Robert Parker Reviews Coturri Winery
(excerpt from Robert M.Parker Jr. Wine Buyer's Guide, 5th edition)

• 1994 Merlot Feingold Vineyard Sonoma Mountain  Rating: 86
• 1993 Merlot Feingold Vineyard Sonoma  Rating: 90
• 1994 Pinot Noir Horn Vineyard Sonoma  Rating: 88
• 1993 Pinot Noir Horn Vineyard Sonoma  Rating: 88
• 1993 Sangiovese Jessandre Vineyard Sonoma  Rating: 92
• 1995 Zinfandel Estate Sonoma Mountain  Rating: 89
• 1994 Zinfandel Estate Sonoma Mountain  Rating: 88
• 1993 Zinfandel Estate Sonoma Mountain  Rating: 90
• 1996 Zinfandel Philip Coturri Family Vineyard Sonoma Valley  Rating: 87
• 1995 Zinfandel Philip Coturri Family Vineyard Sonoma Valley  Rating: 90
• 1994 Zinfandel Philip Coturri Estate Sonoma Mountain  Rating: 89
• 1993 Zinfandel Philip Coturri Estate Sonoma Mountain  Rating: 92
• 1994 Jessandra Vittoria Santa Vittoria (70% Cabernet Sauvignon/30% Sangiovese) Sonoma Mountain  Rating: 90+
  

I am a fan of the best bottles Coturri produces, but I feel obligated to provide the following notice: None of my reviews provoke more controversy than those of Coturri. For every reader who writes to thank me for turning them on to these organically made, unfined, unfiltered, unsulfured wines, there are others who have accused me of consuming excessive amounts of illegal substances before tasting Coturri's wines, or, even worse, just incompetence. The debate over Coturri's wines is due to the fact that some Coturri offerings (which I do not recommend) are flawed by excessive amounts of volatile acidity, off aromas, etc. Coturri's adherence to a puristic approach of bottling barrel by barrel, refusing to assemble all of the barrels into a master blend, should be discontinued. This practice, also used by numerous Burgundians, results in notoriously frustrating bottle variation. Nevertheless, the following wines were superrich, pure examples of their varietals. They are too interesting and provocative not to recommend. However, readers who prefer wines that fall within strictly defined parameters are forewarned. Those who possess adventurous spirits and are interested in different winemaking styles should try one of Coturri's offerings before investing in a case. These are some of the most intriguing, albeit controversial, wines I have ever reviewed. Readers who find these wines to their liking tend to be obsessed by the positive qualities of the Coturri winemaking philosophy.

I have written in detail about the idiosyncratic wines from this small winery tucked on the Sonoma Mountain hillside. For example, the 1995 Zinfandel Sonoma Mountain (15.8% alcohol) is a dense purple-colored wine, with a gorgeous nose of jammy cherries and raspberries. The wine is highly extracted and rich, with loads of glycerin, full body, and considerable purity. Drink this thick, nearly unctuous Zinfandel over the next 5-6 years. This winery bottles its offerings in small lots, so let's hope all the bottles taste as excellent as this. The 1995 Zinfandel Philip Coturri Family Vineyard (15.8% alcohol) is another huge, rich, full-bodied wine loaded with jammy, briery, raspberry fruit. Hedonistic, with gorgeous texture, layers of flavor, full body, and beautifully integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol, this back-strapping, large-scaled Zin should drink well for 5-7 years.

Think of the 1996 Zinfandel Philip Coturri Family Vineyard as the equivalent of an Amarone made from Zinfandel! The cheesy, smoky nose of freshly laid asphalt intermixed with jammy black fruits recalls both a Piedmont wine and an Amarone from Veneto. Although powerful, full bodied, and cleanly made, the wine is big, coarse, and rustic. Nevertheless, it possesses considerable flavor authority and a chewy, long texture. It should drink well for 5-6 years.

The first two 1994 Zinfandels, released by Coturri are. Mammoth, late-harvest Zinfandels with high alcohol contents. The 1994 Zinfandel Sonoma Mountain offers a jammy, pruny, black raspberry and cherry-scented nose, thick, low acid, fleshy flavors, an unctuous texture, some sweetness, and a long, clean, rich, fleshy finish. It has not yet taken on much complexity, but it is a huge mouthful of Zinfandel. Drink it over the next 4-5 years. Although the 1994 Zinfandel Philip Cotuni Estate possesses even higher alcohol (15.2%), it comes across as completely dry, with classic Zinfandel aromatic and flavor profiles. There are gobs of spice, pepper, and jammy black cherries in this full-bodied, powerful, concentrated wine. The color is not as saturated as the Sonoma Mountain euv6e, but the wine cuts an equally broad path across the palate. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.

Zinfandel fanatics should try a bottle of Coturri's 1993 Zinfandel Estate and 1993 Zinfandel Philip Coturri Estate Vineyard. Although the 1993 Zinfandel Estate possesses some residual sugar, it is extremely rich with a huge, black fruit, spice, and roasted herb-scented nose, gigantic body, glycerin, and flavor extraction, and a low-acid, off-dry finish. It should drink well for 5-6 years. Even more impressive is the exceptionally rich 1993 Zinfandel Philip Coturri Estate. One of the richest, most intense, well-balanced Zinfandels I have ever tasted, this 15.3% alcohol wine does not taste alcoholic because of the tremendous amounts of fruit and concentration. It should drink well for 5-7 years or longer. The aging curve suggested for these wines is conservative in view of the fact that no SO, is used, so Coturri must rely on the wine's high alcohol content for ageability. Intriguing, controversial, but frequently riveting wines are the rule of thumb from this idiosyncratic producer.
Coturri's 1994 Merlot Feingold Vineyards is a rich, medium- to full-bodied, surprisingly structured Merlot that will benefit from a few more months of bottle age. There is no evidence of volatile acidity (thankfully). The wine exhibits a deep ruby/purple color, and good black cherry fruit with an underlying loamy/mineral character. It is spicy and rich, as well as structured, suggesting it will last for 5-7 years.

The 1993 Merlot from the Feingold Vineyard was Coturri's debut Merlot release. I did not find anything controversial about this superconcentrated, rich wine. Because Coturri utilizes no SO, my instincts suggest the wine may evolve quickly, although I have not found that to be the case with several older bottlings I have in my cellar. The 1993 Merlot offers a saturated black/purple color, and a huge, rich nose of spices, earth, and black cherry fruit. Amazingly full bodied and unctuous, with low acidity and magnificent fruit and richness, this thick, chewy Merlot should drink well for 5-7 years, possibly longer.
The 1993 Santa Vittoria (made at H. Coturri but displaying a different black and gold label with the words Jessandra Vittoria) is a limited production proprietary red wine made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese. While this is often the most impressive wine in the Coturri portfolio, it is extremely difficult to find given its microproduction. The 1994 exhibits an opaque purple color, a reluctant set of aromatics that gradually emerge to reveal scents of new saddle leather, black fruits, earth, and spice. Structured and tannic, as well as impressively endowed and concentrated, this is less flattering and up-front when compared to the 1993, but potentially a 12-1-5-year wine. It is always difficult to estimate the longevity of the Coturri wines. Why? Because they are superconcentrated, but the fact that no sulfur is used at bottling often precludes as much cellaring potential as the raw materials suggest. The Jessandra Vittoria is a wine of considerable richness, length, complexity, and aging potential. Lucky purchasers of it should cellar it for 1-2 years and drink it over the following 10-12.
Coturri's 1994 Horn Vineyards Pinot Noir is a big, rich, intense, full-bodied wine with a dark purple color, meaty, animal-like Pinot flavors, soft, silky tannin, and plenty of muscle and punch in the finish. Approachable now, the wine should drink well for a decade. While it is not the most elegant style of Pinot, it is large scaled and impressively endowed. The 1993 Pinot Noir Horn Vineyard reveals a deep, dark, gamet/ruby/purple color, gobs of rich, jammy, sweet, plum and rasberry fruit, full body, outstanding concentration, low acidity, and considerable power and density. This is a chewy, opulent, spicy, intense Pinot Noir that should drink well for 5–8 years.