Tasting Notes
2018 vintage — fall release
A note on our winemaking:
All of our vineyards are either certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers or somewhere in the process, and we use all natural yeasts in the fermentations. The below single vineyard designate wines are aged in 80% used oak barriques, of which 80% are French (the rest American) and bottled after 15-18 months in barrel.
2018 “Old Vines” Zinfandel, California
Old Vines is composed of a variety of old sites from California that are either too small to be made into a vineyard designate wine or are “new” to the Turley family (and way of farming). Vines are anywhere from 50 to 130 years old, and a true representation of California old vine Zinfandel, hailing from vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lodi, Contra Costa, Amador and Paso Robles. There is no better way to gauge the classic character of old vine Zinfandel in California than through this wine.
Tegan has called this vintage one of the best he’s seen in a long time. Silky, structured, savory, and seriously satisfying, this wine has kind of natural depth, complexity, and grace that can only come from truly old vines. The full gamut of fruits and a satin-like texture, the Old Vines over-delivers, and will continue to do so for many years to come. Ready to enjoy immediately at cellar temperature, around 55-65ºF.
2018 “Cedarman” Zinfandel, Howell Mountain
Cedarman is a proprietary blend of certified organic fruit from some of the highest elevation plantings on Howell Mountain. Primarily Zinfandel, we use a small amount of Petite Syrah as well, resulting in a truly powerful, dense and wild wine, long on flavor.
Wild berries, cracked pepper, game, pine forest—the perfect wine for cabin-goers and cabin-fever-havers alike. For fans of bold and full flavor, the wine has tons of brambly fruits and signature mountain brawn. A serious steal, the Cedarman is exemplary in 2018. Can decant or lay down, though does not require either; serve at 55-65ºF.
2018 “Ueberroth Vineyard” Zinfandel, Paso Robles
Ueberroth is one of the oldest of our Zinfandel vineyards. Located just a few miles northwest of Pesenti, you can smell the Pacific Ocean air from the top of the vineyard hill. These ungrafted, head-trained vines are planted on very steep limestone slopes. The high pH of the soil makes for a very high-acid wine, elevating the ripe fruit flavors from this historic certified organic vineyard.
Blue-fruited, noble, focused, racy, and classically textured, this Ueberroth is one for the ages. With copious dark fruits and piercing acidity, it’s ready to drink now at 55-65ºF and will age well thanks to the immense power & structure inherent to this wine.
2018 “Judge Bell” Zinfandel, Amador County
As our Amador winery is located on Bell Road, we named this wine for the eponymous (and notorious) Judge Bell, who presided over the nearby town of Plymouth during its Gold Rush heyday. Harking from own-rooted vines planted in 1907, the wine shows quintessential Amador granitic tannins & briary fruits.
The full gamut of fruits, blood orange, garrigue, wildly perfumed; the time to try Amador wine is NOW. Satiating, satin-like Sierra Nevada mountain tannins, truly silky and seamless. Will age well but perfect now, right off the bat. Serve at 55-65ºF.
2018 “Fredericks Vineyard” Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley
Hailing from 1937, these certified organic vines are some of the most unique we’ve ever seen. Just a mile and a half from the Napa border on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas, located in what is the new Moon Mountain AVA, the vines are planted along steep, contoured terraces. Finding old vineyards is rare enough, but ancient hillside head-trained vines located 900 feet up? Downright extraordinary.
Blue fruits, rosemary, jasmine, pepper, and baked white earth/chalk. Tannins are even more poised and elegant than usual, with a volcanic perfume and plenty of structure. Deeply satisfying now and will age well at cellar temperature (about 55-65ºF).
2018 “The White Coat” White Wine, California
Though the blend has changed over the years, The White Coat (named for Larry’s past career as an Emergency Room physician) is composed of white Rhône grapes from three of our Estate vineyards across California. The rich, textured Roussanne from Rattlesnake Ridge on Howell Mountain in Napa is moderated by acidity and structure provided by the Grenache Blanc grown in the calcareous soils of the Pesenti Vineyard in Paso Robles. Finally, the blend is rounded out with a touch of refreshing, mineral Vermentino (also known as Rolle) from the granitic and quartz-laden Cobb Vineyard in Amador. In 2018, there is even a tiny amount of Viognier from our Estate Vineyard in Napa co-fermented with the Roussanne! The result is an exceptional, dynamic white wine that is truly California.
Enticing white Burgundy-esque nose of citrus blossoms, white stones, and lemon curd. This is our first time fermenting and aging about ¼ of the wine in concrete eggs, and we are thrilled with the results! Nimble on the palate with excellent mouth-watering acidity. Purely delicious. As Larry always says, this is truly a “white wine for red wine drinkers.” Thoroughly ready to enjoy now at a cool 40-50°F.
2018 “Hayne Vineyard” Petite Syrah, Napa Valley
Otty Hayne planted the Hayne Petite Syrah in 1953 while he was home from college visiting his grandfather. All head-trained, dry-farmed and organic, this Petite Syrah vineyard is one of the most exceptional sites in California. The wine is powerful and inky in its youth, and becomes more feminine and refined with age. Likely to outlive us all.
There’s a reason we’ve made wine from the Hayne Vineyards longer than any others. Black plum, black cherry, graphite, cocoa, freshly turned earth, petrichor, ink, and gravel dust. Deep and intense yet extremely well-balanced and approachable. Drinks perfectly now at cellar temperature (about 55-65ºF) with a quick decant, but will age seemingly forever if stored properly.
2018 “Pesenti Vineyard” Petite Syrah, Paso Robles
This estate-owned and certified organic vineyard was planted by the Turley team using cuttings from the legendary Hayne vineyard. Head-trained, dry-farmed and planted in limestone, the wines are dark, smooth, dense and classic Petite Syrah. As the vines age the wines are increasingly expressive of the Pesenti Vineyard with minerality, savory spices and high tone pepper.
Dark purple fruits, black pepper, bitter chocolate, and a touch of wild game—reminiscent of a modern northern Rhône wine. Silky, well-resolved tannins and thoroughly well-rounded, the Pesenti Petite Syrah has come into its own. Ready to drink now at cellar temperature (about 55-65ºF) and will continue to over-deliver for many years to come thanks to the copious antioxidants.
2018 “Heminway Vineyard” Zinfandel, Napa Valley
Located on the top of the Vaca Mountains in northeastern Napa Valley, this vineyard sits at 1700 feet in between the southern end of Howell Mountain and just north of Pritchard Hill. The vines benefit from the moderating climate above Lake Hennessey. The wines are classic Napa Valley mountain fruit with great tannin. Jay Heminway planted the vineyard with the help of his daughter’s Montessori teacher, Alice Waters.
Pungent dark fruits, herbs de Provence, and cherry liqueur abound on the nose. Broad shouldered yet lithe and focused, like an Olympic swimmer. A true Napa Valley classic, and kissing cousins with the Cedarman and other Howell Mountain wines in texture & character. Ready to drink now at cellar temperature (about 55-65ºF).
2018 “Hayne Vineyard” Zinfandel, Napa Valley
The Hayne Vineyard is one of our most exceptional sites. Located in an idyllic warm yet breezy spot on the west side of St. Helena, we are honored to have worked with this vineyard and the Hayne family for over twenty-six years. The property has been in the same family since 1876, and the head-trained, dry-farmed Zinfandel vines, planted in 1902 and 1903, produce wines of power and elegance. Year after year, this wine serves as the archetype for Zinfandel and Napa Valley.
All class: smooth, suave, elegant. Regal red and blue fruits, delicate perfume of orange blossom and rose petal and a hint of Ethiopian coffee grounds. Always well-structured and poised, the Hayne is like if Zinfandel went to finishing school. Ready to drink now at cellar temperature (about 55-65ºF) and will age well for many years to come.
2018 “Salvador Vineyard” Zinfandel, Contra Costa County
Salvador Vineyard in Contra Costa County was a paragon of old vine Zinfandel. The organically farmed vines were planted on their own roots in 1896. The roots roamed deeply as the soil is solid sand for 40 feet down. The wine is stunning: suave, complex and powerfully elegant.
Sadly, the Salvador vineyard was ripped out in the winter of 2020; as such, the ’18 is the penultimate vintage of the Turley Salvador. Chocolate, orange bitters, mint, dark flowers—like a freshly-split Terry’s chocolate orange. Ripe, relaxed, satiating, savory and very well-structured. Ready to drink now at cellar temperature (about 55-65ºF) and will age well if cellared.
2018 “Dogtown Vineyard” Zinfandel, Lodi
Planted in 1944, the Dogtown Vineyard is farmed by Turley Wine Cellars. This head-trained, own-rooted vineyard is within the Clements Hills AVA, which has more varied topography than the rest of Lodi; thus, while most vineyards in the region were furrow irrigated, the rolling hills of iron-rich clay and volcanic soil in Dogtown have been dry-farmed from the start. The vineyard has some of the most consistently low yields and best natural acidity of any other we’ve farmed.
Lush, lovely, and the best wine made in Lodi according to our winemaker, one Mr. Tegan Passalacqua! Black tea, mint, chocolate, cherry and a hint of citrus. Deeply appealing and excellently proportioned. Mouth-watering acidity and Grenache-like tannins make this reminiscent of a classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Ready to drink now at cellar temperature (about 55-65ºF) and will age well.
2018 “Library Vineyard” Petite Syrah, Napa Valley
The Library Vineyard is one of the most unique vineyards in California. Planted between 1880 and 1920 directly behind the St. Helena Public Library, the vineyard is very varietally diverse. Primarily Petite Syrah vines mix with a myriad of others, including; Peloursin, Cinsault, Syrah, Mission, Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir, Carignan, Grenache and Zinfandel. There are also several white grapes such as Muscat Alexandria, Muscadelle, Burger, and Green Hungarian. We pick them all together to make a wine truly expressive of the vineyard.
Fragrant violets, chocolate bitters, purple blossoms, honeydew and berries along with palo santo. Always a favorite, Library is generally the prettiest, most open of our Petite Syrahs, owing to the nearly 25 varieties grown in the vineyard that are co-fermented. Smooth, lithe texture and long finish. Drinking exceptionally well now at cellar temperature (about 55-65ºF), no need to decant!
2018 “Whitney Tennessee” Zinfandel, Alexander Valley
Everything old is new again, and this wine is no exception. This small, estate-owned, pre-Prohibition vineyard was purchased by the winery in 2009, and we’ve been slowly but surely repairing the soils through organic methods until the wine was ready to make its debut. Planted on loam and various gravel soils, the Whitney Tennessee vineyard—named for one of Larry’s four daughters—is a mixed planting as well, with small amounts of Petite Syrah and Carignane vines sprinkled throughout. Long-time Turley followers may remember a wine with the same name from the mid-1990’s, though this is a different vineyard source, located just off Alexander Valley Road in Sonoma.
Brooding dark blue fruits, blackberry, gingerbread, and gravel dust. Plenty of fine-grained, well-integrated tannins make for a deeply pleasing texture and long finish. Drinking well now with a quick decant and will age phenomenally in the cellar. Serve at 55-65ºF.
2018 “DuPratt Vineyard” Zinfandel, Mendocino County
We are beyond thrilled to be working with this vineyard. Planted in 1919 at 1500 feet up on Mendocino Ridge, this vineyard is surrounded by giant Redwood trees and is often called the “vineyard in the sky.” Indeed, the site is so remote that the vines still survive on their own original rootstocks, as Phylloxera has never made its way up there! Located above the town of Philo and only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, it is the northernmost, coolest site from which we’ve ever made wine. Though we’ve worked with Mendocino fruit for many years, DuPratt is the only Mendocino County bottling from Turley.
Deep black, sappy, intense fruits, predominately cassis and plum alongside Indian ink and crushed white stone. The tannins and acidity in this wine are truly out of this world—Nevertheless, the texture is sublime; what a standout. Definitely decant for a few hours before serving at cellar temperature (about 55-65ºF) or lay down for up to a decade!
2018 “Zampatti Vineyard” Zinfandel, Sonoma County
Located in Sonoma County, this vineyard is nearly hidden in downtown Santa Rosa, in the newly-created Fountaingrove AVA. Planted in 1915 on 2.5 acres, the vineyard is farmed organically by Alida Morzenti, granddaughter of the Zampattis. The Zinfandel vines are interspersed with little-known white grapes Palomino & Golden Chasselas, and planted on a cool sloping site with large rocks scattered throughout the warm Franciscan soils. The wines are balanced, aromatic, bright and beautiful.
Blue and red fruits, graphite, pomegranate, and piercing purple flowers, with a touch of savory roast meats à la Côte Rôtie. This tiny jewel of a vineyard makes wine with such excellent acidity and a long, mouth-watering finish, we’re always left wishing we could have more! Extra expressive after a few minutes in the glass, would benefit from a quick decanting; serve at 55-65ºF.