Light ruby with rim clearing Medium plus aromas of crunchy red fruit and fresh green notes with dark florals - delicate and beautiful Light bodied with palate of ripe/ tart red and black fruit - hints of boysenberry syrup and Maraschino cherry syrup Medium acidity and mild tannins and medium alcohol Fairly long finish with acidity leading the way Really refreshing wine - I love this old school Zinfandel style!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light ruby color Medium intensity aromas of ripe crunchy red and black fruit/ jammy - cider vinegar/ VA which blew off after approx an hour - green/ stemmy notes as well Medium plus palate - intense fresh red/ black fruit - fruit driven but so opposite of the typical California Zins of today Medium plus acidity and medium minus tannins with medium alcohol This wine is so refreshing and great with bistro fare - Really nice to see this variety again with this method of wine making Drinking great now but can hold for 2-3 yrs
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened 1/2 prior and brought to restaurant. Red raspberries, crunchy red fruits, a little jammy with the first glass i thought rather on the sweet side. Wine seemed to settle down as the last two glasses were rather toned down. I'm with KPB on this style of Zin. The style shown by A-R shows the purity of the fruit and a style on the lighter side of the spectrum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pale purple/ ruby. Filtered Aromatics medium +. Fresh raspberries and strawberry. Ethereal red floral notes. Later fresh earth. No oak. Palate has medium body. What initially thought was a effervescent quality is really amazing acid. Acid medium + to high, quite lively. Tannins medium, slightly sandy on upper teeth. Alcohol medium. Fresh crisp raspberry. Finish has a medium length. Balanced This wine tastes bright and alive in the glass with bright fresh crunchy fruit. A new twist for those liking Cru Beaujolais. This is not a dark peppery primitivo from Italy nor an overpowering fruit and alcoholic zinfandel. Once again Arnold Roberts seems to take any grape and makes it amazing. Drinking beautifully now, has all the acid structure to age if desired.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Interesting wine - and commentary. This is a different Zin than most. Lighter, with a touch of effervescence. Nice raspberry and black cherry fruit with a smooth finish. Needed some time to open up, which muted the effervescence and deepened the jamminess. Hoping something more evolves with time in the bottle. Reasonable QPR.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
You used to find Zinfandel in the Arnot-Roberts style widely in Napa, but then we entered the age of ultra-rich, ultra-ripe, thick wines and almost everyone stampeded away.
A vivid pink-purple, almost glowing in the glass, the wine centers on raspberry fruit and bergamot tea aromas, then a hint of musk and candle wax. Red crunchy fruits on the palate. Long finish. A very nice wine and a great value!
Just as a broad remark, I've read the other TNs and am not quite sure I get them. First, I am not aware of Arnot-Roberts using carbonic maceration for anything, much less this Zinfandel. Google doesn't support that theory, and the web site of the winery doesn't either -- to me this is a form of nasty gossip, really, in the sense that it seems to be a theory someone has that apparently has no substance behind it.
Presumably, what we have here are two people who don't like the wine because it certainly isn't in that uber-rich style Napa favors -- one of whom then started to invent their own theory under which it isn't really a Zin at all. And then we have Antonio's review at VM complaining about the wine seeming poorly integrated and unbalanced. I don't really agree with him, but I do agree that it isn't necessarily a great wine (he rated it 88, I went with 89). It is simply in a brighter style that probably starts with low yields, doesn't let the fruit get super ripe, keeps the skin contact short -- you can get a bright style of wine in many ways. People make rose from Zinfandel, and some are pretty crisp -- the grape can be vinified in many ways.
Anyhow, bottom line: if you wanted a Turley Zin, you simply bought the wrong bottle. This is a wine that tries to capture the story of these ancient wines, and aims for that older, crunchy-red-berry style. For me it works. The wine is enjoyable and interesting. It is absolutely not a gamay mislabled as a Zin. It shows a different side of Zinfandel, and you can dislike it, but why make up stories about it?
7 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I've had Zinfandel from this vineyard from other producers and I am shocked that this is labeled as a Zinfandel (did they accidentally put a Zin label on a bottle of Gamay?). Its carbonic, light and fruity with no other attributes. Drink it cold when its hot outside this summer and make room in your cellar for better wines.
One of my favorite AR productions, and on my dream list of 'house wines.' I'd buy a case if I could. But with only 3 barrels produced, I'll have to settle for snatching up bottles where I can.
This was my first taste of the 2019, and while the ABV may be a tad higher than the previous vintage, this retains all the fun, light, slightly jammy carbonic goodness I remember from the last vintages. Delightful red and black fruit, spice, and a super well balanced body that aspires to redefine the varietal. I'm not a Z expert by any means, but this comes across as much more of a Gamay than a Zin. PS: it's from vines planted in 1915.
Oh, and it's fantastic with food. Duh.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/25/2023 - treidling wrote: 91 Points
Effervescence blows off with swirling in the glass revealing some really nice funk. I suspect a few more years would help.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2022 - dsamuel Likes this wine: 90 Points
Light ruby with rim clearing
Medium plus aromas of crunchy red fruit and fresh green notes with dark florals - delicate and beautiful
Light bodied with palate of ripe/ tart red and black fruit - hints of boysenberry syrup and Maraschino cherry syrup
Medium acidity and mild tannins and medium alcohol
Fairly long finish with acidity leading the way
Really refreshing wine - I love this old school Zinfandel style!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2022 - dsamuel Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light ruby color
Medium intensity aromas of ripe crunchy red and black fruit/ jammy - cider vinegar/ VA which blew off after approx an hour - green/ stemmy notes as well
Medium plus palate - intense fresh red/ black fruit - fruit driven but so opposite of the typical California Zins of today
Medium plus acidity and medium minus tannins with medium alcohol
This wine is so refreshing and great with bistro fare - Really nice to see this variety again with this method of wine making
Drinking great now but can hold for 2-3 yrs
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2022 - buymoreredsdrinkmorewhites wrote:
Opened 1/2 prior and brought to restaurant. Red raspberries, crunchy red fruits, a little jammy with the first glass i thought rather on the sweet side. Wine seemed to settle down as the last two glasses were rather toned down. I'm with KPB on this style of Zin. The style shown by A-R shows the purity of the fruit and a style on the lighter side of the spectrum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2022 - S.Wayne Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pale purple/ ruby. Filtered
Aromatics medium +. Fresh raspberries and strawberry. Ethereal red floral notes. Later fresh earth. No oak.
Palate has medium body. What initially thought was a effervescent quality is really amazing acid. Acid medium + to high, quite lively. Tannins medium, slightly sandy on upper teeth. Alcohol medium. Fresh crisp raspberry.
Finish has a medium length. Balanced
This wine tastes bright and alive in the glass with bright fresh crunchy fruit. A new twist for those liking Cru Beaujolais. This is not a dark peppery primitivo from Italy nor an overpowering fruit and alcoholic zinfandel. Once again Arnold Roberts seems to take any grape and makes it amazing.
Drinking beautifully now, has all the acid structure to age if desired.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2021 - VinoViking Likes this wine: 88 Points
Interesting wine - and commentary. This is a different Zin than most. Lighter, with a touch of effervescence. Nice raspberry and black cherry fruit with a smooth finish. Needed some time to open up, which muted the effervescence and deepened the jamminess. Hoping something more evolves with time in the bottle. Reasonable QPR.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2021 - KPB wrote: 89 Points
You used to find Zinfandel in the Arnot-Roberts style widely in Napa, but then we entered the age of ultra-rich, ultra-ripe, thick wines and almost everyone stampeded away.
A vivid pink-purple, almost glowing in the glass, the wine centers on raspberry fruit and bergamot tea aromas, then a hint of musk and candle wax. Red crunchy fruits on the palate. Long finish. A very nice wine and a great value!
Just as a broad remark, I've read the other TNs and am not quite sure I get them. First, I am not aware of Arnot-Roberts using carbonic maceration for anything, much less this Zinfandel. Google doesn't support that theory, and the web site of the winery doesn't either -- to me this is a form of nasty gossip, really, in the sense that it seems to be a theory someone has that apparently has no substance behind it.
Presumably, what we have here are two people who don't like the wine because it certainly isn't in that uber-rich style Napa favors -- one of whom then started to invent their own theory under which it isn't really a Zin at all. And then we have Antonio's review at VM complaining about the wine seeming poorly integrated and unbalanced. I don't really agree with him, but I do agree that it isn't necessarily a great wine (he rated it 88, I went with 89). It is simply in a brighter style that probably starts with low yields, doesn't let the fruit get super ripe, keeps the skin contact short -- you can get a bright style of wine in many ways. People make rose from Zinfandel, and some are pretty crisp -- the grape can be vinified in many ways.
Anyhow, bottom line: if you wanted a Turley Zin, you simply bought the wrong bottle. This is a wine that tries to capture the story of these ancient wines, and aims for that older, crunchy-red-berry style. For me it works. The wine is enjoyable and interesting. It is absolutely not a gamay mislabled as a Zin. It shows a different side of Zinfandel, and you can dislike it, but why make up stories about it?
7 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2021 - chanote44 Does not like this wine: 86 Points
I've had Zinfandel from this vineyard from other producers and I am shocked that this is labeled as a Zinfandel (did they accidentally put a Zin label on a bottle of Gamay?). Its carbonic, light and fruity with no other attributes. Drink it cold when its hot outside this summer and make room in your cellar for better wines.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
4/6/2021 - qcwino wrote:
Light bodied, sweet red fruit, a little white pepper. Not recognizable to me a Zinfandel.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2021 - BBerzin Likes this wine: 90 Points
Sadly missing the uniqueness of the prior vintage
Drinks like a Zinfandel now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2021 - Ghoulardi Likes this wine: 92 Points
One of my favorite AR productions, and on my dream list of 'house wines.' I'd buy a case if I could. But with only 3 barrels produced, I'll have to settle for snatching up bottles where I can.
This was my first taste of the 2019, and while the ABV may be a tad higher than the previous vintage, this retains all the fun, light, slightly jammy carbonic goodness I remember from the last vintages. Delightful red and black fruit, spice, and a super well balanced body that aspires to redefine the varietal. I'm not a Z expert by any means, but this comes across as much more of a Gamay than a Zin. PS: it's from vines planted in 1915.
Oh, and it's fantastic with food. Duh.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/5/2020 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 91 Points
A bit hotter than prior vintages. 13.5%
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment