Turnbull’s Tempranillo
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Turnbull Wine Cellars, was established by Patrick O’Dell in 1993 under a different name. The name Turnbull dates back to the Late Middle Ages. A grateful king dubbed a court member “Turnbull” and awarded him a crest after the loyal subject turned an angry bull from goring the king. The winery’s label is comprised of the court member’s awarded crest, a bull turning back, and motto: Fortune Favors the Bold.
The Turnbull Winery demonstrated their boldness through their wines, crafting several award-winning grape varieties, including an excellent Boutique wine, every year on its family-owned wineries in Oakville and Calistoga. Winemaker Jon Engelskirger has the rare ability to capture the distinct flavors of the land and its personality in his wine. Engelskirger came to Turnbull in 1998, with numerous years of prior experience in the industry. He has a degree in enology, winemaking science, and he uses his intrinsic wine sense to create one of California’s finest Boutique wines. He vigilantly takes care of each vine and ferments only mature grapes that have the depth and wealth of flavor only properly ripened grapes can conjure, creating wines with flawless balance.
Turnbull is one of the few independent wineries that control the entire process of winemaking from the vineyard to the glass. The winery’s hands-on approach results in exquisite wine varietals, including an amazing Boutique wine: Tempranillo.
Although Turnbull Winery produces around 23,000 cases of wine each year, the winery only produces about 40-50 cases of Tempranillo. Primarily, Tempranillo is blended with other varieties to give the title wine more definition, but the wine is exquisite by itself. Turnbull’s Tempranillo is only available by directly ordering it from the winery or through its wine club. Although it has a Boutique wine price, Tempranillo is one of the few Boutique wines that is well worth the extra cost.