Well....this was a disappointment. I'm a Turley fan as I've always had exceptional experiences with their wine. This wine was given 100 points by James Suckling. Not even close. I can't imagine bottle variation to be that radical. This wine wasn't flawed. Just flat and run of the mill. Nothing exceptional. Had big expectations. Looked good, smelled great but was somewhat disjointed on the palate . No where near my last Turley experience. Bummer.
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Double decanted for sediment. Smell of dark berry, old leather spice. Tastes of tart raspberry/cherry and it lingers, Tannins are mostly out of the way. In a good spot and think there is enough fruit to hold for a few years.
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First bottle of this cuvee for me but won't be the last. Two bottles left and should keep getting better with age. Popped at an internal temperature of 59 degrees for the start of the Super Bowl and delicious right from the get-go. Raves from everyone. Smooth and well-balanced with long aftertaste. Dark and thick floral tastes and aftertastes. Perfect complement to an antipasto platter.
Added Comment after 2 hours: This cuvee lost a pronounced taste or two that would support the 96 about 1 hour after its open. Still noteworthy but now "only a "94"
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PNP. Just a bit of barnyard upon opening. Fresh blueberries and blackberries. Some oak, very youthful, firm tannins. 14.3% ABV, just a touch of heat. A fine, powerful wine.
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Tasting: This was a a surprise in a lineup of wines from Napa, all made of cabernet sauvignon. Really stood out for its nose of barnyard. Also quite massive on the palate. Maybe too much if you have a bottle of this, but a glass was just great.
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Pop and pour. Nose of matchstick, barnyard, dried cherry and dried plum. Flavors of dried cherry, dried currant, raspberry and kool aid. Ends with a cherry infused finish of 25-30 seconds.
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14.3% abv. Opaque black-purple, deep aromatics. Black pepper and ripe plum highlight an intense, power-packed flavor profile. A powerhouse. Years and years ahead.
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The rich, rustic Petite fruit has settled into some early adulthood maturity, striking a delectable balance from nose to tail. Surely has decades of life left but who can (or should) wait?
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Can't see the 94 that Vinous gave. We pnp'd at our Wild Game dinner and the flavors of dark cherry and raspberry were there so was the menthol which is not my favorite flavor in wine. Everyone else liked it hence the 91. Perhaps it was just out-shadowed by the Saxum and the Relentless that preceded it. This was the wine we served at dessert which was a chocolate coated fois gras.
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14.3% abv. Dark ruby, expressive aromas. Black cherry, black pepper. A bit of tar and coffee. Raspberry on the back palate. This wine is probably still on the ascent, with a firm tannic structure and great intensity and length. Very enjoyable now with a long life ahead.
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Turley Hayne PS has always been my go-to wine with a fine steak dinner; something that can hold its own against everything else that's going on. This bottle, however, didn't have the oomph that I'm used to; it may just not have been ready yet.
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Same as last year. Surprisingly resolved with smooth and approachable tannins, seemingly low acid and alcohol, and a notable concentration of flavors that holds interest throughout consumption.
The camphor funk note was present. I can't 100% decide if I like it or if it's a bit distracting. It is not overbearing, but it comes off almost like a Cornas spin on a PS. It certainly has an old world feel about it, and doesn't drink like a 2012 (tastes like it has a decade of life already).
As others have noted, I don't know that extended bottle time will help any further with this wine. I would recommend drinking now and over the course of the next few years. 93-95 points this time around.
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Nicely balanced which surprised me. Not the over the top blockbuster I expected. Still a very good wine. Very smooth with ripe raspberry & cherry. Inky purple color. Smooth tannins. Drink now. I can't imagine this getting much better, even though these are usually very long lived.
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Decanted for about 90 minutes in advance of tasting. I found the bottle to be very pleasant upon first sip - muted blackberry and a bit of soil on the nose. The aroma is distinctly Turley - if you've had any of their zinfandel you'd recognize the bouquet immediately. You can tell it's the same soil with a different grape.
I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the tannins were integrated into the finish. Many had said this wine needs multiple years to come of age; I found it to be delicious after 5 years - the lamb chops with which I had the wine likely didn't hurt.
I don't see this improving across more time, but if you're not ready to drink it I feel as though it should be good for another 3+ years.
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PnP and then decanted at 54° for a couple of hours. Not much change with air. A completely unreal texture and viscosity, especially for a PS, which can sometimes be a little clunky. Layers of complexity, with notes of blueberry and raspberry liqueur, pen ink, creosote, camphor, smoke, scorched earth, juniper, and a faint hint of vanilla.
A very distinct camphor and creosote (railroad tie) flavor which, for me, added interest. However, I could see where others might find it potentially distracting. I thought it elevated the wine. It did remind me a little bit of an A. Clape Cornas Syrah; I associated this with the combination of camphor/medicinal/juniper flavors, which others noted as a possible brett/barnyard note. It is indeed a flavor I have never associated with a PS, and usually relate to a northern Rhone old-world Syrah.
I especially enjoyed the finish on this wine, lasting over 60+ seconds. Tannin management was superb as well.
I'm actually not sure if time will improve this wine, as the intensity and depth seemed to be where they needed to be already. The fruit was present and didn't appear masked by anything (except maybe a bit of the camphor flavor). Not sure if that will subside or not over time without sacrificing the power of the fruit.
With this particular showing, I think this wine rates in the 95-ish range for me. I'll try another in early 2017 to see how it is shaking out.
Drank over two days. Immediate bouquet of blood, peppers, peppercorns, evergreen forest, savory, crushed black rocks, and ink. I wonder if the bloodiness is what some reviewers have described as brett. A concentrated wine, though not over extracted, and the ample fruit is balanced by stalwart earth and mineral substance. With medium plus to high acid and stalwart tannic structure, this powerhouse achieves remarkable balance. The bloodiness faded somewhat on the second day and purple berries were more forward, but the wine's core substance of earth, rocks, and minerals remained. Judicious oak treatment allows the wine to reveal its many layers. A young wine that needs several years to shows its best. A pleasure to drink such a complex non-fruit bomb from California. Petite Sirah should taste like this! Drink through 2030+. 95-96.
This was the same bottle as FMIII and I got to this after it had seen some air. Immediately there's brett on the nose and the palate has a little poop flavor. The bloom is only growing... As noted by many other the fruit is very ripe and concentrated. For people that like that old world style CNdP this is your petite but it was a distraction for me and especially as we typically serve PS as a pairing with dessert. No Bueno.
I'm close to calling this flawed and if the brett increases with age then it'll definitely become an issue. Drink young if you're barnyard adverse.
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When I opened this, I took a whiff from the stem and it smelled a little barnyardy. Huh. Swirl again, the same. I then went to look at the rest of the TNs to see if I was off the mark and I saw that Milennial's note mentions the same thing. With a little more air, then some graphite swirls out of the glass, with the barnyard fading. The palate? Pretty seductive, like for me what I want from petite that I drink. Not a lot of structure but a lot of different fruit markers like dark blueberry, blackberry. Then, a molten quality with mint. Lots of texture and things to ponder in it. Going to let this breathe and see how it unwraps in a few hours....re-tasting the following day, some of that barnyard still persists. There is a whiff of it on the nose and some it is diffused into the palate. It's not overwhelming but there is some here. The wine has completely fleshed out and IMO can be enjoyed with aeration (and believe the people who tell you that you can't drink petite for 10 years or more after release...candidly, that is bologna IMO). This has a juicy, blue and black core that is short of full bodied, which I appreciate--reminds me more of a richer styled CA syrah, made in the modern, blue-fruited, richer style. And, to the credit of how this was made, I sense no heat here, which for some petite can be a problem. Overall, a good wine and would be better if the stinky stuff was not here.
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I struggled to find much more than ripe dark fruit. Admittedly smooth in the mouth for a petite syrah. Does not offer a very rich experience to my palate. To each their own.
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It's not a bad thing to be a one trick pony, if it's a very good trick. One trick pony is an apt description for this wine. It's incredibly massive. Picture a wall of ripe fruit coming at you. The tannins are amazingly soft and polished. But that's all you get. It does not move from there. For a Petite Syrah, this is a good thing. I was clearly impressed by the size and soft textures. But I did not finish my glass. It's just not the pony I'm looking for.
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The wine looks inky colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry. It tastes like mushroom. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
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Deep, dark, rich, tightly wound, somewhat tannic. I think it needed more time in the bottle for it to settle down. Wish I had waited. Didn't have time to decant on the first day, just popped and poured but it was about the same on the second day so I'm not sure it would have mattered.
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Dark and opaque. Very rich, concentrated, dense wine - not too sweet, slightly savory. What a lovely wine - I'm sure this will improve for years and years; however, I likely won't wait.
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2/24/2024 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 87 Points
Deep red color. Ripe berries and smoke aromatics. Soft, supple flavor. Lots of fruit here ,but it’s beginning to lack freshness. Drink up.
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8/23/2023 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 92 Points
Smoke and earthiness with dark plum and black berry notes.
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7/2/2023 - Bodyfxr wrote: 86 Points
Well....this was a disappointment. I'm a Turley fan as I've always had exceptional experiences with their wine. This wine was given 100 points by James Suckling. Not even close. I can't imagine bottle variation to be that radical. This wine wasn't flawed. Just flat and run of the mill. Nothing exceptional. Had big expectations. Looked good, smelled great but was somewhat disjointed on the palate . No where near my last Turley experience. Bummer.
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4/28/2023 - deadwax Likes this wine: 92 Points
Double decanted for sediment. Smell of dark berry, old leather spice. Tastes of tart raspberry/cherry and it lingers, Tannins are mostly out of the way. In a good spot and think there is enough fruit to hold for a few years.
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2/17/2023 - EZEddie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep purple color, very balanced, plum and blackberry on the palate. In a great drinking window right now.
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2/13/2022 - cultdrinker Likes this wine: 94 Points
First bottle of this cuvee for me but won't be the last. Two bottles left and should keep getting better with age. Popped at an internal temperature of 59 degrees for the start of the Super Bowl and delicious right from the get-go. Raves from everyone. Smooth and well-balanced with long aftertaste. Dark and thick floral tastes and aftertastes. Perfect complement to an antipasto platter.
Added Comment after 2 hours: This cuvee lost a pronounced taste or two that would support the 96 about 1 hour after its open. Still noteworthy but now "only a "94"
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10/7/2021 - Maphill01 wrote:
PNP. Just a bit of barnyard upon opening. Fresh blueberries and blackberries. Some oak, very youthful, firm tannins. 14.3% ABV, just a touch of heat. A fine, powerful wine.
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5/21/2021 - Sundbyberg wrote: 94 Points
Tasting: This was a a surprise in a lineup of wines from Napa, all made of cabernet sauvignon.
Really stood out for its nose of barnyard. Also quite massive on the palate. Maybe too much if you have a bottle of this, but a glass was just great.
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4/10/2021 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 94 Points
WOTN for dinner with Jacob and Elisa. Deep red and black flavors, a touch of mint and chocolate, and solid minerality - minimal tannins if any.
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5/16/2020 - cstir Likes this wine: 91 Points
Well-balanced with great depth and complexity; better in the first hour than later.
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12/18/2019 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pop and pour. Nose of matchstick, barnyard, dried cherry and dried plum. Flavors of dried cherry, dried currant, raspberry and kool aid. Ends with a cherry infused finish of 25-30 seconds.
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12/16/2019 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 94 Points
14.3% abv. Opaque black-purple, deep aromatics. Black pepper and ripe plum highlight an intense, power-packed flavor profile. A powerhouse. Years and years ahead.
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9/1/2019 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
The rich, rustic Petite fruit has settled into some early adulthood maturity, striking a delectable balance from nose to tail. Surely has decades of life left but who can (or should) wait?
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7/30/2019 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Can't see the 94 that Vinous gave. We pnp'd at our Wild Game dinner and the flavors of dark cherry and raspberry were there so was the menthol which is not my favorite flavor in wine. Everyone else liked it hence the 91. Perhaps it was just out-shadowed by the Saxum and the Relentless that preceded it. This was the wine we served at dessert which was a chocolate coated fois gras.
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3/1/2019 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 94 Points
14.3% abv. Dark ruby, expressive aromas. Black cherry, black pepper. A bit of tar and coffee. Raspberry on the back palate. This wine is probably still on the ascent, with a firm tannic structure and great intensity and length. Very enjoyable now with a long life ahead.
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1/8/2018 - EMichels wrote: 85 Points
(Old note - tasting date not accurate) Dark flavors; Heavy; Slight dust
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5/20/2017 - twoamps Likes this wine: 90 Points
Turley Hayne PS has always been my go-to wine with a fine steak dinner; something that can hold its own against everything else that's going on. This bottle, however, didn't have the oomph that I'm used to; it may just not have been ready yet.
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4/2/2017 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
Same as last year. Surprisingly resolved with smooth and approachable tannins, seemingly low acid and alcohol, and a notable concentration of flavors that holds interest throughout consumption.
The camphor funk note was present. I can't 100% decide if I like it or if it's a bit distracting. It is not overbearing, but it comes off almost like a Cornas spin on a PS. It certainly has an old world feel about it, and doesn't drink like a 2012 (tastes like it has a decade of life already).
As others have noted, I don't know that extended bottle time will help any further with this wine. I would recommend drinking now and over the course of the next few years. 93-95 points this time around.
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3/5/2017 - WineCPA wrote: 91 Points
Nicely balanced which surprised me. Not the over the top blockbuster I expected. Still a very good wine. Very smooth with ripe raspberry & cherry. Inky purple color. Smooth tannins. Drink now. I can't imagine this getting much better, even though these are usually very long lived.
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2/24/2017 - Phillybadger Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for about 90 minutes in advance of tasting. I found the bottle to be very pleasant upon first sip - muted blackberry and a bit of soil on the nose. The aroma is distinctly Turley - if you've had any of their zinfandel you'd recognize the bouquet immediately. You can tell it's the same soil with a different grape.
I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the tannins were integrated into the finish. Many had said this wine needs multiple years to come of age; I found it to be delicious after 5 years - the lamb chops with which I had the wine likely didn't hurt.
I don't see this improving across more time, but if you're not ready to drink it I feel as though it should be good for another 3+ years.
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7/28/2016 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
PnP and then decanted at 54° for a couple of hours. Not much change with air. A completely unreal texture and viscosity, especially for a PS, which can sometimes be a little clunky. Layers of complexity, with notes of blueberry and raspberry liqueur, pen ink, creosote, camphor, smoke, scorched earth, juniper, and a faint hint of vanilla.
A very distinct camphor and creosote (railroad tie) flavor which, for me, added interest. However, I could see where others might find it potentially distracting. I thought it elevated the wine. It did remind me a little bit of an A. Clape Cornas Syrah; I associated this with the combination of camphor/medicinal/juniper flavors, which others noted as a possible brett/barnyard note. It is indeed a flavor I have never associated with a PS, and usually relate to a northern Rhone old-world Syrah.
I especially enjoyed the finish on this wine, lasting over 60+ seconds. Tannin management was superb as well.
I'm actually not sure if time will improve this wine, as the intensity and depth seemed to be where they needed to be already. The fruit was present and didn't appear masked by anything (except maybe a bit of the camphor flavor). Not sure if that will subside or not over time without sacrificing the power of the fruit.
With this particular showing, I think this wine rates in the 95-ish range for me. I'll try another in early 2017 to see how it is shaking out.
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2/20/2016 - Motz wrote: 95 Points
Drank over two days. Immediate bouquet of blood, peppers, peppercorns, evergreen forest, savory, crushed black rocks, and ink. I wonder if the bloodiness is what some reviewers have described as brett. A concentrated wine, though not over extracted, and the ample fruit is balanced by stalwart earth and mineral substance. With medium plus to high acid and stalwart tannic structure, this powerhouse achieves remarkable balance. The bloodiness faded somewhat on the second day and purple berries were more forward, but the wine's core substance of earth, rocks, and minerals remained. Judicious oak treatment allows the wine to reveal its many layers. A young wine that needs several years to shows its best. A pleasure to drink such a complex non-fruit bomb from California. Petite Sirah should taste like this! Drink through 2030+. 95-96.
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12/29/2015 - awise45 wrote: 90 Points
Much better after 2 hrs open.
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11/2/2015 - brigcampbell wrote:
This was the same bottle as FMIII and I got to this after it had seen some air. Immediately there's brett on the nose and the palate has a little poop flavor. The bloom is only growing... As noted by many other the fruit is very ripe and concentrated. For people that like that old world style CNdP this is your petite but it was a distraction for me and especially as we typically serve PS as a pairing with dessert. No Bueno.
I'm close to calling this flawed and if the brett increases with age then it'll definitely become an issue. Drink young if you're barnyard adverse.
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11/1/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:
When I opened this, I took a whiff from the stem and it smelled a little barnyardy. Huh. Swirl again, the same. I then went to look at the rest of the TNs to see if I was off the mark and I saw that Milennial's note mentions the same thing. With a little more air, then some graphite swirls out of the glass, with the barnyard fading. The palate? Pretty seductive, like for me what I want from petite that I drink. Not a lot of structure but a lot of different fruit markers like dark blueberry, blackberry. Then, a molten quality with mint. Lots of texture and things to ponder in it. Going to let this breathe and see how it unwraps in a few hours....re-tasting the following day, some of that barnyard still persists. There is a whiff of it on the nose and some it is diffused into the palate. It's not overwhelming but there is some here. The wine has completely fleshed out and IMO can be enjoyed with aeration (and believe the people who tell you that you can't drink petite for 10 years or more after release...candidly, that is bologna IMO). This has a juicy, blue and black core that is short of full bodied, which I appreciate--reminds me more of a richer styled CA syrah, made in the modern, blue-fruited, richer style. And, to the credit of how this was made, I sense no heat here, which for some petite can be a problem. Overall, a good wine and would be better if the stinky stuff was not here.
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10/18/2015 - awise45 wrote: 92 Points
Started a little muted and confounding, but opened up over time. Not the fruit bomb that I was expecting, but very smooth and nice.
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10/14/2015 - GTFreek wrote:
Quick note from a trade show. Teeth gripper for sure, quite the experience.
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10/5/2015 - tinybubbles wrote: 87 Points
I struggled to find much more than ripe dark fruit. Admittedly smooth in the mouth for a petite syrah. Does not offer a very rich experience to my palate. To each their own.
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9/27/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
It's not a bad thing to be a one trick pony, if it's a very good trick. One trick pony is an apt description for this wine. It's incredibly massive. Picture a wall of ripe fruit coming at you. The tannins are amazingly soft and polished. But that's all you get. It does not move from there. For a Petite Syrah, this is a good thing. I was clearly impressed by the size and soft textures. But I did not finish my glass. It's just not the pony I'm looking for.
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7/26/2015 - patholog wrote: 93 Points
The wine looks inky colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry. It tastes like mushroom. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
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6/19/2015 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 92 Points
Started off smelling of a barnyard, solid tannins, really enjoyable
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5/31/2015 - Wine_in_HD wrote: 90 Points
Deep, dark, rich, tightly wound, somewhat tannic. I think it needed more time in the bottle for it to settle down. Wish I had waited. Didn't have time to decant on the first day, just popped and poured but it was about the same on the second day so I'm not sure it would have mattered.
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4/25/2015 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Excellent. Smoky.
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3/24/2015 - peterk Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark and opaque. Very rich, concentrated, dense wine - not too sweet, slightly savory. What a lovely wine - I'm sure this will improve for years and years; however, I likely won't wait.
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2/26/2015 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very dark. Decanted and started drinking soon afterwards. Very clean. Seems too young to adequately describe what's going on in the glass.
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