The 1998 Charbono Tofanelli Vineyard continues the great success they have had with this lowly esteemed varietal. Dark ruby/purple-colored, with an earthy, spicy, gorgeously pure nose, this wine offers blueberry and blackberry flavors as well as copious quantities of earthy richness, and a spicy, long, full-bodied, powerful finish. It should drink well for 10-15 years. There are only 200 cases of this wine that came in at a "modest" 14.8% alcohol. Both Larry Turley and his winemaker, Ehren Jordan, admitted that 1998 was by far the most challenging vintage they have experienced. Turley Cellars produces what are often California's most expressive, complex, concentrated, hedonistic Zinfandels. In 1998, yields were naturally low, but the key to these wines, according to Turley and Jordan, was to have the discipline to wait for the fruit to ripen. A cold spring was followed by a cool summer, with no heat waves to promote color and ripeness. Nevertheless, these will turn out to be reference point Zinfandels of the vintage. A fact of America's boisterous economy is that too many wine producers are content to pick early and overcrop, realizing that even bad or indifferent wine is easy to sell. The following Zinfandels will be bottled unfiltered, but earlier than usual. Alcohols are lower in 1998, and the winemaking is decidedly low tech, with little manipulation, and the use of only 25% new oak for any given cuvee. (release date Spring 2000)

The 1998 Charbono Tofanelli Vineyard continues the great success they have had with this lowly esteemed varietal. Dark ruby/purple-colored, with an earthy, spicy, gorgeously pure nose, this wine offers blueberry and blackberry flavors as well as copious quantities of earthy richness, and a spicy, long, full-bodied, powerful finish. It should drink well for 10-15 years. There are only 200 cases of this wine that came in at a "modest" 14.8% alcohol.Both Larry Turley and his winemaker, Ehren Jordan, admitted that 1998 was by far the most challenging vintage they have experienced. Turley Cellars produces what are often California's most expressive, complex, concentrated, hedonistic Zinfandels. In 1998, yields were naturally low, but the key to these wines, according to Turley and Jordan, was to have the discipline to wait for the fruit to ripen. A cold spring was followed by a cool summer, with no heat waves to promote color and ripeness. Nevertheless, these will turn out to be reference point Zinfandels of the vintage. A fact of America's boisterous economy is that too many wine producers are content to pick early and overcrop, realizing that even bad or indifferent wine is easy to sell. The following Zinfandels will be bottled unfiltered, but earlier than usual. Alcohols are lower in 1998, and the winemaking is decidedly low tech, with little manipulation, and the use of only 25% new oak for any given cuvee. (release date Spring 2000)