Vineyard to visit, Turnbull

While in Napa this past fall, C and I spent a lot of time "commuting" and whiling away the hours on the lovely St. Helena highway (Rte 29). We tried to plan around the must-dos and restaurants on our list, therefore creating a circle of wineries and vineyards per diem. What strikes me as funny now is that we passed Turnbull every day - it was far enough south on the east side of the road, has an easily identifiable sign, and is close to the Silverado turn-off. Plus, we visited the neighboring vineyards of Cakebread, Grgich and Rubicon.

The point is - we didn't make any attempt to go there, though we thought about it, and now I'd like to return. Turnbull has a simple menu: Sauv blanc, "old Bull" (meritage), Merlot and Cabernet Sauv. The last of which they also make a Reserve. Recently, at a Wine Spectator award winning restaurant, we sampled our first taste of the Turnbull Cabernet (2005). While this isn't the most-insane-Cab-I've-ever-had sort of wine, it's a solid choice, consistent from bottle to bottle, great with food, and a decent option for those friends in the bunch who 'only drink white wine'. I guess I was happy and wanted to share - especially because @ $40/bottle at retail and under $90 on premise, it's a decent deal (yes, I do think that).

In Chicago, you can find it at Binny's and likely on a few select menus.