Quick Sip: Turley Wine Cellars 2013 Bechthold Vineyard Cinsault

Hello Friends,

Today’s Quick Sip is Turley Wine Cellars’ 2013 Bechthold Vineyard Cinsault. I had an opportunity to taste this wine, along with three others I will be reviewing, for a virtual event put on by the good folks at Lodi Wine and Charles Communications. The event highlighted Lodi’s historic Bechthold Vineyard; possibly the oldest continuously farmed vineyard in the U.S. Planted to Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard consists of 25-acres of gnarly, head-trained, own-rooted vines that were originally planted in 1886 by Joseph Spenker.

Turley Wine Cellars 2013 Bechthold Vineyard Cinsault

Appropriately referred to as ‘Zin Masters,’ Turley Wine Cellars is well known for their sought-after, single-vineyard Zinfandel and Petite Sirah wines – many of which are produced from select old vine vineyards throughout California. Recognizing the quality of fruit coming from some of Lodi’s old vine sites, Tegan Passalacqua, Turley’s winemaker and vineyard manager, purchased Kirschenmann Vineyard in eastern Lodi. Kirschenmann is a 19-acre site with head-trained, own-rooted Zinfandel vines that date back to 1915. The Zinfandel this vineyard produces generally show intense flavors with good acid structure and depth.

Turley has partnered with Bechthold since 2008. Of his list of clients, Kevin Phillips, vineyard manager of Bechthold, says “Tegan is the very first to pick,” adding that he “specifically targets acid.” The resultant is a Cinsault that offers pleasingly fresh flavors with a brightness that shines throughout. For further information and where you can find this wine, please see my tasting notes below.

I had a chance to visit Bechthold Vineyard this spring and enjoy delicious examples of Cinsault from Onesta, Michael David, and Estate Crush. 

Review: Turley Wine Cellars 2013 Bechthold Vineyard Cinsault (SRP $17): Translucent ruby in color, this Cinsault is vibrant and supple with a streamlined mouth-feel and aromas and flavors suggestive of strawberries, cranberries, subtle spices, and mineral tones that give way to a clean, medium long finish. For under $20, this Cinsault has everything you would need in a house-red and is a great companion for the dinner table. Approximately 1000 cases of this wine were produced. Region: Lodi, California. (Other info: ABV 13%, 100% whole cluster, native-yeast-fermented, cork enclosure). 88 Points. Click here to find this wine. (Note: Turley wines are sold via mailing list)

This tasting featured a live broadcast that was recorded. Click here to learn more about historic Bechthold Vineyard from Camron King, Executive Director of the Lodi Wine-grape Commission, Kevin Phillips, VP of Operations for Phillips Farms and Michael David Winery, and Adam Mettler, General Manager and Head Winemaker at Michael David Winery.


Have a question about this post? Feel free to drop me an e-mail at myvinespot@yahoo.com or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter. Stay tuned ...more to come. Happy Sipping, my friends! Disclosure: This wine was provided for review. Thoughts are my own.

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