#1 Collector Zinfandel – VINEYARD 29

Many Zin lovers think Turley is the #1 collector Zin. I disagree for many reasons I won’t get into now but mainly because I think the finest, most impressive, age-worthy Zin year in year out is the single bottling from Vineyard 29’s “Aida” vineyard (formerly a Turley vineyard designate).

“(8/1/8) We pulled a 2003 vintage of this wine out of our cellar for a BBQ with some friends and were VERY, VERY impressed with the development. I was a big fan of this vintage upon release and can assure you it’s aged into a remarkable Zinfandel. I’m confident that fewer than 5% of serious wine collectors and less than 20% of wine lovers would even identify this wine as a Zin because it reminds me more of a perfectly aged Napa Cabernet. It was graceful with perfectly balanced fruit. A truly exciting experience to sample this wine aged to perfection. Note: personally, I rarely enjoy a Zinfandel more than 3 – 4 years after the vintage but this gem was still shining at age 5 and probably had at least another year or two of vibrant life in it. I rated this wine a solid 96 points!”

Current release:

VINEYARD  29 “AIDA”  ZINFANDEL 2005

This “Aida” vineyard was the original home of Turley’s most renowned Zins until Vineyard 29 snagged the rights to these tasty grapes! As if that wasn’t enough, this is still the only Zinfandel produced by rock star winemaker Philippe Melka (Bryant Family, Hundred Acre, etc.) recently named “Winemaker of the Year”

THE WINE INSIDER “OUTSTANDING 94” RATING:  “This is the most complex, age-worthy serious collector Zinfandel in Napa today!  This black beauty begins with an intense raspberry and dried cranberry signature that seems to run from year to year, along with dark blueberry combined with vanilla, caramel, espresso beans, and mouth watering toffee on the long lasting finish. On the finish this wine has great structure and a galaxy of memorably flavors containing dried strawberries, mocha and chocolate dust reminiscent of a decadent raspberry chocolate torte. Decant if popping the cork pre-2009 because this BIG boy will easily last until 2014, peaking around 2011 in our estimate.”

Currently this wine is available for $79 (Click Here)