1996 Turley Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley 'Grist Vineyard')

Source: Sterling

Consumption Date: 6/26/2012

Notes: Fine aroma of musky ripe berries with hints of spice and chocolate.  Mellow flavors of dark berries and cherry fruit with a distinct chocolate note, plenty of spice, a mild leafiness, and a suggestion of oxidation.  Long finish of spicy fruit, chocolate, and a hint of wet stone minerality.  Mild tannin.

This wine has opened my eyes to the potential of aged Zinfandel.  While I can see why most critics contend that Zinfandel does not age well, my experience with this wine suggests otherwise.  While this wine has clearly lost the intense primary fruit and the briary, dry leafiness that is characteristic of younger Zinfandel, this wine has developed an elegance, subtlety, and complexity that I find to be very enjoyable.  I find certain parallels with fine Burgundy, although the flavor profile is different.  Although the alcohol level in this wine is quite high (16+%), the alcohol is not evident in the flavor profile (but certainly in the effect of drinking most of a bottle on an empty stomach).  This wine has exceeded my expectations.

Value: Good to very good