purplish berry fruit, mint and white pepper lend notable energy and freshness throughout.  This is a fabulous introduction to the vintage at Turley...I was so impressed with the 2021s I tasted at Turley last fall. The 2021s are absolutely gorgeous. There are moments when wine transcends the usual descriptors. That happens often at Turley because the wines are more than just wines, rather they are little snapshots of California history in a glass. Larry Turley and head winemaker Tegan Passalacqua work with a range of legacy sites, many of them planted in the late 1800s/early 1900s, to craft wines that offer stunning expressions of place. The 2021s are aromatically expressive and quite silky, something that is especially evident in the Petite Sirahs this year. Yields are down 30% for most wines, although a bit more in some cases. Best of all, the Turley wines offer exceptional value, something that is increasingly hard to find in today’s world. With two exceptions, I tasted all of the wines in this report from barrel or tank prior to bottling" ...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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