Opaque ruby-black in the glass, the 2021 Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Ridge has dense aromas of dried plums, graphite, tobacco and game meats. The full-bodied palate is dense and chewy with rounded acidity and a compact finish.

Very deep opaque purple-black in color, the 2017 Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Ridge has a very pretty nose of fresh violet, lilac, peach cobbler, perfumed earth, cinnamon and nutmeg with black cherry liqueur, smoked meats and fried herbs hints. Full-bodied and huge in the mouth, it has a singular, savory palate with perfumed notes, framed by very firm, very chewy tannins, finishing very long and very layered. This is a beast! 400 cases produced.

The 2016 Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Ridge is another of the portfolio's highlights, and a bottle followed for several days got better and better, nipping at the heels of the Hayne Vineyard Petite Syrah. This is a deep, brooding wine, unfurling in the glass with notes of blackberries, cherries, black tea, dark chocolate and pencil lead. On the palate, it's full-bodied, rich and chewy, with considerable concentration and extract but backed up by good balancing acids. This is the most imposing wine in the range in terms of structure, and it will require aging or at the very least extended aeration.

Absolutely prodigious, the 2014 Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Ridge (which is more potent at 15% natural alcohol) is a blockbuster with an extraordinary essence of blueberry and blackberry fruit, full-bodied texture, and stunning purity. This is a quintessential example of what Petite Sirah can achieve in the hands of a dedicated and talented winemaking staff. This is sensational stuff that should drink well for 30 or more years.

The 2012 Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Ridge is a powerful, inky, exotic effort that is super-dark and rich. Turley Wine Cellars has long been one of the more enviable wine operations in California. Larry Turley should, and does, receive enormous credit for nearly single-handedly preserving many of the heritage old vine Zinfandel sites that exist in northern California. Most of them were threatened with being torn up with what was believed to be more popular varietals such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. This estate produces nearly thirty single vineyard Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs, all from organically farmed vineyards. Natural yeast fermentations have always been the rule, and the percentage of new oak used has dropped from a high of 30% to about half that. Their Zinfandels are never shy, but tasting through the 2012s, it appears they are not as extracted as they once were, but the alcohols remain in the 15% to 16% range because Zinfandel is rarely ripe at lower sugars. It appears that Larry Turley was destined to resuscitate these old vine vineyards as he worked for a quarter of a century as an emergency room doctor. He now works full time shaping wines from nearly three dozen old vine parcels. As he says, he’s never met an old vine vineyard he didn’t like. Turley’s long-time assistant winemaker, Ehren Jordan, has left to pursue his own project (Failla Wines), but Turley has the highly competent Tegan Passalacqua as his wingman. Virtually every one of these 2012 Zinfandels will be drinkable upon release in 2014, and should last for 6-8 years. Larry Turley was one of the first to exploit some of the old vine vineyards planted in sandy soils from the backwater areas of Lodi and Contra Costa. The two Contra Costa sites include the Duarte and Salvador, both ancient vineyards with the Salvador directly planted on its own roots in 1896. The Duarte was named after a prominent grower in Contra Costa. The Petite Syrahs are different animals altogether and most of them should keep for 30-40 years – at a minimum! Tel. (707) 963-0940