Wine Review, aka What I'm Drinking Lately

A couple months ago, I ordered four bottles of Turley's 2003 zinfandels from one of my good friends. We saw each other at a wedding, and he delivered my wine in a metal suitcase which I had to drag from OC to LA. He insisted that the metal case was crucial to "protect the goods."

After having the Zin this past weekend, I can see why he wanted to protect the goods. The wine was PHENOMENAL in the classic zin sense. The reason I'm such a fiend about zins are that usually they are all just okay. Berry forward and easy to drink, zins are pretty much good to drink with everything. But sometimes, because they are so berry-forward, they can be really overbearing and jammy. But when you have the perfect zin, it is like an amalgamation of all good things in your mouth-- and I mean that in a purely non-sexual way. ;)

The wine was full-bodied, with plenty of punch coming from berries with an earthy, honey undertone. It had a slight black licorice feel, without being overbearing on the flavor. It was almost jammy, but delicious. The finish was long and smooth, and it was virtuously without tanins... but that might be because it was five years old. Lucky for me, I have 3 more Turleys just waiting to be opened on another special occasion...

Turley
2003 Zinfandel
Tofanelli Vineyard
Region: Napa
Price Range: ~$140.00