2004 Turley Old Vines Zinfandel

[newsguy]

2004 Turley Old Vines Zinfandel: Straight out of the bottle a big nose of blueberry, zinberry spice and cola, followed by big similar flavors (plus some heat). Very strong entry, but falls away on midpalate; shortish finish. This smooths out with an hour-plus in the decanter, losing its hard edges and gaining notes of black pepper and black licorice. I liked its uncommon combination of big fruit and a fairly silky mouthfeel. This was my first Turley zin and although I definitely enjoyed it, I don’t see what the big deal is. 88+ points, and a terrible value at $50 a bottle.