Sweet, with a lot of alcohol. The guesses centered around Amarone. It seemed like a reciota/ripasso wine, with the must resting on raisined grapes. Strawberry was the dominant fruit flavor. Light body, with rather thin fruit, but well balanced in this style. Sweet impression with an alcohol kick. Balanced but simple – not the layers of flavor and texture you’d expect from an Amarone.
16.7% ABV. I find few wines at this level wear it well; this did if your frame of reference was Amarone. If you were expecting a dry red wine, you’d say WTF!?*? (The virtue of the brown-bag format is that forces you to keep an open mind and check your impressions against different frames of reference with the wine type isn’t obvious.)
No trace of zin berries – raspberry or blackberry.
The question for me is how much of the sweetness was residual sugar and how much was just a sweet impression due to the alcohol.
Not a bad wine, but simple and dominated by alcohol and sweetness. I wonder if this is where they wanted it to end up when they made it, or if they had any idea it would go in this direction.
Thanks, John. Do you think the wine was perhaps more balanced a few years ago? 18 years from vintage is a bit long in the tooth for many Zins, though certainly not for all.
Also, can anyone remind me who the winemaker was for this? Tegan’s wines seem more balanced to me compared to the Turley’s of this time period.
That’s also a curse about blind tasting – that without the frame of reference, there is no way to judge typicity. If I opened a bottle of syrah to go with my cassoulet and out came a wine that tasted like cabernet franc, I’d be pretty upset about it, even if the wine independently was ok.
Kyle and Jeremy - This would have had more flesh/fruit a five or ten years ago. The fruit has definitely faded.
Would it have been more balanced then? I’m not sure. It might have seemed like pancake syrup when it had more and darker fruits. It has achieved a certain sort of refinement now, although no complexity. It’s too elegant to put on pancakes now. And, if you did, I’d recommend flambe’ing it.
Agreed, there are drawbacks to this tasting format. But also many good things. It truly keeps you honest, and prevents label worshiping.
Ordinarily, I stress typicity, but sometimes you have to be open to things outside the box. If I’d judged this as a zin, I wouldn’t have seen any of its merits.
That’s been my reaction to most Turleys of that era. This showed better than most Turleys I’ve had. But if you approach it with a dry red wine paradigm, you’ll be disapponted.
The one time I brought a Turley to a blind tasting it was panned by all (including me!). But, I was surprised then that no one correctly identified it based on the unusual bottle/neck. How did that work for you guys, John? We brown bag and tape each bottle but still one can perceive unique necks (I’m sure that’s a line for something else entirely).
Thanks for the note John. I’ve had excellent Hayne Zins and Petites that were 20+ years of age, and some as you’ve described. I will say that 2000 was not a particularly good vintage in Napa.
Not sure who made the wine back then - Helen? The style has certainly changed under Tegan.
I think Ehren Jordan was the winemaker. He is now the owner at Failla. For me the Turleys from this era were best consumed on the younger side. A ‘10 Cedarman we opened tonight (at 15.6% ABV) was outstanding,
In my previous life, I worked for the Swedish importer of Turley; back in 2000-2001. So I got to taste the Hayne Zin 1999 upon release. I was seriously impressed at the time. Saved one bottle for later. Forgotten in the cellar. Tasted last year. Utterly boring stuff, and I agree completely with your Amarone descriptors. And I not a fan of Amarone at all. Vinous necrophelia.
