The 2010 Petite Syrah Library Vineyard emerges from a parcel in downtown St. Helena planted in the late 1800s/early 1900s. As is the case with most of California’s heritage sites, the vineyard consists of a field blend, in this case with at least 26 different known varieties. The Library is one of the most unique wines I have ever tasted in California. Exotic and beguiling, the Library emerges from the glass with seemingly endless layers of high-toned red fruits, anise, orange peel and cinnamon. Powerful, rich, but never heavy, the Library is simply dazzling. Given the extensive Turley lineup, I imagine most readers have a hard time choosing which wines to buy, but for my money, the Library has to be at the top of the list. On a more sober note, I am told the city of St. Helena may be taking this parcel back to use for civic projects. In my view, it would be tragic to see a heritage site as great as this one, disappear. After all, a new school or library can be built in a number of places, but great, iconic wine can only be made in a few special places throughout the world. This is one of them. It is not too far fetched to envision a future in which California’s historic vineyards are classified as UNESCO heritage sites. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030.
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.
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