Though big wines like this aren't what I typically drink these days, this wine was really incredible and reminded me why I used to drink zins. Right from the PnP there was a prominent blueberry/red berry characteristic with vanilla and allspice follow and good acid backbone with a touch of tannin. Big and perhaps even jammy for sure, but not a fruit bomb because it was well balanced... more like an unapologetically fit and well dressed person; odd to see at the grocery but perfect for the red carpet. And so, it paired wonderfully with strip steak in herb butter and later with Rogue River Blue, but might be really terrible and out of place with pizza.
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Retains its full fruit and spice character, much as the previous notes a year ago. It is not chewy in texture, but the taste is rich with distinct flavors and makes a zesty impression.
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Frustrating. This bottle has been perfectly stored since arriving from the winery. Decanted 3/4 of the bottle 90 minutes. Served ~ 68F. Lots of pruney, raisiny aromas mixed with black fruits. Palate featured spicy black fruits with some very ripe plums. Alcohol predominated the finsh.
However, the non-decanted bit, sitting in opened bottle 90 + minutes, was lively, energetic with good balnced without being overdone. My 91 score gives this the benefit of the doubt.
Recommendation: DO NOT Decant. There is no sediment. Slow ox in glass will be plenty good enough to achieve maximum pleasure.
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Great wine! In a great drinking window now but can age at least another a three years. Decanted and let breath for two hours. Great moth feel with berry flavors and a dark chocolate nose.
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Black fruits, spice, nicely integrated oak, medium finish. Tasted again 1/29/24. Similar notes, but longer finish. Delicious! Upped score from 92 to 93.
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Purple in color. 15.9% ABV. Pretty nose of red fruits, kirsch and pepper. Medium body with perfect acidity. Impressive balance. Very rich and lush. Black cherry, raspberry liqueur, plums and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Outstanding Zinfandel that will drink well for another 1-2 years.
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PnP. Nose of black raspberry, garrigue, and pine straw. Juicy, super-ripe palate of black raspberry and cherry with loads of acidity. When this was opened, it sat at the edge of being raisiny but with air that characteristic faded. The acidity provides drive into the finish of plum, black cherry, mint, pepper and long tannins and oak. Certainly opened up in the glass.
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Bleeding on the cork. No sediment. Didn’t aerate. Very sweet at first. Took over an hour to balance out and pretty good once it did. Still a bit sweet and dry. No real heat to speak of.
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Prune and camphor on the nose. On the palate, blackberry, raisin, and plum, with notes of cedar and leather on the medium finish, with light tannins and moderate acidity. Tasted blind I might have mistaken this for Amarone due to the distinct taste of raisins. This was a good to very good value at under $40.
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Dark purple, saturated, some loam and mineral notes with an engaging purple fruit core. This is a very nice rendition. Approachable now, could hold a year or two more. Bigger profile than other Pesenti vintages, this needs beef or richer dishes. Was too bold for the herbed lamb we had with it.
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My weakest bottle of this......seems to be transitioning out of its powerful primary self. Very high toned acidity which seems to render it out of balance. Overiding tart, thin red fruit. Not the complete wine it was much earlier. Some may relish it in this stage, but I do not. Its best days are behind it.
Always one of our favorite ponies in the Turley stable, the ‘16 Pesenti doesn’t disappoint. Vibrant on the palate with food-friendly acidity. Hillside herbs, apricot pit and ripe blackberry on the palate, picking up lavender in the finish. A lovely wine from this historic (by Paso Robles standards) vineyard. Drink now to 2028. Outstanding.
93 the 1st hour, due to the great Pesenti brambly fruit and the acidity.....longer than that, everything sort of mutates down into a level playing field and some of the energy/power drops off a bit....maybe a 91-92 then. Still good but not quite the pop of the 1st hour!
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Medium purple. Fruit forward with notes of raisins, kirsch, black raspberry, dark cherry, bramble, pepper, tobacco, and spice. Tannins medium, acid medium, alcohol high.
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Had a bottle at a restaurant. Decanted by staff. No formal notes, but SCOTTHALLER's notes below mine are pretty dead on. Such an interesting and complex Zin that paired well with bone marrow, pork belly, and beef wellington. Need to buy some.
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Blueberries and raspberries, hints of warm spices and cedar. Finish is long - peppery with pie spices. Excellent structure - goes down easy but will be even better in 2020.
1/12/2024 - Mootsie Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark fruits, cassis, orange oil, pepper. Likely at peak.
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11/20/2023 - Gparker Likes this wine:
Though big wines like this aren't what I typically drink these days, this wine was really incredible and reminded me why I used to drink zins. Right from the PnP there was a prominent blueberry/red berry characteristic with vanilla and allspice follow and good acid backbone with a touch of tannin. Big and perhaps even jammy for sure, but not a fruit bomb because it was well balanced... more like an unapologetically fit and well dressed person; odd to see at the grocery but perfect for the red carpet. And so, it paired wonderfully with strip steak in herb butter and later with Rogue River Blue, but might be really terrible and out of place with pizza.
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9/21/2023 - tbrader wrote: 91 Points
Retains its full fruit and spice character, much as the previous notes a year ago. It is not chewy in texture, but the taste is rich with distinct flavors and makes a zesty impression.
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7/22/2023 - BHRH Likes this wine: 91 Points
Frustrating. This bottle has been perfectly stored since arriving from the winery. Decanted 3/4 of the bottle 90 minutes. Served ~ 68F. Lots of pruney, raisiny aromas mixed with black fruits. Palate featured spicy black fruits with some very ripe plums. Alcohol predominated the finsh.
However, the non-decanted bit, sitting in opened bottle 90 + minutes, was lively, energetic with good balnced without being overdone. My 91 score gives this the benefit of the doubt.
Recommendation: DO NOT Decant. There is no sediment. Slow ox in glass will be plenty good enough to achieve maximum pleasure.
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4/13/2023 - PMTinfv Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great wine! In a great drinking window now but can age at least another a three years. Decanted and let breath for two hours. Great moth feel with berry flavors and a dark chocolate nose.
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1/8/2023 - BGK810 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Black fruits, spice, nicely integrated oak, medium finish. Tasted again 1/29/24. Similar notes, but longer finish. Delicious! Upped score from 92 to 93.
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12/11/2022 - tomlee wrote: 93 Points
Purple in color. 15.9% ABV. Pretty nose of red fruits, kirsch and pepper. Medium body with perfect acidity. Impressive balance. Very rich and lush. Black cherry, raspberry liqueur, plums and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Outstanding Zinfandel that will drink well for another 1-2 years.
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11/26/2022 - fcf3 wrote: 86 Points
Raisins overpower the flavor profile too much for me.
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5/30/2022 - tbrader wrote: 92 Points
Nose: rich fruit with oregano and rosemary. Very nice. Mouth: crackling raspberry and raisin, soft pepper notes and herbs. Vibrant.
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3/20/2022 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP. Nose of black raspberry, garrigue, and pine straw. Juicy, super-ripe palate of black raspberry and cherry with loads of acidity. When this was opened, it sat at the edge of being raisiny but with air that characteristic faded. The acidity provides drive into the finish of plum, black cherry, mint, pepper and long tannins and oak. Certainly opened up in the glass.
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1/27/2022 - djpo wrote: 92 Points
Classic pesenti.
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1/27/2022 - Mr Helper Likes this wine:
Bleeding on the cork. No sediment. Didn’t aerate. Very sweet at first. Took over an hour to balance out and pretty good once it did. Still a bit sweet and dry. No real heat to speak of.
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1/9/2022 - RichardP wrote: 91 Points
Prune and camphor on the nose. On the palate, blackberry, raisin, and plum, with notes of cedar and leather on the medium finish, with light tannins and moderate acidity. Tasted blind I might have mistaken this for Amarone due to the distinct taste of raisins. This was a good to very good value at under $40.
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12/23/2021 - btock Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark purple, saturated, some loam and mineral notes with an engaging purple fruit core. This is a very nice rendition. Approachable now, could hold a year or two more. Bigger profile than other Pesenti vintages, this needs beef or richer dishes. Was too bold for the herbed lamb we had with it.
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7/4/2021 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 90 Points
My weakest bottle of this......seems to be transitioning out of its powerful primary self. Very high toned acidity which seems to render it out of balance. Overiding tart, thin red fruit. Not the complete wine it was much earlier. Some may relish it in this stage, but I do not. Its best days are behind it.
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5/31/2021 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice. Aged well.
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4/2/2021 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 91 Points
Quite a bit more acid and personality than the 2016 Old Vines.
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1/16/2021 - NSuri Likes this wine: 91 Points
Typically good Zinfandel from Turley
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12/27/2020 - jonahfactor Likes this wine:
Always one of our favorite ponies in the Turley stable, the ‘16 Pesenti doesn’t disappoint. Vibrant on the palate with food-friendly acidity. Hillside herbs, apricot pit and ripe blackberry on the palate, picking up lavender in the finish. A lovely wine from this historic (by Paso Robles standards) vineyard. Drink now to 2028. Outstanding.
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12/22/2020 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 93 Points
93 the 1st hour, due to the great Pesenti brambly fruit and the acidity.....longer than that, everything sort of mutates down into a level playing field and some of the energy/power drops off a bit....maybe a 91-92 then. Still good but not quite the pop of the 1st hour!
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11/21/2020 - PinotPaul Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very enjoyable Zin.
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10/31/2020 - wicho Likes this wine: 92 Points
A delicious Zin, full bodied, deep ruby color, with a light nose.
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10/26/2020 - Salute Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful wine. Bright red cherries, cedar wood undertones, rich fruit, tart lingering finish. Spectacular zin.
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9/16/2020 - winelovr2001 wrote:
High VA
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5/17/2020 - ScottHaller Likes this wine: 95 Points
Consistent notes from last bottle - this is a really special bottle. I hope I can hold my last one into 2021-2
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5/4/2020 - Stephen.Somm Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium purple. Fruit forward with notes of raisins, kirsch, black raspberry, dark cherry, bramble, pepper, tobacco, and spice. Tannins medium, acid medium, alcohol high.
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12/31/2019 - zpneal Likes this wine: 94 Points
Amazing zin! Fruit forward & juicy...maybe a note of apricot? Definitely would buy again
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11/28/2019 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Similar to prior note & a perfect wine for the turkey (went very fast!); great Turley zin!
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10/28/2019 - rbfleming Likes this wine: 89 Points
I’m sticking with my first impression, back in February. Pomegranates, leather, minerality. Very nice.
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10/18/2019 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Such soft, delicious fruit. And earthy complexity too. Young wines don't get much better than this.
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9/2/2019 - mischwine wrote: 92 Points
decanted for 4 hours.....and it was truly worthwhile. leaned towards a Syrah in terms of characteristic.
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7/28/2019 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Splash double decanted; very good, classic Turley zin, drink or hold
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7/2/2019 - Decanthor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had a bottle at a restaurant. Decanted by staff. No formal notes, but SCOTTHALLER's notes below mine are pretty dead on. Such an interesting and complex Zin that paired well with bone marrow, pork belly, and beef wellington. Need to buy some.
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6/30/2019 - ScottHaller Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blueberries and raspberries, hints of warm spices and cedar. Finish is long - peppery with pie spices. Excellent structure - goes down easy but will be even better in 2020.
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6/6/2019 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
Nose: B++ Palate: B++
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6/5/2019 - sean7711 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Up the PCH; 6/4/2019-6/16/2019 (Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, Paso Robles, Napa, and Willamette): Another nice and complex Zin from Turley. Red fruit, bright acidity, smooth tannins.
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5/9/2019 - Djm2djm Likes this wine: 86 Points
Could use another year or two
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2/17/2019 - rbfleming wrote: 89 Points
Pomegranate, Bing cherries, leather, mineral fizz. Acid. Slightly medicinal nose.
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1/22/2019 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really good!
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1/13/2019 - Mark4w Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very fruit forward. Lot of acid. Long finish. Typical Turley. Gets better as it warms up after opening and decanting.
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1/3/2019 - fredman wrote: 92 Points
P & P. Wonderful. Drink or hold.
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12/30/2018 - Mike Dildine wrote: 93 Points
Delicious!
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12/21/2018 - ebert Likes this wine: 89 Points
Fruit a bit overripe. Finish not clean. Flavors not as interesting and complex as other vintages.
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11/17/2018 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really great richness, intensity and concentration.
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