It’s rare that we get to offer wines from the old-vine gurus at Turley in any real quantity, simply because in most years there just isn’t much wine to go around. Today is a new day, however, with reluctant thanks to a small silver lining of the tariff debacle which has resulted in Canadian markets passing on their typical share. To be clear this is not a good thing: we are now just over a year into a near complete Canadian boycott of all U.S. made wines and spirits, which has dealt a huge blow to producers across the country who have already been struggling with decreasing consumption rates and higher costs of production, among other challenges. While the reasons might be frustrating (if not catastrophic) as a whole, sometimes it’s best to focus on what’s in front of you: and today that would be a slew of outrageously good 2023s from Turley, including several of their single-vineyard Zinfandels, their beautiful Napa Cab, and the incredible Hayne Vineyard Petite Syrah. Additionally, just in time for spring is the triumphant return of their delicious “White Zinfandel” Napa Rosé, a cheeky nod to the classic California summer staple albeit in a dry, more sophisticated style. The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc was a particularly nice surprise when Christina Turley visited the shop recently to pour these iconic wines, showing a combination of texture and sleek minerality that will convert even the most ardent Sauv-Blanc skeptics.

For a brief background, Turley was started in 1993 by Larry Turley, who had developed Frog’s Leap Winery with John Williams in 1981 but was looking for an outlet to showcase the old-vine Zinfandel and Petite Syrah he had come to love. Winemaker Tegan Passalacqua joined as vineyard manager in 2003, bringing his own passion for finding and rehabilitating old vineyards in California and cementing Turley as one of the leaders in this field. They currently work with over 50 different vineyards, some of which date back to the 1800s. Larry’s eldest daughter Christina joined in 2010 after working as a sommelier and beverage director in New York for eight years, bringing a unique perspective and vision to help elevate the winery’s status and broaden their reach. Everything at Turley is done with respect to the land and vineyards they work with, farming organically and using minimal intervention in the cellar. One thing I noticed while tasting the 2023s was just how expressive and vibrant they were right upon opening, while still packing plenty of substance to age for many years. Zinfandel is a quintessential piece of the California wine picture, and perhaps nobody does it better than Turley. 

While on the subject of Zinfandel, I would be remiss to not mention another exciting new arrival from Under the Wire, a project started by Chris Cottrell & Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wines, dedicated to making vintage and vineyard specific sparkling wines inspired by the grower Champagnes we all know and love. Chris, a New York native, met Morgan while working at a shop together, quickly developing a friendship that would turn into a business partnership both with Under the Wire and Bedrock Wines. Like Turley, Morgan and Chris are old-vine connoisseurs who focus more on expressing a piece of land rather than a specific grape or style of wine, working with dozens of ancient vineyards across California and producing many of their wines as site-specific field blends. With Under the Wire they have really narrowed this focus toward making great sparkling wines that have achieved a sort of cult status since they began in 2011. The 2021 Bedrock Vineyard Sparkling Zinfandel is a stunner, with a perfect combination of texture and tension that shows beautifully now but could age as well as any Champagne and will continue to develop even more depth over the next five to ten years. 

In addition to these new arrivals, we’ve included a smattering of bottles both from Bedrock and Tegan’s project Sandlands, which has become another cult icon showcasing some of California’s oldest vineyard sites. While these bottles are few in quantity, there is a diverse selection that spans both multiple vintages and vineyards.

-Jeff DiLorenzo