It’s been no secret that we’ve been fans and mailing list members of Turley Wine Cellars for a very long time. They are definitely one of the wineries that have put Zinfandel on the map, along with their masterful versions of Petite Syrah (don’t blame me for the spelling!) and a few others.
We always look forward to the emails from Vice President and Director of Sales and Marketing Christina Turley announcing the latest releases. We found the most recent email especially entertaining and informative, as Christina goes beyond the Turley Zins and discusses how Zinfandel has made its mark on the United States and the world by California Zinfandel being the worldwide standard for Zin, as opposed to pretty much all other varietals being compared to their European counterparts.
And she makes a great comparison between Zinfandel and Dolly Parton. Confused? You won’t be after reading the release email below, which Christina has graciously allowed us to share. Please enjoy.
From Christina Turley – Welcome to the 2023 fall release, aka Zinfandolly!
Of all the artists alive today, the one I most wish to see strut across a stage and sing her heart out is the utterly iconic living legend, Ms. Dolly Parton. I daydreamed about it again recently, but let the thought go soon after for being too far-fetched, too unlikely to get my hopes up. The very next day I got word of her upcoming residency in Las Vegas, and managed to snag two seats! So in celebration of a serendipitous dream soon to come true, I would like to welcome you to the 2023 fall release that I have affectionately nicknamed Zinfandolly.
It is a long-held belief of mine that Dolly Parton is to music as Zinfandel is to wine in this country. First, both are distinctly American: Dolly’s 60 year career has spanned a range of music genres, but her identity and signature sound is that of the American South. Her roots run deep in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, a home she references often in her music. (Larry is also a native Tennessean, born just one year before Dolly.) Whereas all other wines in the world are measured by their European counterparts, the criterion for Zinfandel is the California version. Though its origin like all wine grapes is the continent of Eurasia, its identity and acclaim are uniquely and inextricably linked to the United States.
Both are prolific: Dolly has written nearly 3,000 songs, recorded 47 albums of her own, and contributed to another 100. For over a century, Zinfandel was the most widely planted grape in the U.S., and it has been a cornerstone of some of the most significant-production American wines since the 1860s. Turley alone makes 28 distinct Zinfandels, and the single largest winery globally, the American E&J Gallo, made its name with Hearty Burgundy, a Zinfandel-based blend, first released in 1964. Three years later, Dolly released her first solo record.
Finally, in the past both have been dismissed for being generally “un-serious” or even “flashy” (lest we forget Dolly’s famous quote, “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap!”). After all, the ultimate Dolly-esque wine, White Zinfandel, has been the butt of every wine snob joke for the last several decades.
More recently, however, we’ve seen both a reckoning and renaissance for Dolly and Zin. Dolly has been recognized at the highest levels for her contribution to American culture: in addition to being in both the Country Music and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, in 2021 she was named to Time’s list of the 100 Most Influential People, under the heading “Icon.” White Zinfandel was the #1 selling category of wine for over a decade in the US, making it the single most dominating category in American wine history, and years later Turley’s own “White Zinfandel” was named to the Top 100 Wines list when it made its debut. Also, the only wine to ever be on the cover of Time? That’s right, a Zinfandel: the afore-mentioned Gallo Hearty Burgundy!
Today, we’re seeing a return to Zinfandel, to wines that are heralded as much for their historic significance as they are for being consistently high-quality and just plain delicious. Join me in celebrating the remarkable achievements, contributions, comfort, and joy both Dolly and Zinfandel wines bring. You’ll find some song recommendations scattered throughout the tasting notes (The White “Coat of Many Colors,” for example); I’ve also created a corresponding playlist.
Welcome to Turley’s “Zinfandolly.”
I Will Always Love Wine,
Christina Turley
2023 Vintage Fall Release — Turley Wine Cellars
Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.
