2011 Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard
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Tasting notes
(16.2% alcohol; from a very small crop picked late): Dark red. The intriguing if rather reticent nose combines slightly liqueur-like dark berries with a menthol coolness. Then very concentrated and tactile in the mouth, with its black fruit, menthol and pepper flavors displaying terrific precision and purity. Very firm acidity is perfectly buffered by the wine's strong extract. Finishes energetic, youthful and very long, with lovely fruit intensity and no hard edges. This rather stylish Zinfandel still needs time in bottle to express itself. Tegan Passalacqua noted that Zinfandel was an outlier in 2011, as the small vine yields made for very good concentration in this cool year. And the light crop and loose bunches enabled the fruit to avoid rot.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2011 Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard is beautifully perfumed, aromatic and layered. This is one of the more complete wines in the range of 2011s from Turley. The depth and purity of the fruit are both striking. Pedigree is what comes to mind when I think of Hayne, one of the very best vineyard sites in St. Helena and Napa Valley.
(tasted from tank, a day before bottling): Deep, bright ruby. Complex aromas of blackberry, spices and smoke. Hugely rich and concentrated, with outstanding peppery depth to the dark berry and dried fruit flavors. High natural acidity gives this big boy great piquancy and precision. Finishes very dry but supple and rich, with serious ripe tannins and lingering notes of dried berries. Great stuff.
Turley's 2011 Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard, the product of a very late harvest, is another drop-dead gorgeous wine. Dark red fruit, cinnamon and mocha are some of the layers of aroma and flavor that blossom to fill out the wine's big, broad-shouldered frame. Vibrant, rich and intense, the Hayne is one of the clear standouts in this lineup of 2011s. It is a dazzling wine in every way.
About the producer
Founded in 1993, Turley Cellars is a leading name in California Zinfandel and Petite Syrah. The winery has helped preserve the state’s old-vine heritage, farming historic vineyards organically and producing distinctive single-vineyard wines known for their character and longevity.