2012 Kirschenmann Vineyard Zinfandel

(15.3% alcohol; this is winemaker Tegan Passalacqua's own vineyard, planted on white sand soil in 1915; includes bits of carignan and mondeuse): Highly complex aromas of red berries, cherry, lavender and spices. Broad and creamy but nicely delineated, with vibrant fruit flavors accented by pepper and flowers. Finishes long and classy (especially for Lodi!), with refined tannins. Really well-judged extraction here. An outstanding addition to the Turley line-up.

Another Zinfandel made in the image of a very good Pinot Noir is the 2012 Zinfandel Kirschenmann. It exhibits a medium ruby color along with plenty of sweet raspberry and black cherry fruit, medium to full body, and an attractive, fleshy, velvety mouthfeel. Turley Wine Cellars has long been one of the more enviable wine operations in California. Larry Turley should, and does, receive enormous credit for nearly single-handedly preserving many of the heritage old vine Zinfandel sites that exist in northern California. Most of them were threatened with being torn up with what was believed to be more popular varietals such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. This estate produces nearly thirty single vineyard Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs, all from organically farmed vineyards. Natural yeast fermentations have always been the rule, and the percentage of new oak used has dropped from a high of 30% to about half that. Their Zinfandels are never shy, but tasting through the 2012s, it appears they are not as extracted as they once were, but the alcohols remain in the 15% to 16% range because Zinfandel is rarely ripe at lower sugars. It appears that Larry Turley was destined to resuscitate these old vine vineyards as he worked for a quarter of a century as an emergency room doctor. He now works full time shaping wines from nearly three dozen old vine parcels. As he says, he’s never met an old vine vineyard he didn’t like. Turley’s long-time assistant winemaker, Ehren Jordan, has left to pursue his own project (Failla Wines), but Turley has the highly competent Tegan Passalacqua as his wingman. Virtually every one of these 2012 Zinfandels will be drinkable upon release in 2014, and should last for 6-8 years. Larry Turley was one of the first to exploit some of the old vine vineyards planted in sandy soils from the backwater areas of Lodi and Contra Costa. The two Contra Costa sites include the Duarte and Salvador, both ancient vineyards with the Salvador directly planted on its own roots in 1896. The Duarte was named after a prominent grower in Contra Costa. The Petite Syrahs are different animals altogether and most of them should keep for 30-40 years – at a minimum! Tel. (707) 963-0940

A deep, resonant wine, the 2012 Zinfandel Kirschenmann Vineyard wraps around the palate with gorgeous depth. The flavors are wonderfully nuanced and layered throughout. A rich, voluptuous finish rounds things out nicely. Kirschenmann is another of the historic sites Turley works with. The vineyard was planted in 1915, with own-rooted vines. Mondeuse and Carignagne are present in the vineyard as well, a style of 'mixed blacks' that was typical of that era.