Description

Oh, my goodness!  Last Friday I received a sample bottle of the 2023 Turley “Cedarman” Zinfandel from Howell Mountain, Napa Valley.  So, I decided to share it with our customers who visited the store on Saturday.   All afternoon I heard WOW!  WOW!  WOW!  And more WOWS!

 I remember when Turley Zins were the cult darlings of the ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) movement in the mid-1990s.  Checking my records, the last time I offered a Turley Zinfandel was the Rattlesnake Ridge Vineyard 2006!!   What the hell?   All I can say is Turley is back on our radar for sure!  And if you want to get on board, we have a large order of the “Cedarman” in the system for delivery this Friday.

Briefly, “Cedarman” is the proprietary name given to the blending of two Howell Mountain vineyards.  95% of “Cedarman” is Zinfandel from the famous Dragon Vineyard perched 2,250 feet on the cooler eastern slope of Howell Mountain in organically farmed red volcanic soils.  The other component is a “boisterous” 5% of Petite Syrah sourced from Rattlesnake Ridge Vineyard along the wind-swept Howell Mountain ridgeline at 2600 feet.  Together they perform a balancing act with the rustic and wild Petit Sirah adding an extra dimension of OOMPH to the polished bramble Dragon Vineyard Zinfandel fruit.  Both vineyards are surrounded by pine and cedar forests which contribute a nuanced “mountain garrigue” to the aromas and is most likely the reasoning behind the “Cedarman” moniker.  For all of this wine’s bold scale, the broad and finely integrated tannins glide across the palate into a seamlessly long finish.  The almost opaque color is compelling, but the ripe blackberry fruit and complex pepper and spice notes keep encouraging another taste, again and again.  Should continue to age gracefully for another 5-7 years.