Crazy dark ruby and unfiltered. Hot buttered rum and sagebrush and burning rubber and hot Astroturf and a dusty woodpile and a graphite black cherry with a Doublemint twist. Gyratingly layered, near sexual in its ethereality, dark wisdom affronts bright berry, demanding surrender.
Oh, so you thought Turley was just a bunch of Zinfandel, didja? They make a few other things–including 2 cabs: one from an estate vineyard in St. Helena and THIS one, a Sonoma from Moon Mountain, dry-farmed, head-trained, hillside fruit planted 50 years ago. Betcha didn’t think cab could be dry-farmed and head-trained, either. Well, it CAN–it’s not too happy about it, but it can be done. I had been jonesin to try Turley’s cab forEVER and finally I got to visit both of these wines but had to pick one to review.
In the mouth, generous dark fruit makes a momentary stand before a chewingly-dense middle section comes steam-rolling along, spraying volcano and granite in its wake. Gritty and dense, but so *pure* so not-Napa, so spicy and unhinged. Untamed by oak and decadent caramels, it just lays pure concentrated mountain in your mouth, casually tossing in ridiculous tannin for the extra point.
2016 TURLEY Cabernet Sauvignon Montecillo VYD Sonoma Valley 14.8
Stephen McConnell 