Helen Turley 
Time: 1pm, Date: Sun. June 29, 2008
Place: My house. Click here for map.
Sold out in 2 1/2 hours.
Turley Wine Cellars was started in the early ninties by brother and sister Helen & Larry Turley. Helen bowed out in the 1995 to continue her career as one of the highest paid wine consultants in Calif. and owner of Marcassin Winery. Larry, a former E.R. doctor from Santa Rossa came from Frogs Leap Winery and now manages the winery with his wife Suzanne. The current winemaker is Ehren Jordan.
Turley mostly makes Zinfandel & Petite Sirah. Much of the grapes are purchased from farmers who must prune back vines to, two tons per acre. Their Zinfandels are massive, ultra ripe, dense, over the top, fruit forward with alcohol running from 14 to 17%. These wines cannot be purchased in state stores or most wine shops. They are cult wine that are mostly sold by subscription. To get on the waiting list to get on the subscriptopn list go here.
Robert Parker: "Turley Vineyards is Californias preeminent Zinfandel specialist and owner Larry Turley produces the finest Zinfandels." Parker has rated all of these wines from 91 to 95.
Wines Tasted: '05 Cederman Vineyard, Howell Mtn., '04 Duarte Vineyard, Contra Costa County, '00
Duarte Vineyard, '99 Duarte Vineyard, '01 Pesanti Vineyard, Paso Robles, '01 Ravenswood, Teldeschi Vineyard, Dry Creek, '00
Atlas Peak Vineyard, Napa, '00 "Juvenile Vineyards", '00 "Old Vines Vineyards", '99 "Old Vines Vineyards", '90 Dry Creek Vineyards,
"Old Vines", Russian River.
All were good except the 2001 Ravenswood. The big favorites were the 2004 Duarte Vineyard, 2000 "Old Vines" and the 1990 Dry Creek Vineyards.
After the tasting our group of enophiles took more wine out to the pool.
The group: Dick Demchak, Al Decker, John Arters, Doug Breuninger, Cris & Francis Ramacciotti, Allison & David Rodgers,
Kathy Brewster, Chris Scheid, Vanessa James, Harry Kissig, Dennis Ferry, Ed Bohrer, Valerie & myself.
