The sign outside the Turnbull Winery on Highway 29 says they have new wine releases, so we decide to pop in and take a look. We have always enjoyed visiting this winery. The staff is very friendly and the wines are consistently good. That is why we have listed Turnbull on on our Web guide, Wine Country Getaways. Turnbull is listed on “Top Boutique Wineries on Highway 29. It is time to pay Turnbull another visit and see what is happening.
The tasting fee is $10 and that is higher than our last visit. The wines also seemed to have jumped in price. We do find a couple of values here. The Sauvignon Blanc is very delicious and we think one of the better Sauvignon Blancs produced in the Napa Valley. It is priced at $16 at the winery, but we have seen this wine at supermarkets as well as upscale wine shops for around $13.
The other really fabulous bargain is the Old Bull Red. This wine is a blend of six wines, but 70% is Merlot. Our host tells us that the winemaker blends much of the leftover wine that was not bottled as a varietal. This means year to year the wine will vary. But the 2005 is absolutely delicious. We purchased a few bottles of this ready-to-drink excellent wine. The cost at the winery is $20. It is better than many wines we have tasted that are well above this price.
While we were there a visitor walks in and asks the host if the winemaker is available. He is a friend of a friend of the winemaker and would love to meet the winemaker. The hosts checks and sure enough, moments later, out comes the friendly Turnbull winemaker. That was quite impressive to us and probably why we like most everything about this winery. It is a warm and welcome place to visit.
The Good: Excellent wines, friendly staff.
The Bad: Tasting fee of $10, most of the wines are over $25
Nice wines, but never come across a staff quite as inconsiderate…