I always wanted to run a headline in Latin for one of my stories, or columns, but could never get a big North American paper, for whom I wrote, to play along. But now I have.
The headline is Latin for “Fortune Favors the Bold,” the motto of Turnbull Wine Cellars, a solid Napa Valley winery that is a stone’s throw from my home.
The story that begat the phrase goes like this: the name Turnbull goes back to the 1300’s when a servant of Robert the Bruce saved the king’s life by turning away a charging bull that was about to mow down the king. The grateful monarch dubbed the man “Turnbull,” so the story goes, awarding him his own family crest, one that featured a bull’s head twisted backward, along with the motto “Audaci Favet Fortuna.”
Today, I don’t know if Fortune so much favors the bold but wine drinkers certainly do, which is why the bold, fruit-forward wines of Napa Valley are so in demand.
The Turnbull tasting room.
I have always liked the wines from Turnbull, which please me when they show up in blind press tastings; they tend to be judiciously wooded, never over the top; they tend to be just gushy enough with fruit, not over the edge; they are wines that generously complement food – which is what wine is all about. In fact, when I really stop to think about it – they’re not really bold at all!
Take the 2005 Turnbull Old Bull Red, the winery’s least expensive red. It is appealingly lush, would make a great party, or wedding, wine. It is friendly, forward and sufficiently blended that you can’t tell what particular grape you are enjoying. (Try: Merlot, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Sangiovese and Barbera, all estate-grown on the winery’s 220 planted acres). I tried the wine at the winery’s tasting room two week’s ago and scored it 91 points.
The just-released 2005 Turnbull Cabernet, while not as user-friendly today as Old Bull, should improve over the medium-term haul. I thought the wine displayed a balanced palate of red fruits, no one fruit coming to the foreground just yet. This blend of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot is winemaker Jon Engelskirger’s last bottled effort at Turnbull; he has moved on – more about this below. I scored the 2005 Cab 90 points, but the wine may eventually merit a higher score once the blend settles down.
Many of our houseguests land in Napa Valley, knowing that they want to head to Cakebread and Mondavi, both a stone’s throw from our home and both located on Highway 29. But I always try to steer visitors to several other nearby Highway 29 wineries as well, to help them discover different expressions of the vine; I often suggest guests stop at Turnbull, Swanson (by appointment only), Peju, St. Supery, and up the road, at Franciscan, which wows visitors with architectural elements as well as great wines.
Turnbull made a delicious 2006 Rose, of which there are about a dozen cases left. In order to move this remaining inventory, the winery has reduced the already inexpensive $16 wine to $10 a bottle – a steal! This blend of seven grape varieties has a juicy, strawberry finish. Easily a 90-point rose.
Changes are afoot at Turnbull and we will have to monitor how they affect the wines. As mentioned, winemaker Jon Engelskirger, 53, has headed out to work for several small producers, and possibly for himself; his duties have been taken over by consulting winemaker Larry Levine (ex-Dry Creek Vineyards and Franciscan) and we will have to see how he and onsite, assistant winemaker Peter Heitz (not of the famed Heitz Napa Valley wine family) fashion the house blends in the years ahead.
Turnbull Wine Cellars is at 8210 St. Helena Hwy (#29). Tel: 707-963-5839.
Details at www.turnbullwines.com.
Hey buddy good article I am with you forget Mondavi and Cakeberead is a mill 10-15 minute appointments noooo! Your choices are much better, how about Napa Wine Company, Elyse and Saddleback to add a couple more in the area!
I did 250 wine tours in the last year around Napa and have 900-1000 wineries in Sonoma and Napa to choose from, people please don't come here and taste wine you can get at the supermarket do your self a favorite go places you will not see widely distributed!
Posted by: Mark V Marino | November 08, 2007 at 05:27 PM