Turley Cederman Vineyard Zinfandel 2015

The Wild, High-Altitude Power of Howell Mountain

Scale the rugged, iron-rich slopes of Napa Valley’s most dramatic peak with Turley "Cedarman" Howell Mountain Zinfandel. Founded in 1893 by former emergency room physician Larry Turley, Turley Wine Cellars has spent decades acting as America’s premier champion of heritage Zinfandel. Unlike single-vineyard bottlings, "Cedarman" is a masterfully executed, proprietary mountain blend that captures the dense, wild, and intensely structured personality of high-altitude viticulture, making it an absolute must-have for serious collectors of bold California reds.

The profound structural depth of the 2015 vintage is born from two of Turley's most legendary, certified-organic estate vineyards sitting high above the Napa fog line: Rattlesnake Ridge and Dragon Vineyard. Grown at elevations reaching up to 2,200 feet in shallow, volcanic white-ash and red-clay soils, the low-yielding vines produce small berries with incredibly thick skins. To anchor the wine's immense mountain energy, master winemaker Tegan Passalacqua seamlessly integrates a small percentage of ancient Petite Sirah from the Rattlesnake plot into the primary Zinfandel base. The resulting field blend is aged meticulously in select French and American oak barrels, yielding an uncompromised, savory complexity that far outlasts standard valley floor wines.

Taste Profile & Pairings

• The Profile: Deep garnet-purple in the glass. It features a dense, full body, a remarkably robust and expansive mid-palate, and a powerful spine of firm, mountain-grown tannins balanced by a striking hit of natural, high-altitude acidity.

• Flavor Highlights: An explosive, savory nose dominated by freshly cracked black and white pepper, forest underbrush, and wild brambleberries leads into a concentrated palate layered with baked black cherries, dark plum compote, cola nut, and a distinct touch of dried lavender.

• The Finish: Immensely long, focused, and warming, concluding with lingering layers of smoky cedar wood, anise, and a chalky, mineral-driven dryness.

• Perfect Food Pairings: This heavily structured, spice-driven mountain red screams for rich, rustic proteins. Pair it alongside slow-smoked beef brisket, flame-charred ribeye steaks heavily seasoned with cracked pepper, pan-seared venison loin, wild boar ragù, or roasted lamb chops with rosemary.

• Serving Suggestion: Because of its concentrated mountain tannins and robust structural integrity, giving this library vintage a patient 45-to-60-minute decant before pouring will beautifully awaken its complex wood oils and deep, dark fruit aromatics.

Product Specifications

• Size: 750ml Bottle

• Vintage: 2015

• Region: Howell Mountain AVA, Napa Valley, California, USA

• Wine Type: Dry Red Wine

• Grape Varieties: Primarily Zinfandel blended with a small amount of Petite Sirah

• Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 15.1%

Combining the explosive black fruit intensity of Dragon Vineyard with the wild, peppery tannin structure of Rattlesnake Ridge, the 2015 Turley Cedarman delivers a monumental snapshot of Howell Mountain pedigree, offering Zinfandel purists an intensely complex, age-worthy bottle ready for prime drinking or continued cellar maturation.