2011 Turley Zinfandel Cedarman

(15.1% alcohol; Turley started picking these vines on September 10 in 2011!): Bright ruby-red. Highly distinctive nose combines blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, graphite, spices and flowers; almost Rhone-like. Then silky, dry and powerful on the palate, with intense black fruit flavors accented by wild spices. Finishes with serious Howell Mountain tannins and excellent length. This very spicy wine begs for meat cooked on the grill.

A wine of contrasts, the 2011 Zinfandel Cedarman holds plenty of intrigue. At once dense and rich, the 2011 nevertheless remains essentially a mid-weight yet powerful wine endowed with lovely definition. Blueberries, blackberries, licorice, smoke and tar all jump from the glass. Overall, this is a relatively soft style for Howell Mountain in this vintage.

A wine of contrasts, the 2011 Zinfandel Cedarman holds plenty of intrigue. At once dense and rich, the 2011 nevertheless remains essentially a mid-weight yet powerful wine endowed with lovely definition. Blueberries, blackberries, licorice, smoke and tar all jump from the glass. Overall, this is a relatively soft style for Howell Mountain in this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018. This is a thrilling set of wines from Larry Turley, Ehren Jordan and Tegan Passalacqua. Tasting this wide a range of 2010 and 2011 Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs is like taking a master class in California terroir. The house style favors an expression of Zinfandel and Petite Syrah built on aromatic intensity and elegance, which Jordan credits to gentle extractions. At times, the wines come across as quite Burgundian in the way they express richness but not excess heaviness. Over the last few years, the wines have become a little more laid-back and less overtly ripe, which is a net positive given that the starting point for all of these wines is fruit of exceptional quality. The Petite Syrahs in particular are noteworthy because they are among the few wines that find the elegance Petite Syrah is capable of, while avoiding the massive tannins that are so typical elsewhere. The 2010s are strong across the board, although Turley did not bottle a few of their wines from sites that got scorched by the heat spikes, which includes the Highway 101 and Zampatti. The 2011s are more variable, as befits a vintage that had much less favorable conditions overall. Tel. (707) 963-0940