Turley Cinsault Bechfoldt Vineyard 2022

Though Zinfandel is probably the non-Cabernet Sauvignon varietal most attributed with Turley, their work with Cinsault is extremely noteworthy as well. These are the kinds of wines that really speak to the character of Lodi and the wild old vines that the region boats.

First planted back in 1885, this Cinsault vineyard is certainly the oldest of its kind in the United States, and perhaps even the oldest Cinsault in the world! It’s a delicious red grape that is usually found in the south of France as a component of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône Valley, as rosé in Provence. The Bechthold Vineyard vines are gnarly, head-trained, and dry-farmed in deep, sandy soils. They’re also ungrafted, meaning they remain on their original vitis vinifera roots that were first planted 136 years ago, a phenomenon nearly impossible to replicate today.