Zinfandel "Kirschenmann", Turley, Napa Valley, CA, 2018

Savory red fruits, wafts of dark perfume and spicy mint leaves. Wafts of appealing herbs and black tea with a hint of tangerine leaf. The core of the wine is very dark, and the palate has excellent depth with pleasantly textured tannins balanced by vivacious acidity.

Larry took one sip, sighed and said, “This makes me want to cook lamb!” Drinking well now (especially with the aforementioned lamb) and will stay fresh in the cellar thanks to the bracing acidity.

The Kirschenmann is particularly close to our hearts as our winemaker, Tegan Passalacqua, owns and farms this vineyard. The ungrafted vines were planted in 1915 in the silica-rich sandy soils of the east side of the Mokelumne River AVA. Thanks to the river's cool waters and delta breezes, these head-trained, dry-farmed vines are constantly protected from the heat.

Turley Wine Cellars makes forty-seven wines from over fifty vineyards, the vast majority of which are single vineyard designate Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs. By focusing on old vine vineyards in particular, Turley aims to both create and preserve California's unique winemaking culture.

All of our vineyards are either certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers or somewhere in the process, and we use all natural yeasts in the fermentations.

We aim to be stewards of some of California's most historic vineyards, producing distinctive wines that reflect their heritage.