Turley Zinfandel Cedarman Howell Mountain 2023

Turley Cedarman Zinfandel is made from 100 percent Zinfandel. 

Review:

Blended with 22% Petite Sirah, the 2022 Zinfandel Cedarman hails from Rattlesnake Ridge and Dragon Vineyards high atop Howell Mountain. Medium to deep ruby in the glass, the nose combines extremely ripe black fruits and loamy earth with botanical, herbal notes that meld with floral top notes after time in the glass. The palate follows the fruit-laden foreshadowing of the nose with massive saturation and intensity and transiting to a chewy, sinewy finish lined with juicy acidity nestled into a long, detailed finish. Lovers of a sumptuous style will find much to love upon release, although a few years in the cellar could provide an additional layer of nuance.

-Wine Advocate 94+ Points

Keenly structured and appealingly briary, this Zin is loaded with jammy blackberry, roasted anise and licorice flavors that build toward broad-shouldered tannins.

-Wine Spectator 93 Points

Turley Wine Cellars was founded in Napa Valley by former emergency room physician Larry Turley in 1993. Under the direction of winemaker Tegan Passalacqua, Turley now makes 50 different wines from over 50 vineyards across California, primarily Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, with many vines dating back to the late 1800s. By farming organically and focusing on old vine vineyards of these varieties, Turley aims to both create and preserve California’s unique winemaking culture.

Born in Tennessee and raised in Georgia, Larry has spent the better part of his life on a farm.  This being the south, they were primarily tobacco and dairy farms; nevertheless, his respect for the land and its cultivation began at a young age.  As an adult, Larry channeled this passion for preservation towards people, studying medicine and working as an emergency room physician.  After moving to California in the mid-seventies, Larry came home from the ER one night to discover someone camped on his property.  After first driving his motorcycle through the tent (this was, after all, the 1970’s in the “wild wild west”) he met its occupant, John Williams, the soon-to-be winemaker at Spring Mountain.  After sharing a glass of wine, they became friends; a few bottles later, they became business partners.  Frog’s Leap Winery was begat in 1981, with Larry on a tractor by day and suturing by night.

The winery enjoyed quick success; however, much like Athena originated as an ache in Zeus’ head, the impetus for a smaller, more focused project began to take shape in Larry’s mind.  He’d taken a shining to the wines made from Zinfandel & Petite Syrah, growing particularly fond of those made from old vine vineyards.  Eventually he sold his half of Frog’s Leap to John and started Turley Wine Cellars in 1993.

Because Larry has never met an old vine vineyard he didn’t like, Turley now makes 47 separate wines from over 50 different vineyards, some with vines that date back to the late 1800’s.  Often weak and decaying, these old vine vineyards require extra care and attention in order to restore them to their former glory.  After twenty-five years in the emergency room, Larry can now focus his resuscitative skills on the various old vineyards that comprise the wines he loves.