#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!”

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