Sunday, April 30, 2006

The Infamous Turley 'White Coat'

So, you know Turley Wine Cellars, right? That cult California wine producer whose wines are hard to find and often fetch extraordinary prices? As luck would have it, Chiefwino happened upon a fabulous wine bar in San Franscisco (Nectar Wine Lounge) last September, that not only sells wine on-premise, but also off-premise and has a number of Turley wines on their menu. I opted to bring home a few bottles, including the 'White Coat,' which I uncorked last night. Here is the skinny:

2003 Turley 'White Coat', San Luis Obispo County, California--Trio of white Rhône varieties (Marsanne, Viognier, Rousanne). Loads of intense tropical fruit/honeysuckle aromas, golden delicious apples, a hint of nuts. Full bodied and viscous. Noticeable alcohol--quite hot on the finish. Overall, not bad, but not worth what I paid, which was in the 50-60 dollar range. I think I would rather opt for a White Cotes du Rhône blend of the same varieties for more fruit, acidity and less alcohol---and a 1/4 of the price.

2 comments:

Dean said...

I happened to stop by the Turley tasting room just outside Paso Robles, California (easy to get to from Highway 101). I am a loyal fan of the big Turley reds, but I was curious about the White Coat and picked up a bottle for much less than you did (about $32). At that price, it is worth drinking over other white Rhone wines.

Chiefwino said...

The only thing I can say to that is perhaps the price has come down since the vintage I tried...and I did buy it in a wine retail shop/wine bar in San Francisco. People usually mark up their Turley selections because they only get a small allotment every year.