limited

Limited Availability Wines

Tasting of some limited distribution wines - Saturday, July 4, 1998. Results from a tasting at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Fourteen wines were poured for a tasting fee of $20.

The wines, in the order tasted:

'96 Beringer Chardonnay, Sbragia Limited Release - Napa Valley. $39.99 Light-medium yellow color. Nose of grass, oak, and lemon oil. Exceedingly smooth mouthfeel with very buttery fruit, good acids, and a medium-long finish. Just the barest touch of residual sugar.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

'95 Flowers Chardonnay, Camp Meeting Ridge - Sonoma Coast. $34.99 Light yellow color. Nose of smoky grass and oak. Smooth and buttery midpalate. Hint of pineapple. Very light on its feet, but also very together. Second vintage; 500 6-pack cases made.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

'95 DeLille, Chaleur Estate (Cab blend) - Yakima Valley, WA. $35.99 Purple garnet color. Nose of black cherry, blackberry, shoe polish, cedar, and sawdust. Smooth mouthfeel, excellent fruit and soft tannins. Just beautiful. A blend of Cab, Cab Franc, and Merlot.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A Overall score: A

'95 Clark-Claudon Cabernet - Napa Valley. $44.99 Very dark purple garnet color. Nose of blackberry, cassis, and shoe polish. Very substantial mouthfeel, with huge fruit, excellent tannins, and very long finish. This is undoubtedly a wine to cellar, but it sure is drinking well right now. Fabulous stuff.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A Overall score: A

'94 Salvestrin Cabernet - Napa Valley. $31.99 Ruby garnet color. Nose seems very dense, with a rustic fruit quality, along with a shoe polish component. Sweet fruit and big tannins. This is a real knife and fork cabernet. Slight tilt to the acid side of balance spectrum, but not unduly so.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

'94 Seavey Cabernet - Napa Valley. $27.99 Dark ruby garnet color. The huge blast of fruit and shoe polish nearly jump from the glass. Really gorgeous nose. Very smooth, if not sweet, fruit, very nice body and balance.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

'96 St. Francis Zinfandel, Pagani Ranch - Sonoma Valley. $31.99 Ruby purple color. Absolutely stunning nose of fresh berries and cream. Fleshy and very chewy mouthfeel. Not at all sweet tasting. 14.0%
Aroma score: A Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

'96 Scherrer Zinfandel, Old & Mature - Alexander Valley. $19.99 Purple garnet color. Medium extraction. Sweet berry nose. Mouthfeel is all sweet and juicy fruit. Very chewy consistency that carries through to finish. This is a nice drink, but it just might be a little too sweet and cloying for its own good. 14.5%
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

And now, from the Turley clan:

'96 Turley Zinfandel, Old Vines - California. $19.99 Garnet ruby color. Nose of fresh berry and oak. Sweet and chewy mouthfeel. Very nice wine, but the Cline Calif bottling is nearly as good at 1/3 the price. 14.6%
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: A- Overall score: B+

'96 Turley Zinfandel, Aida Vnyd - Napa Valley. $24.99 Garnet color. The nose is a combo of pinot and zin, with a stemmy fruit and wild cherry and blackberry smell. Mouthfeel is very chewy, with a sweet, nearly port-like quality. No heat at all. 15.6%
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

'96 Turley Zinfandel, Whitney Tennessee Vnyd - Napa Valley. $26.99 Dark garnet color. Absolutely stunning nose of fresh berry, mint, oak, and sawdust. Very fleshy mouthfeel. Semi-sweet fruit, and excellent balance. 15.3%
Aroma score: A Taste score: A Overall score: A

'96 Turley Zinfandel, Moore "Earthquake" Vnyd - Napa Valley. $29.99 Dark garnet color. Nose of wild fruits and herbs. In technical terms, Yeow! Extremely fleshy and chewy mouthfeel. Semi-sweet fruit and excellent balance. Very similar to the "Whitney" bottling, this wine just ratchets all those qualities up a notch, especially the nose. 15.1%
Aroma score: A Taste score: A Overall score: A

'96 Turley Zinfandel, Hayne Vnyd - Napa Valley. $39.99 Purple garnet color. Deep and heavy nose of stems and berries. Very spicy and fruity. Slightly sweet mouthfull of chewy fruit. Just a hint of heat at the finish, but nothing approaching the alcohol content. How about 17.0%!! You won't know what hit you.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

'96 Turley Petite Syrah, Aida Vnyd - Napa Valley. $26.99 Purple black color. It doesn't get any darker than this. Huge dense blueberry and blackberry fruit in the nose. And a mouthfull of fleshy berry and tannins. This is another knife and fork wine, but you'll need a Bowie knife on this one.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

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Overall impressions: Not having tried any of the Turley wines before, having 6 of them on the bill of fare made for an intriguing tasting. I wasn't sure if all the hype about these wines or their inherent collectability would sway my judgement. Happily, I found the whole flight delicious, and didn't seem overly influenced by the Turley name (or at least I didn't think so). In fact, I found all of the wines quite comparable in quality, and thus my scores were very close, if perhaps a bit generous. But, it was such a likable group of wines.

Both the Chaleur blend and Clark-Claudon Cab were fabulous wines, and the Seavey Cab wasn't far behind. The "Moore" and "Whitney" Turley Zins were knockouts. Since these were presumably made by the second winemaking regime, and in a less that perfect vintage, I think they performed quite well. The St. Francis "Pagani Ranch" Zin was also a standout.

Of the whites, the Flowers Chardonnay was both delicate and flavorful, while the Beringer Sbragia came across as a bit heavier and more buttery. Both good, but I preferred the Flowers.

I was surprised at the performance of the Scherr Zin. Many a good bottle has been made from this vineyard, but while I found the nose quite satisfying, the wine seemed much too sweet in the mouth. The jamminess here appears to approach jelliness in flavor and texture, and the wine starts to taste a bit Late Harvest, only without the heat.
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Here is my relative ranking, by tier and in order of preference, of the wines tasted.

'95 DeLille, Chaleur Estate (Cab blend) - Yakima Valley, WA. $35.99
'95 Clark-Claudon Cabernet - Napa Valley. $44.99
'96 Turley Zinfandel, Moore "Earthquake" Vnyd - Napa Valley. $29.99
'96 Turley Zinfandel, Whitney Tennessee Vnyd - Napa Valley. $26.99
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'94 Seavey Cabernet - Napa Valley. $27.99
'96 St. Francis Zinfandel - Pagani Ranch, Sonoma Valley. $31.99
'96 Turley Zinfandel, Hayne Vnyd - Napa Valley. $39.99
'94 Salvestrin Cabernet - Napa Valley. $31.99
'95 Flowers Chardonnay, Camp Meeting Ridge - Sonoma Coast. $34.99
'96 Turley Petite Syrah, Aida Vnyd - Napa Valley. $26.99
'96 Turley Zinfandel, Aida Vnyd - Napa Valley. $24.99
'96 Beringer Chardonnay, Sbragia Limited Release - Napa Valley. $39.99
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'96 Turley Zinfandel, Old Vines - California. $19.99
'96 Scherr Zinfandel, Old & Mature - Alexander Valley. $19.99

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