Turley Rattlesnake Zinfandel

Turley Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel is a full-bodied, single-vineyard Napa Valley Zinfandel from Howell Mountain, bottled at approximately 14.5–16% ABV in a standard 750ml format. Scoring 95 points from Antonio Galloni at Vinous (2019 vintage) and 94 points from Wine Spectator (2011 vintage), this bottling consistently ranks among the most compelling mountain-grown Zinfandels in California.

Quick Facts: ABV: ~14.5–16% (varies by vintage)  |  Origin: Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California  |  100% Zinfandel  |  Producer: Turley Wine Cellars

Production & Heritage

Turley Wine Cellars was founded in 1993 by Larry Turley, a former emergency room physician and co-founder of Frog's Leap Winery, with a singular focus on old-vine and single-vineyard Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. The Rattlesnake Ridge vineyard is estate-owned and certified organic, planted at roughly 2,600 feet atop Howell Mountain — one of the highest Zinfandel sites in Napa Valley. The vines grow in tufa and red volcanic soils, receiving intense sunlight but enduring much colder nighttime temperatures than the valley floor, conditions that can even bring snow in winter. Fermentation relies on native yeasts, and the wine is aged for 15 months in barrel, preserving the vineyard's distinctive mountain character.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Dark bramble fruits and crème de cassis dominate the nose, layered with lavender, dried herbs, and streaks of graphite. Deeper inhalation reveals perfumed earth, white pepper, and a subtle charcuterie-like savory quality that signals the volcanic soils beneath the vines.

Taste: The entry is plush and inky, filling the palate with concentrated blackberry, blueberry, and black cherry. At mid-palate, baking spices, licorice, and a rocky mineral streak emerge, adding complexity. Despite its full body and generous fruit density, the wine carries a freshly acidic spine and surprisingly light-footed structure that keeps everything in balance.

Finish: The finish is long and textured, framed by plentiful fine-grained tannins and lingering notes of menthol, smoke, and black olive tapenade. A peppery warmth and trace of dried lavender persist well after the last sip.

How to Drink Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel

This is a wine built for attentive drinking — pour it into a large-bowled glass at cellar temperature (60–65°F) and give it 30 minutes to open. It rewards patience neat but can also handle a slight chill on warm evenings. For cocktail-adjacent applications: try it as the base of a bold red wine sangria with blackberries and star anise, as the wine component in a spiced Kalimotxo alongside Mexican cola, or in a wine-based reduction to deglaze a cast-iron pan — the concentrated fruit and spice translate beautifully into a sauce.

Best For

• Gifting a Zinfandel enthusiast who values single-vineyard character over generic Napa blends
• Anchoring a grilled red meat dinner party alongside barbecue ribs or tri-tip
• Cellaring for 5–10 years to explore how the tannins and volcanic mineral notes evolve
• Side-by-side tasting with other Turley single-vineyard bottlings to study terroir differences

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel taste like? It delivers concentrated blackberry, blueberry, and dark cherry fruit wrapped in baking spices, licorice, and white pepper, with a mineral backbone from its volcanic mountain soils. Despite its full body and high extraction, it maintains fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins that keep the wine structured rather than heavy.

How does Rattlesnake Ridge compare to Turley Cedarman Zinfandel? Both are Howell Mountain Zinfandels from Turley, but Rattlesnake Ridge is grown at a higher elevation (approximately 2,600 feet) in tufa and red volcanic soils, which tends to produce a darker, more mineral-driven wine. Cedarman, from a different Howell Mountain site, often leans toward slightly more red-fruited and herbaceous characteristics, though both share the mountain appellation's characteristic tannic grip.

Is Rattlesnake Ridge good for cellaring? Yes — the combination of firm tannins, fresh acidity, and concentrated fruit gives this wine strong aging potential, typically drinking well for 8–12 years from the vintage date. The volcanic mineral structure tends to become more prominent and integrated with time in bottle.

Where is Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel made? It is produced by Turley Wine Cellars from the estate-owned Rattlesnake Ridge vineyard on Howell Mountain, a sub-AVA of Napa Valley in Northern California. The vineyard sits at approximately 2,600 feet, making it one of the highest-elevation Zinfandel plantings in the appellation.

What foods pair well with Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel? Smoked beef brisket pairs naturally with the wine's dark fruit and peppery spice. Lamb shoulder braised with rosemary mirrors its herbal aromatics. Hard aged cheeses like aged Gouda or Manchego complement the tannic structure. Wood-fired pizza with Italian sausage and roasted peppers matches the wine's intensity. Dark chocolate with sea salt echoes the finish's bittersweet, mineral character.

What sizes does Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel come in? Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel is typically available in the standard 750ml bottle format.

Is Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel worth the price? This bottling positions squarely in the premium tier of single-vineyard California Zinfandel, and its consistent critical scores — including 95 points from Vinous and 94 from Wine Spectator — support its standing among the top expressions in the category. For collectors and Zinfandel devotees seeking mountain-grown, organically farmed, single-vineyard wine with proven cellar-worthiness, it represents strong value relative to comparably scored Napa Valley reds.

Why Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel?

What separates this bottling from the vast field of California Zinfandels is its extreme growing site — a certified organic vineyard perched at 2,600 feet in volcanic soils, where temperature swings between day and night are dramatic enough to produce snow in winter. That terroir, combined with Turley's native-yeast fermentation and 15 months of barrel aging, yields a wine with both power and precision that most warm-climate Zinfandels cannot match. Multiple vintages have earned scores of 93 to 95 points from publications including Vinous, Wine Spectator, and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. For anyone serious about understanding what Zinfandel can achieve when pushed to its geographic and viticultural limits, Rattlesnake Ridge is essential drinking.