2011 Turley Petite Sirah Turley Estate

(13.7% alcohol, which is lower than average): Saturated ruby-blue color. Distinctly wild aromas of black fruits and meat. Super-concentrated, ripe and spicy, offering outstanding definition and lift but with a surprisingly creamy texture to its dark fruit flavors. Finishes very long and savory with huge, palate-coating tannins.

The 2011 Petite Syrah Turley Estate is a standout once again. Rich, dark and seamless, the Estate caresses the palate with layers of expressive dark fruit. This is an especially powerful, dense wine for the year.

The 2011 Petite Syrah Turley Estate is a standout once again. Rich, dark and seamless, the Estate caresses the palate with layers of expressive dark fruit. This is an especially powerful, dense wine for the year. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2021. This is a thrilling set of wines from Larry Turley, Ehren Jordan and Tegan Passalacqua. Tasting this wide a range of 2010 and 2011 Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs is like taking a master class in California terroir. The house style favors an expression of Zinfandel and Petite Syrah built on aromatic intensity and elegance, which Jordan credits to gentle extractions. At times, the wines come across as quite Burgundian in the way they express richness but not excess heaviness. Over the last few years, the wines have become a little more laid-back and less overtly ripe, which is a net positive given that the starting point for all of these wines is fruit of exceptional quality. The Petite Syrahs in particular are noteworthy because they are among the few wines that find the elegance Petite Syrah is capable of, while avoiding the massive tannins that are so typical elsewhere. The 2010s are strong across the board, although Turley did not bottle a few of their wines from sites that got scorched by the heat spikes, which includes the Highway 101 and Zampatti. The 2011s are more variable, as befits a vintage that had much less favorable conditions overall. Tel. (707) 963-0940