We stopped at Turnbull and it was like stepping into a slice of heaven. I had tasted their wines before and I think I may have even attended one of their tasting events that they had in So Cal. However, the wines didn't stand out for me like they did on this visit. And the winery itself is so friggin cute! It seriously was like stepping into a different world and we were all just able to relax and enjoy the beauty around us. 

As a side note I have to say that I think it is pretty darn funny that I seem to find a way to be drawn to things, people and places that come from my hometown or area-Eureka aka. Humboldt County. And this winery continued my streak, as the winery owner is from Humboldt, Fortuna to be exact and they have a vineyard named "Fortuna," after the town. Just a random little fact.

According to Napa standards, Turnbull is a smaller winery producing 20,000 cases. However, in my neck of the woods that is one hell of a large winery. Most importantly the quality of the wines I tasted were impeccable. As many of you know I don't order a lot of wine on-line just because wine is so readily available, but this wine is definitely worth the shipping charges. 

Anyway the winery specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon and let me just say they excel it. We tasted some of the smoothest bold cabs I have had in a long time. 

I also loved their Sauvignon Blanc. It is rare to find a Sauvignon Blanc that has any oaky flavor and this one is done partially in steel and partially in oak which gives it a very unique flavor. It still has the crisp citrus notes that Sauvignon Blanc is known for, however the oak finish is incredible!

If you are looking for an out of this world cab, definitely go with their Black Label Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a blend, but it definitely emulates the 85% cab that it contains. Definitely has the well known traditional cherry flavors of which we are all looking for in a good cab, but it has that nice dry finish. Loved it!! Their 2010 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon was also incredible! This was a very smooth cab! I would definitely serve this wine to people who tend to shy away from cabs, but you want to serve it to them anyway...just sayin'.

Our tasting room experience was perfect! I will be completely honest and say that I, like many people, have had those pretentious Napa tasting room experiences in my past. However, this experience was so far from it that it actually made me want to explore Napa again. In the tasting room we had the pleasure of chatting with Rob, who basically decided to live the life and enjoy wine country. He lives in Hidden Valley, and although I was slightly disappointed when he told me that was not where the salad dressing came from he was a joy none the less! He did an amazing job of letting us enjoy the wine and each others company and still educating us about the winery. We also appreciated how gracious he was since we came late in the day and they were getting ready to close!!

We also met the Tasting Room Manager, Burroughs, and he was an enthusiastic host. Even though the tasting room was closed he still gave us a quick tour of their private event area, their pizza oven and demonstrated his DJ'ing skills. Thank you to Rob and Burroughs for making our stop an enjoyable experience!

The tasting room is located in this beautiful wood frame structure surrounded by vineyards, farm equipment and wisteria. It truly felt like you were stepping into another world. The tasting room itself is light with large doors leading out to a patio overlooking the grape vines and you just wanted to sit down with a glass of wine and stay forever...which we pretty much did. It was truly just very serene, relaxing and with a great glass of wine in hand I was definitely overwhelmed with happiness!

So although my trip to Calistoga/Napa area was a bit different than last time...last time was a bachelorette party with 13 women, a limo and a lot of booze...this trip did not disappoint! Here is the link to their web page: http://www.turnbullwines.com/

Thank you to Turnbull winery for some incredible wine, amazing environment and hospitality. Cheers!