Turley Question

WINE TALK
1

Disclaimer: Never had any of them. newhere

Zins I love -
Neal
Carlisle
Swan flirtysmile

Based on the 3 zins above, will I hate Turley? A buddy normally buys my allocation, but I am curious about the Juvenile and Old Vine.

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2

I had the 2007 Juvenile this weekend and really enjoyed it. While not in the same style as Swan, they are nice and pretty well balanced with some air. I’ll probably pass on the 08s but not because I don’t like the style necessarily.

3

I won’t speculate on your palate. Personally, I hate, hate, hate the Turleys. Zinfandel is the one grape that I think is well suited for the big, overripe and Jammy style. The fun in a Zin for me is in the big fruit. Turley, however, simply takes it too far. The alcohol wrecks me, the wines age poorly, (in my very limited experience aging them), and they are more often the not hotl

The wines you mention are the entry level bottles and are much more to my liking then the higher end wines. The Old Vines wine is one that I can enjoy but would never again purchase. I would say its definately worth trying one if you are Zin fan. If you find it over the top, I would aviod the pricier selections like the plague. If you love it, you might want experiment some more. Unfortunately, I have never had the Carlisle or Neal wines and can’t offer a comparison.

4

If you like Carlisle than I would say yes, you should like Turley. And if you get them at list pricing or wholesale they are not super expensive so why not just try some and find out?

5

I didn’t think I’d like Turley, but I do. One of the four (Scherrer, Carlisle and Outpost are the others) I purchase every year.

For those interested, the latest release is up now.

6

In my limited experience with these wines, I don’t see the Carlisle comparison. I would compare Turley zins to Martinelli zins, if you’ve ever had any of those.

7

Alan,

My comparison would be ‘fruity, monolithic, overoaked.’ pileon

The Turleys do have more red fruit in them and the Carlisles I’ve had are definitely darker, deeper, more brooding.

8

Why would you get allocations from a winery you’ve never tasted? [scratch.gif]

9

Juvy and OV are $20 and $25 respectively. Buy a couple of bottles and see what you think.

10

Where do you get them at that price??? $30 and $40 seem to be the norm in my neck of the woods.

11

Latest mailer price Scott. The wines are available now (for list members) at: http://www.turleywinecellars.com/

12

The exact opposite of everything he said. [swoon.gif] I think Zin is a grape NOT suited for overripe and jammy, and I also disagree that Turley’s style is overripe and jammy. It is indeed big, but certainly not hot and Zin’s classic rustic notes come through fine (as opposed to the gloppy berry pie you’ll get from many). Also, I only like Turley’s pricier selections (like the Hayne and Rattlesnake Ridge), I find their cheap stuff to be forgettable.

13

I am on the list, (my significant other enjoys the wines), and didn’t get offered either of them! The had no problem offering me the absurdly priced petite sirahs! I see them in stores so often I just assumed they weren’t even putting them on the mailing lists!

14

How dare you disagree with me! neener

What is your experience with aging them? I have only tried the higher end bottles with a bit of bottle age on them and they all, (I am not talking a huge number here), went down like gasoline with fruit that seemed faded to me. Perhaps they drink better young?

15

Those stupid round bottles don’t fit in my wine fridge either!

16

THIS is the reason I do not purchase their wines anymore.

17

I have only had one Turley, the Cedarman bottling, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.

However, I have not had the chance to try Carlisle yet, so I can’t give a comparison.

18

I agree with Nick, the Juvies and OV are pretty forgettable. There is nothing turley about them. For the rest of them, first you’ve got to get the vintage right, and it looks like 08 will be a fine follow up to 07. In my experience, they need atleast 4 years from vintage to really express that brambly, Turley charm. You can’t compare them to Carlisle, except maybe in a qualitative sense. If my comments aren’t effusive enough, the Howell mtn Turleys in a good vintage epitomize Zinfandel for me. The Pets are redonkulous too!

19

I just had an 05 Rattlesnake that was singing like Andrea Bocelli, zero sign of heat or flab. I really don’t see the need to age them longer than that, I don’t think they will improve, but I’m not asking for ageable character out of these anyways. I have enough need-to-age wine that I have to fret about as it is…

20

They always hit at the wrong time so a buddy has been buying mine. I will probably go in on these with him this time just for curiosity.