A 100% Tempranillo, aged 16 months in French oak. Dusty boysenberry and cocoa tastes of the region’s dry, rocky terrain. Tree bark, tobacco, espresso, and black pepper line the mouth, soothed by supple tannins and juicy wash. The finish usurps moisture from the palate, but the result is as elegant as it is austere.
Seamless, seductive gloss of blueberry, wet stone, and violets are taut and dusty. Possesses gravitas with an inner spirituality. Burnished leather, graphite, and licorice add to its muscular frame.
Toasty notes are washed with orange zest, caramel, and buttered popcorn. Distinctively animated, with bright flavors of mango and banana.
Although three of Turnbull’s four estate vineyards are in Oakville, Amoenus (a Latin reference to the Garden of Eden) in northwestern Calistoga is referred to by the wine team as the “Cinderella Vineyard: though sometimes overlooked, it’s as beautiful and compelling as the wines it produces.” With huge diurnal temperature swings, the 25-year-old vines have the opportunity for optimum ripeness.
This is a silky, exquisite red, and in entry leaves a dusting of cocoa-plum on the tongue. Boysenberry rises up in an energetic, juicy advance. It follows with a velvet-lined wash of lavender and black cherry. The wine’s mannerly character suggests an inner power.
With a certain grip, the energy radiating from this red is noteworthy. Mulberry and red tea line the palate, dry and linear. Underlying minerality delivers strength and focus but still displays a youthful tension with brambly, herbaceous cedar along with plum skin tannins. The vineyard sits atop the Oakville bench, with well-drained, volcanic soils possessing a high iron content, which is detectible in the wine.
Aromas: Lychee, lime sorbet, lanolin
Lychee notes are recognizable with vanilla custard and pine nuts. Crisp and Vibrant.
Along with true-to-form grapefruit and passion fruit, whiffs of star fruit, mint, and white pepper are disarming, as is the glossy limpidity of the citrus- and melon-tinged palate, complete with a finishing touch of custard apple.
Prominent notes of boysenberries, thyme, black cherry, and dark chocolate weave through high-toned acidity. A fresh, rich, great value Napa Valley red blend that is well-structured, with supple tannins.