2005 Turley Dragon Zinfandel

Ok, so I've been slacking again on blog updates, but I've also had less wine to drink lately with trips out of town, football games, a cold, and more. Among the few recent bottles was one of my older Zinfandels, the 2005 Turley Dragon Vineyard. This wasn't one of the best Turleys I've ever had, somewhat simple and short on the palate. It did have some nice dark fruit and a bit of spice, but overall wasn't quite up to the usual Turley standard. 2005 wasn't a great vintage for Zinfandel. I think that's what ultimately doomed this wine, because it had some nice characteristics and wasn't a bad wine at all, just not the top quality I expect from one of the iconic Zinfandel producers.