1995 Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard
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Tasting notes
(14.4% alcohol): Brilliant ruby. Outstanding floral lift to the primary red berry and dark chocolate aromas. The palate combines superb thickness of texture and mineral lift, with a flavor of raspberry coulis complicated by coffee and leather nuances. Still remarkably youthful, communicating an exhilarating balance of sweetnes and acidity. Finishes with plush, sweet tannins and terrific floral length. This is still evolving and may ultimately merit an even higher score.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 1995 Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard is absolutely enthralling, and as extraordinary as the 1994. It is still in an infantile state, but my notes suggested I was tasting a run away, high speed train. An opaque purple color, massive richness, and huge thickness and extract should produce a phenomenal bottle of wine in 15-20 years. Not many of us have the patience to wait on such uncompromisingly made wines, but I suspect the time invested will be well worth it. As longtime readers know, I have often said that Petite Sirah is one of the most under-appreciated varietals in California. I have enjoyed some dazzling Petite Sirahs over the years, especially from Ridge and some older vintages of Freemark Abbey. More recently, small wineries such as Rockland and Sean Thackrey (along with Ridge), have turned out limited quantities of impressive Petite Sirah. I do not believe anyone has ever made Petite Sirah as concentrated and as potentially grand as that produced by Turley since 1993. I never thought I would see Petite Sirahs as extraordinarily rich as Turley's 1994s, but the 1995s look equally prodigious. Readers' best hope of latching onto a few bottles is to get their name on the winery's mailing list. (release date, 5/97) Tel. (707) 963-0940; Fax (707) 963-963-8683
About the producer
Founded in 1993, Turley Cellars is a leading name in California Zinfandel and Petite Syrah. The winery has helped preserve the state’s old-vine heritage, farming historic vineyards organically and producing distinctive single-vineyard wines known for their character and longevity.