The 2010 Charbono Tofanelli Vineyard bursts from the glass with a heady array of blackberries, blueberries, asphalt, violets and spices. Soft and voluptuous, the 2010 blossoms with layers of fruit that flow through to the creamy, expressive finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. 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

One of the few delicious Charbonos made in California comes from Turley Cellars. The 2009 Charbono Tofanelli Vineyard reveals smoky, gamy, meaty notes, more tannin than usual, and a more austere style. This dark plum-colored Charbono exhibits a Rhone Valley-like personality. It should be drunk over the next several years. Larry Turley and his sidekick, longtime winemaker Ehren Jordan remain the reference point, along with Mike Officer at Carlisle in Sonoma and the Biale Family in Napa, for world-class, quintessential old vine Zinfandels. Sadly, few California Zinfandels reach these heights. 2009 is a softer, lighter-styled vintage for Turley, but the wines are already charming and irresistible. They should be ready to drink when released and best consumed in their first 4-6 years of life. The exceptions are a few of the old vine cuvees as well as their Petite Syrahs, which are all 30-50-year wines. Surprisingly, the alcohol levels are nearly as high as usual, running between 15.1% and 16.5% for the Zinfandels and 1 to 2% lower in the Petite Syrahs. Turley Cellars’ Petite Syrahs are something to behold. As stated above, they are all 30- to 50-year wines and even in a more fruit-forward, slightly lighter vintage such as 2009, they deliver massive fruit and richness, yet possess considerably lower alcohols than any of the Zinfandels. Although they can be drunk young, their true character tends to emerge at ages 10-20 or later as they are the ultimate anti-oxidant when it comes to wine. All of them exhibits dense opaque purple colors, full body and notes of graphite, blackberries, blueberries and incense as well as superb purity and density.Tel. (707) 963-0940; Fax (707) 963-8683

A California Cotes du Rhone look-alike is the 2008 Charbono Tofanelli Vineyard. It exhibits plenty of earthy blue and red fruits intertwined with gamy, smoky notes, rustic tannins, and lots of spice and herbs. It is a wine to enjoy with a good pizza or at an Italian trattoria over the next 1-2 years. As I have said many times, the most underrated varietal (especially if you are a connoisseur or collector wanting to age California wines for 10-20 years) is Petite Sirah, which ages just as well as the finest Cabernet Sauvignons. In fact, it ages more slowly, and in 2009, well-cellared examples from the late 1960s and early 1970s continue to be remarkable wines. All of the following wines are noteworthy, and I am sure they will still be drinking beautifully in 25, 35, perhaps even 40 or more years. They need plenty of time to age, and because they have never been fashionable, their prices tend to be realistic. That said, you have to be a masochist to drink these wines young as they are massive, inky/blue/black, super-concentrated offerings that need at least 8-10 years of bottle age. Tel. (707) 963-0940; Fax (707) 963-8683

The 2007 Charbono Tofanelli Vineyard reveals gamy, meaty, earthy characteristics intermixed with sweet red and black fruits. Although not complex, it is a delicious, savory, bistro-styled red for drinking over the next several years. As always, a mind-boggling array of Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs has been produced by the world’s premier Zinfandel specialist, Larry Turley. He deserves remarkable credit for his “holy grail” quest to locate largely forgotten parcels of old Zinfandel vines, and preserve as many of these historic sites as possible. Like most Zinfandels, Turley’s are best drunk during their first 5-6 years of life, although in certain vintages, some wines can handle a decade worth of cellaring. However, the glory of Zinfandel is its youthful, exuberant, flamboyant, spicy, peppery, briery fruit. It will not achieve greater complexity or flavor dimension by extended cellaring. All of these Zinfandels come from dry-farmed vineyards, a majority of them being old head-pruned sites planted by Italian immigrants in the late 19th century. The wines are aged in 20% new French oak, and are bottled with little clarification. Total production for Turley Wine Cellars is slightly more than 15,000 cases. They also make a small quantity of white wine. No one makes more concentrated or ageworthy wines than Larry Turley’s Petite Syrahs. This is California’s most underrated, long-lived varietal, and having had experience with 20-30 year old Petite Sirahs, they actually do improve in the bottle, becoming remarkably civilized with outstanding aging potential. They can match Cabernet Sauvignon for the longest lived varietal in California, but they can be so impenetrable, thick, and broodingly backward in their youth that only a small number of consumers follow them. Tel. (707) 963-0940; Fax (707) 963-8683

The 2007 Charbono Tofanelli Vineyard reveals gamy, meaty, earthy characteristics intermixed with sweet red and black fruits. Although not complex, it is a delicious, savory, bistro-styled red for drinking over the next several years. As always, a mind-boggling array of Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs has been produced by the world’s premier Zinfandel specialist, Larry Turley. He deserves remarkable credit for his “holy grail” quest to locate largely forgotten parcels of old Zinfandel vines, and preserve as many of these historic sites as possible. Like most Zinfandels, Turley’s are best drunk during their first 5-6 years of life, although in certain vintages, some wines can handle a decade worth of cellaring. However, the glory of Zinfandel is its youthful, exuberant, flamboyant, spicy, peppery, briery fruit. It will not achieve greater complexity or flavor dimension by extended cellaring. All of these Zinfandels come from dry-farmed vineyards, a majority of them being old head-pruned sites planted by Italian immigrants in the late 19th century. The wines are aged in 20% new French oak, and are bottled with little clarification. Total production for Turley Wine Cellars is slightly more than 15,000 cases. They also make a small quantity of white wine. No one makes more concentrated or ageworthy wines than Larry Turley’s Petite Syrahs. This is California’s most underrated, long-lived varietal, and having had experience with 20-30 year old Petite Sirahs, they actually do improve in the bottle, becoming remarkably civilized with outstanding aging potential. They can match Cabernet Sauvignon for the longest lived varietal in California, but they can be so impenetrable, thick, and broodingly backward in their youth that only a small number of consumers follow them.Tel. (707) 963-0940; Fax (707) 963-8683