Where is Turnbull Wine Cellars:  Turnbull is located in Oakville within California’s Napa Valley.  The Winery is on St Helena Highway, just a few minutes north of one of my favorite Napa Valley destinations Oakville Grocery.  If you’re spending a day in Napa and want good snacks or a quick sandwich for lunch you must check out Oakville Grocery!

Why should you visit Turnbull Wine Cellars: First and foremost the people. The people at Turnbull really make the experience. They are very knowledgeable, thoughtful and genuine which is apparent the moment you arrive and are welcomed as their guests. Second, the experience which I go into further detail about below. Third, the wines which are wonderful. Lastly, the family feel of this small Napa Valley Winery that will blow you away.  It’s not the typical Napa Valley Winery with buses of people visiting at once and a more mass feel. This truly feels like you’re visiting a friend and being welcomed into their home, in this case their Winery. Read more about my visit to Turnbull Wine Cellars and you’ll understand this further. 

What is the tasting like: The Turnbull tasting is one of the most intimate, personable, comfortable tastings I have experienced in Napa Valley. It’s important to distinguish that they’re in Napa Valley as typically in Napa you find the very large brands such as some of Turnbull’s neighbors Cakebread, Peju, Robert Mondavi which are so hard it’s impossible to capture that intimate experience…. Turnbull is quite the opposite. It’s a family owned Winery that is all about the special, intimate, custom experience for their wine club members and guests.  This was my first visit to Turnbull and won’t be my last. Although, I had enjoyed their wine at numerous events in San Francisco so going into the visit knew I would be experiencing fabulous wine. However, I had no idea how memorable this tasting, vineyard tour and afternoon spent with the Turnbull Team of Burroughs (Director of Sales), Stephany (Communications Director) and Peter (Winemaker) would be. 

What Tasting Do I recommend for you: I highly recommend the “Private Tasting Experience” which is the one I enjoyed. This is open to both membership and the public and is $60 for public, and a special price for members. This tasting lets you dive deeper into The Turnbull Wine Cellar story, their wines and enjoy an estate tour. Learn more and book a reservation on The Turnbull Wine Cellar site here.

Alby, Katie, me and Burroughs as we begin our Vineyard Tour prior to the Tasting.

Lucky for us, we visited during harvest so got a behind the scenes tour with Winemaker Peter on harvesting, barreling and fermenting the Wine. 

The gorgeous patio overlooking the vineyards where out seated tasting took place. Such a gorgeous relaxing setting to enjoy amazing wines, great company and delicious bites!

How is the Wine: The wine is wonderful. As expected they have very good Cabernet Sauvignon’s (for those that don’t know Napa Valley is King of Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wines). My personal favorite, however, is their Sauvignon Blanc. It is extremely light, yet fruity and fresh without an overbearing citrus taste to is as some Sauvignon Blanc’s have. They also have a lovely Rose which is perfect on a hot summer day!

Hanging with Winemaker Peter Heitz during our visit. We were there during harvest so he kindly showed us around and explained lost of the winemaking process.

The yummy cheese, vegetable and nut plate we enjoyed during the Wine Tasting

DISCLOSURE: Emily, The JetSetting Fashionista and guests enjoyed a complimentary Wine Tasting during this visit. However, Emily was not paid to write this post and only writes posts or features about destinations that she personally enjoys and proudly endorses and wants to share with her readers. All opinions expressed are her own.