David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I view Turley Zinfandel much like Williams Selyem wines when they are young, good not great.

They need ten years plus to show you greatness. There is no faking bottle age properly stored.

I can’t drink their wine young. Too primitive, astringent, all tannin, wood & baking spices.

The nose reveals, ripe, ruby, candied fruits that are; stewed & naked, jammy fruit of; black plum, blackberry, black raspberries, plum, raspberries, mulberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, dark cherries, blue fruit mix, rhubarb & ripe date & some figs. Steeped black tea, creamy violet cola, black licorice to anise, sweet tarriness, tobacco leaf, dark spices, vapors of alcohol, dark spices, limestone minerals, moist, fresh forest floor, some mushroom, black pepper, clove, nutmeg & vanillin, rounded oak, spiced florals of; dark, red, candied florals with withering dark florals set in old violet & lavender.

The palate is full, round, ripe, candied, baked, stewed liqueured, ruby & lush w/ high viscosity. ripe, ruby. Jammy fruit of; black plum, blackberry, black raspberries, plum, raspberries, mulberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, dark cherries, blue fruit mix, rhubarb & black raisins, ripe date & some figs. The tannins, stern, tarry & chewy. Steeped black tea, creamy violet cola, black licorice to anise, dark chocolate/dry mocha powder, caramel, sweet, dark, chewy tarriness, tobacco leaf, dark spices, touch of alcohol burn, dark spices w/ soft heat, limestone minerals, moist, fresh forest floor, dry top soil & clay, some mushroom, black pepper, clove, nutmeg & vanillin, cedar/oak plank, spiced florals of; dark, red, candied florals with withering dark florals set in old violet & lavender. The acidity is like a fresh, clean river. The finish is a little too ripe, sweet but, well balanced with great complexity and persistent length.

I don’t drink a lot of Zinfandel but, this is the style that speaks to my origins. This is good with food or some berry desserts.

This still needed a two plus hour decant & has another 5-7 plus years of pleasure ahead of it. At its current evolution, it is bordering on dessert wine & should be treated as such going forward.

Photos of; Turley tasting room in Paseo, very old, taller & slimmer than normal grape press, 2008 Winemaker- Ehren Jordan and their Cedarman Vineyard on Howell Mtn. — 4 years ago

Marc Yasuda

9.0

El Paseo Chataneuf dinner — 9 years ago

David Walser

9.4

In a Guatemala City suburb (Paseo Calaya) for our last two nights in Guatemala. Should have saved this wine for a few more years, but still enjoyed. Had some wonderful Snake River Ranch Wagyu. — 5 years ago

Eduardo Vergara

9.3

Es el primero de los 8 que subiré hoy. Ha sido una cata fabulosa. Pero el primero fue un paseo por la finura. Una burbuja fina que busca su productor con solo 18 gr. Pero eso hace que sea muy fácil de beber, amplio y una acidez muy equilibrada realmente cuando hablamos de parcelaciones esto es reflejo al trabajo en pequeña escala. #champagne #france #wine #winetime #wineporn — 8 years ago

George Chen

9.0

Slight protruding cork but that's often the case Madam Leroy loves to fill wines well into the neck. Cork was perfect and smelled fresh...wine was in great shape for an 1985 year that many thought best for decades as of then. Sweet core and bloomed right off...dropped off in 15 minutes but enjoy just lovely expression of a 1985 Red Burg! Sammy Hagar loved the wine too at his El Paseo where we pooped it. — 9 years ago

Mark Trousdale

9.2

Drinking 2006 Sineann Champoux Merlot at El Paseo with cowboy ribeye. Deep and lively still. — 10 years ago

Kirk F

9.4

I love this wine, might be my favorite Herman Story bottling. Man, this is SO good. From the winemaker himself: ‘This is the best summer backyard BBQ wedding that has ever happened between two decorated families: cherry ice cream, blueberry and paseo pepper jelly, Maduro cigars, barrel aged Manhattans, blood orange demi glace, red oak coal grilled steak, sun tea, gnawed cinnamon stick, red velvet cake, Italian espresso, Hershey’s Chocolate milk, Turkish delight elixir with the soft sense of promise. 35% Tempranillo, 32% Cabernet, Sauvignon, 25% Syrah, 6% Mourvedre, 2% Grenache’. He’s witty. I get the cherry ice cream, blueberry, manhattans and red velvet. Not sure I need any more than that. Merry Christmas! — 6 years ago

George Chen

9.3

The best of the 3 64's I brought to Sammy Hagar's El Paseo Spanish wine dinner. Base neck, good cork, port like texture. Oozed ripe bit raisiny front side which mellowed and showed layers of rich leathery texture. Along with 28...see why great vintage but few today liked it. — 9 years ago

Andrea Ceniceros

10

One of my favorite vineyards in paseo Robles — 9 years ago

Mark Trousdale

8.9

A little pre-prandial half-bottle of 2012 Brocard Chablis, single vineyard, at El Paseo. Nice. :) — 10 years ago