Turley

Turley Wine Cellars was founded in Napa Valley by Larry Turley in 1993. Under the direction of winemaker Tegan Passalacqua, Turley now makes 50 separate wines from over 50 different vineyards, some with vines that date back to the late 1800s. Often weak and decaying, these old vine vineyards require extra care and attention in order to restore them to their former glory. After twenty-five years as an emergency room physician, Larry can now focus his resuscitative skills on the various old vineyards that comprise the wines he loves. All of the vineyards are either certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers or somewhere in the process, and all fermentations are driven by native yeasts. By focusing on old vine Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs in particular, Turley aims to both create and preserve California’s unique winemaking culture.

Tegan started at Turley in 2003 as Vineyard Manager. As a Napa Valley native, he shares Larry’s passion for old vine vineyards and the wines they painstakingly produce. Tegan started his career in wine as a lab tech. He has since learned from some of the best worldwide, spending time working with Doug Wisor at Craggy Range in New Zealand, Alain Graillot in the northern Rhône, and Eben Sadie in Swartland, South Africa.

Christina Turley joined her father at Turley full time in 2010 after 8 years in the bustling wine industry of New York City. Having worked her way up as beverage director for the Momofuku Restaurant Group and spending a short time as a sales representative in California, she understands wine sales from a few different perspectives.