I LIKE THIS WINE: 97 points 14.9% abv. Dark ruby, very expressive aromatics. Ripe plums, black pepper, white flowers, mint and cassis highlight an incredibly intense, deep, powerful and rich palate impression. Very focused, but accessible now. A fine tannic structure indicates years of positive development ahead. This wine shows just how great Petite can be. Outstanding.
There are a lot of great Petite producers - in one great Petite vineyard alone (Napa’s Palisades), we have Biale, Carlisle, Mending Wall and Once & Future. All terrific.
But Turley Petite is special. The greatest Petite I’ve ever had was a 25 year old Hayne. And they also make great Petite from their Napa estate vineyard, Rattlesnake (Howell Mt.), and Paso’s Pesenti Vineyard. And then there is Library.
My vote for world’s greatest Petite Sirah (make that Petite Syrah) producer goes to Turley.
Jaffurs has my vote for best PS coming out of CA. Good young, good old. Always consistent. Always drinkable. Some others just take forever to come around.
“Turley - the world’s greatest Petite Sirah producer?”
Not a chance. I held on to a few of the 07-08’s for about 5-6 years and they were all a hot, acidic mess. Completely undrinkable. Carlisle makes much better Petites, IMHO.
I think I’d agree that pound for pound, Turley Hayne PS is at the top of the list. I’ve had as far back as the 97 and they’ve all been great both young and ‘old’.
Could some other producers potentially give it a run for it’s money once we have a larger sample size (Carlisle Palisades, Mending Wall, etc)? Absolutely. But for now I feel comfortable saying Turley Hayne PS is the best around.
P.s agree that Vincent Arroyo makes great PS. Top 5 producer for sure. Also throw Scholium Tenbrink into the ring…but that’s almost a whole different animal.
I have always preferred the Jacob Franklin Hayne Petite Sirah (made by Elyse Winery). Better balance than the Turley, good young, good old. I also prefer the Jaffurs Thompson Vineyard PS, mentioned above.
Some of the Turleys have been ridiculously out of balance, like their zins (some of them). Recent vintages are probably better.
Someone said “old”… did you really mean OLD? I had a 1970 Mondavi Napa Petite Sirah about 10 years ago. Was pretty damn good at roughly 40 years old. Doubt the Turley stuff could pull that off, since they often have balance problems and aren’t really built to spend 40 years in a cellar. Unfortunately those Mondavi vines were ripped out long ago.
+100. The old Ridge York Creek PS are OUTSTANDING. I had 2 bottles of the ‘78 earlier this year and they were both glorious. The pure quality that came out of the York Creek vineyard in the 70s truly boggles the mind.
And the Mending Wall PS bottling is something everyone should try.
I guess it depends on how you define greatness. Some of the PS from decades past, even some pretty unassuming ones, have aged into beautiful, mature wines. I wonder if any of the modern day ones will do that.
I have a bottle of the 2012 Le P’tit Paysan Monterey County Petite Sirah in my WineBid “cellar”. I am happy to hear that it is well-regarded.
As for Turley’s PS reigning supreme, the “Library Vineyard” bottling (from the various CT reviews I have read) oddly appears to be the least loved among the winery’s Pet roster.
Regardless, if I was going to purchase any of them, the “Library Vineyard” bottling would be the first, but not because of the Petite Sirah on the label: the site is such a fun mix of grapes, I am curious as to what the different components add up to in the glass…
“The ‘Library Vineyard’ is one of the most unique vineyards in California. Planted between 1880 and 1920 directly behind the St. Helena Public Library, the vineyard is very varietally diverse. Primarily Petite Syrah vines mixed with a myriad of others, including; Peloursin, Cinsault, Syrah, Mission, Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir, Carignan, Grenache and Zinfandel. There are also a number of white grapes such as Muscat Alexandria, Muscadelle, Burger and Green Hungarian. We pick them all together to make a wine truly expressive of the vineyard.” SF Gate “Napa: Wine Library Pairs Bookworms, History Buffs”
by Jon Bonné
March 14, 2015
"…The library property also includes Barney’s Backyard, a small replica of the diverse field blend planted in 2000 at the corner of Library Lane and Adams Street. It includes everything from Petite Sirah and Carignane to the obscure Peloursin, all planted between the late 19th century and the 1930s. The fruit from the Backyard (named for Barney Rhodes, the library association’s first president), like that from what’s now called the library vineyard, is used in top bottlings by Turley Wine Cellars.
“With its old head-pruned vines, the library vineyard sits directly on the street, making it easy to gaze at a bit of true Napa Valley history — one that’s nearly as fascinating as the books inside.”
The Wine Write “Check Out the Napa Valley Wine Library”
July 28, 2014 “…We can’t end without mentioning Barney’s Backyard. There is an actual working vineyard on the library property, named in honor of the NVWLA’s first president, Dr. Bernard Rhodes. Ninety-one vines are planted, mostly Petite Syrah with a bit of Carignane and Zinfandel. The small plot is leased to Turley Wine Cellars, and the fruit goes into Turley’s ‘Library Vineyard’ Petite Syrah. Magnums of the wine are donated by Turley to the library, who in turn give those bottles to fund-raising events which raise money for education in Napa Valley. How cool is that?”
