Turley Wine Cellars Zinfandel Rinaldi Vineyard Amador County 2022

Single-vineyard old-vine Zinfandel from the infallible Turley! They don’t put out a bad wine, not-a-one – and we rarely feature Zin on First Bottle, so you already KNOW this is going to be stellar. “Mountainous, age-worthy Zinfandel” according to Wine Advocate (96 points) and “an especially effusive, nuanced Zinfandel” from Vinous (93). Usually $70, now under $40 – yep, it’s go time.

Turley Wine Cellars is one of California's most storied Zinfandel producers, founded in 1993 by Larry Turley – a former emergency-room physician who traded medicine for a mission of rescuing and preserving the state's oldest vineyards. Under Larry and, today, director of winemaking Tegan Passalacqua, the winery works from over 50 vineyards, many with vines dating to the late 1800s, with a philosophy rooted in restoration... saving historic vineyards others had written off.

The Rinaldi bottling comes from one of the Sierra Foothills' great old sites. Historically known as the Eschen vineyard, it still holds a few surviving vines from the original 1860s planting, though the bulk of Turley's block dates to 1910. Sitting at 2,000 feet in the Fiddletown AVA on iron-rich decomposed granite, the vineyard is own-rooted, dry-farmed, head-trained, and hand-harvested – whew – and the wines tend to run more blue-fruited than the plusher styles from nearby Shenandoah Valley. It's fermented with native yeast and aged 15 months in barrel (20% new, mostly French oak), then bottled unfined and unfiltered.

“Within the extensive array of Turley single-vineyard Zinfandels, the Amador County bottlings are clear highlights that should age effortlessly for the better part of two decades.” –Wine Advocate, 96 Points

The nose leans into that signature high-elevation blue and black fruit – blueberry, black raspberry, and boysenberry – framed by crushed granite minerality, cracked black pepper, dried lavender, and a dash of baking spice. On the palate it's concentrated but not at all heavy, with fresh acidity and fine, dusty tannins carrying flavors of blackberry compote, wild plum, licorice, and savory dried Italian herbs into a long and stony finish. Really a tremendous Zinfandel however you slice it – and for under $40, a massive steal on a carefully crafted, single-vineyard, 96-point delight.

Food pairing: Go with a low, slow-braised lamb shoulder with garlic, rosemary, and a generous dash of red wine until it's falling off the bone. The savory flavors and iron-rich depth of the Rinaldi will mirror the braise in the best possible way!

Music pairing: Cue up Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Up Around the Bend" – Americana grit, wide open spaces, and just enough rock-on energy to match a 110-year-old Fiddletown Zinfandel.