Turnbull Wine Cellars

8210 St Helena Hwy, Oakville, CA 94562

Website: http://www.turnbullwines.com/

I was very pleasantly surprised by my visit to Turnbull. I had seen their wines before at stores and tastings but didn’t know much about them. I decided to visit because it was close to the other wineries we were visiting that day. The winery is located at the edge of Oakville right before entering Rutherford. The winery was founded in 1979 and according to their website was “designed to be low-key and in one with its environment”. I would say my experience is in line with this statement.

There is an interesting story behind the name Turnbull as described on their website:

“The Turnbull name goes back to the early 1300’s, when Scottish King Robert The Bruce was hunting in the Great Caledon Wood, near Sterling, with a group of his closest and most trusted companions. When a ferocious bull suddenly attacked the king, his friend William Roule heroically placed himself between the bull and the king, and subdued the great beast, by turning its head to the ground, until help arrived. The grateful king dubbed his subject “Turnbull” and awarded him a crest featuring a bull’s head with the motto: Audaci Favet Fortuna [Fortune Favors the Bold].”

The lawn at Turnbull Wine Cellars

There are two large brown barn style buildings on the property and a couple of vintage trucks. Between the parking lot and tasting room is a beautiful expanse of lawn. A stone pathway leads to both the Main tasting room and Reserves tasting room. My husband and I started in the Main tasting room. It’s pretty casual with a few Ansel Adams pictures lining the walls. There is a small L-shaped bar that could comfortably fit 8-10 people. I was really impressed by the wine and would definitely return to try more. I would recommend spending a little bit more to sample the Reserve wines. It is worth it to try some premium, award winning wines without paying upwards of $65 a bottle.

The hidden gem of the winery is its photography exhibit. If you plan to visit, take some time to venture into the Reserve Room which is actually more of an art gallery than a tasting room. The room has a huge cathedral ceiling with exposed wood beams, an antique bar, and several rows of photography. There is always a rotating collection of 60-90 photographs on display by Master Photographers, including Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Bernice Abbott, Eugene Atget, and more. The Reserve Room Gallery is open to the public daily. You may get so swept up in the photography that you momentarily forget about the wine.

Art gallery at Turnbull