Collection: Producer Spotlight: Turley

Cult and Boutique Uncorked works with many incredible producers, and we only stock those wines we are really committed to, and whose wines we endlessly and effortlessly support. One such mainstay is Turley Wine Cellars, a leading proponent of Zinfandel in the states, and especially old vines. They truly are masters of their craft, and, amongst their relatively large range of offerings, you can be sure every single one has its place.

And place is a large element at their core. Under their operation, they have over 50, organic vineyards jotted across the Californian landscape, each with distinct growing conditions and terroir, of varying vine stock and age. Whilst Zinfandel is their penchant, they do produce some Cabernet, rarely some Sauvignon Blanc, and, in our opinion, one of the top Petite Sirahs (or Syrah, as they spell it) out of the entire US.

Let's take a look at the defining features of their primary holdings:

Turley Estate Vineyard

The flagship vineyard, and home to the winery itself: this is where Turley started in 1998, and it is where Turley continues to be made. Located in Napa's Saint-Helena AVA, this primarily volcanic site is home to an array of younger plantings from the 1990s, featuring Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah, Trousseau, and Cinsault. Zinfandel is the star, and the rest are occasionally blended into their multi-site bottlings to help balance the profile if needed. Here, the wines are made with native yeasts, and aged 15months in barrel using both American and French oak to produce vibrant, spicey, boozy, heavy Zinfandels, which retain a high degree of pure fruit to help temper the intensity. Always a great place to start, and really indicative of classic Cali Zinfandel.

Kirschmann Vineyard

Kirschmann (Cherry Man in German), is an altogether different site, and the one which is personally run and attended to year-round by Turley's head winemaker, Tegan Passalacqua. Based down in Lodi, in the Mokelumne River AVA, the over century old vines thrive in the sandy loam and cool river breezes, producing wines of remarkable finesse and balance. The natural heat of the area brings forth fruit ripeness, the permeable ground and breezes from the Mokelumne River help enhance the acidity, and the old vines bring spice and herbal characters to the wine. Overall, they are more balanced and gentle than our next pick.

Hayne Vineyard

The Hayne Vineyard is where power dominates, and it is often considered their most renowned. Here, back in Saint Helena, Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, take root in the alluvial, volcanic, and gravelly soils — with some plantings dating back to 1902! In these warm yet wind-swept expanses, clusters of hand-harvested vines produce the paragon of Californian Zinfandel and Petite Sirah; the wines are deep, dark, inky, brooding, and ecstatically effulgent. Bold, coating tannins, meet with balanced acidity, ornately frame copious currants, dried flowers, leather, wet stone, and much, much, more.

Dragon Vineyard

One of their highest elevated sites, Dragon Vineyard is perched upon Howell Mountain in Napa, whereby the young vinestock receives ample sunlight, which, in tandem with the rich, red volcanic rocks in the soils, lead to wines pre-destined to pair with bold food like rich stews and strong meats. The Zinfandels here are thick and expressive, with dark fruits, raspberry, cherry, figs, spice, and black pepper. They are, also, Larry Turley's personal favourite in most vintages.

Pesenti Vineyard

The Pesenti site down in Paso Roble's is one of the few to possess calcareous marine soils, making it as suitable for their rare Grenache offerings as it is Zinfandel. The name of the AVA this site is found in, is called Willow Creek, and this admittedly alludes to so much of its character: the twisted, gothic boughs function as a pure symbol of how this wine approaches the palate: dark, mysterious, and above all beautifully sad up front, yet, deep within the recesses, a plethora of youthful and vibrant red fruit frolics with puerile abandon.

As if the wines weren't enticing enough, their iconic design scores points in our books, and have drawn a lot of press, deciding to use their own unique bottle shape, which they believe reflects the character of their wines and their project.

At the end of last year, Christina Turley, the current Vice President and Director of Sales & Marketing over at Turley, jumped on our podcast: CB Conversations, to discuss her role, the world of wine, family heritage, and much more on Episode #20, and you can browse their wonderful wines below.