Turley Wine Cellars

Larry Turley, a former emergency room physician, co-founded Frog's Leap Winery with John Williams in 1981, establishing his credentials in Napa Valley before striking out on his own. In 1993 he sold his half of Frog's Leap and launched Turley Wine Cellars, headquartered north of St. Helena on Highway 29. His guiding mission from the outset was to seek out California's oldest and most historically significant vineyards, particularly those planted to Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, and to make wines that honestly expressed those individual sites. The winery quickly earned recognition as one of California's premier sources for these varieties, a reputation it has held for decades.

• Larry Turley co-founded Frog's Leap with John Williams in 1981 before starting Turley Wine Cellars in 1993
• Winery is headquartered north of St. Helena on Highway 29 in Napa Valley
• Focus from founding was preservation of California's heritage vineyard culture through old-vine Zinfandel and Petite Syrah
• Turley Wine Cellars recognized as making some of the best Zinfandel in California since its earliest vintages

Larry Turley and his wife Suzanne own three wineries, and the family's presence runs deep throughout the business. Daughter Christina Turley joined the winery full time in 2010, bringing a second generation into daily operations, while daughter Whitney Turley contributes to winery communications as of 2026. The four stars on every bottle of Turley, pressed into the foil and cork, honor Larry's four daughters: Christina, Nelly, Whitney, and Savannah. Mayacamas Olds serves as CEO, bringing two decades of experience in winemaking, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable business, including an MBA with a sustainability focus. On the production side, Tegan Passalacqua served as winemaker and founding member of the Historic Vineyard Society, overseeing all 50 vineyards and wines; in 2025 Mike was promoted to Winemaker, continuing the winery's commitment to deep vineyard knowledge.

• Christina Turley joined full time in 2010; Whitney Turley contributing to communications as of 2026
• Four stars on foil and cork represent Larry's four daughters: Christina, Nelly, Whitney, and Savannah
• CEO Mayacamas Olds brings two decades of experience in winemaking, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable business with an MBA focused on sustainability
• Tegan Passalacqua, founding member of the Historic Vineyard Society, oversaw all 50 vineyards; Mike promoted to Winemaker in 2025

Turley draws on a remarkable collection of old-vine vineyards spanning California's most important Zinfandel and Petite Syrah terroirs. The Turley Estate Vineyard in St. Helena has grown to 75 acres and also produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. The Hayne Vineyard, planted in 1902 to 1903 in St. Helena, is the crown-jewel site. Other historic parcels include Kirschenmann Vineyard in the Mokelumne River AVA, with ungrafted vines planted in 1915; Pesenti Vineyard on the west side of Paso Robles, planted in the 1920s; Dogtown Vineyard in Clements Hills-Lodi, planted in 1944; and Rattlesnake Ridge and Dragon Vineyard on Howell Mountain. The Casa Nuestra site in Napa Valley offers a Mediterranean field blend of Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, Alicante, and Carignane. In total, Turley sources from 50-plus vineyards across Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Contra Costa, Paso Robles, Amador, and Lodi.

• Hayne Vineyard planted 1902 to 1903 in St. Helena; Kirschenmann Vineyard has ungrafted vines planted in 1915 in the Mokelumne River AVA
• Pesenti Vineyard (Paso Robles west side, planted 1920s) and Dogtown Vineyard (Clements Hills-Lodi, planted 1944) among the historic sites
• Turley Estate Vineyard in St. Helena has grown to 75 acres, including blocks for Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc
• Total sourcing network spans 50-plus vineyards across six major California regions

Turley's winemaking philosophy centers on transparency: let each historic vineyard speak for itself. All vineyards in the portfolio are either certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers or currently in the process of certification, and all fermentations are driven exclusively by native yeasts, without inoculation. The result is a lineup of 50-plus vineyard-designate wines, primarily Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, each intended to capture the character of a specific old-vine site. The estate's approximately 200 olive trees, originally planted in the 1850s, are farmed alongside the vines, and olive oil is bottled under the Turley brand, reinforcing the commitment to whole-property stewardship. Annual production is held to approximately 16,000 cases, keeping the focus on quality over volume.

• All vineyards are certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers or in the certification process
• All fermentations are driven by native yeasts exclusively, with no commercial yeast inoculation
• Approximately 16,000 cases produced annually across 50-plus vineyard-designate wines
• Estate olive trees originally planted in the 1850s; olive oil is bottled under the Turley brand

Turley Wine Cellars occupies a singular position in American wine culture as the most committed and prolific champion of California's pre-Prohibition and early-twentieth-century vineyard heritage. By seeking out ungrafted vines, centenarian plantings, and field blends that most producers ignored or pulled, Turley helped generate both commercial demand and cultural appreciation for old-vine California Zinfandel and Petite Syrah. Winemaker Tegan Passalacqua's role as a founding member of the Historic Vineyard Society formalized that advocacy at an industry level. The winery's organic farming standards and native-yeast-only approach connect historical viticulture with contemporary ecological practice. For students of American wine, Turley is the essential reference point for understanding what old-vine California is, where those vines survive, and why their preservation matters.

• Produces vineyard-designate wines from 50-plus sites, making it the broadest single-producer survey of old-vine California Zinfandel available
• Tegan Passalacqua is a founding member of the Historic Vineyard Society, a key industry organization for heritage vine preservation
• Winery spans multiple California AVAs including Howell Mountain, Mokelumne River, Clements Hills-Lodi, and Paso Robles west side
• Turley's model of organic farming and native-yeast fermentation across historic sites sets a standard for heritage-focused California producers