Turley Mead Ranch, Atlas Peak Zinfandel California Napa 2013

 From a high-elevation vineyard in Atlas Peak, the 2013 Zinfandel Mead Ranch (16.1% alcohol) has its origins at a site planted in 1880, although Larry Turley’s block dates only from 1970. The vines are head-pruned and the soils purely volcanic. One the profound Zinfandels from Turley in 2013, this wine is locked-and-loaded, so to speak – powerful, packed, rich, and full-bodied, with blackberry, blueberry, black raspberry and cherry fruit in abundance. It is obviously full-bodied, thick, even unctuously textured, while it seems to have slightly less acidity than some of the other cuvées – or at least, that’s how it presents itself. This is a stunner to drink over the next 10-12+ years. It is a great Zinfandel and one of the most sumptuous and exotic in the portfolio. (RP)