Turnbull Wine Cellars

We had an amazing tasting experience at Turnbull, thanks to Gabriel! He made the whole experience so relaxed and enjoyable. His knowledge was impressive, but he shared it in such an easygoing way that made us feel right at home. The setting was beautiful, the wines were fantastic, and Gabriel’s hospitality really made the visit special. Highly recommend making a reservation for a tasting—especially if you get Gabriel as your host!

The lovely wines and people of Turnbull have quickly become the gold standard for our family. The grounds are gorgeous, the wines are exceptional, and both hosts we’ve had across our few visits—Grant and Gabe—were knowledgeable, kind, and exceedingly generous. They even were thoughtful enough to prepare a special vegan tasting plate for me with fresh pickings from their garden. I just wanted to thank you so much for making this such a warm and memorable day for our family, and I sincerely hope to return numerous times throughout our lives. Long live Turnbull and its infinity barrels

Great wines that are around median priced for Napa so great quality at the price point. Our wine steward Gabriel was amazing. Great knowledge and exceptionally personable. He made the experience top notch. We will definitely be back.

a must go if you’re in wine country. pop into the place for a tasting like we did even if you can’t get a tour. grab a glass and walk through their landscaping of absolute perfection

Best winery of the trip! This place is incredible. Amazing wine, amazing value, and Grant, our tasting guide was all time. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. We will be back 🙏🙏🙏

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Turnbull Wine Cellars is an absolute gem in Napa Valley! From the moment you step onto their picturesque estate, you’re transported into a world of unparalleled luxury and hospitality. The breathtaking vineyard views set the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable wine tasting experience. Each sip of their meticulously crafted wines is a journey through the terroir, showcasing the true essence of Napa Valley winemaking. The staff’s knowledge and passion for wine are evident in every pour, making each visit both educational and enjoyable. Whether you’re a seasoned wine enthusiast or a novice looking to explore, Turnbull Wine Cellars exceeds expectations on every level. A must-visit destination for anyone seeking the epitome of Napa Valley’s wine culture!

The tasting room does not offer food and does not allow guests to bring their own food. The wine is good quality. The service is good. The ambiance is good. Overflow parking is available.

This place has some if the best red wine in the Napa Valley. I highly recommend it.

This was our first ever seated tasting and I was so curious why area wineries recommend an hour or more for your tasting. It's because each one is like a little performance. Rob has a million stories from his days as a wine salesman and student and they are finely tuned. So even if you didn't drink any of the wine here, it would be worth it for his time alone Beyond the seated experience, this has been one of my favorite stops for the aesthetics. After a couple of bad experiences at area hotels which were very dated or under refurbishment because they are so dated, the modern gardens and clean lines here are a breath of fresh air. It feels like it would appeal to several generations of customers, which is not easy to do. If you have the pleasure of doing a tasting with Rob, be sure to get him talking about baseball!

I worked with Turnbull for a company event. The event just so happened to be during a heatwave - Turnbull communicated to us ahead of time and suggested that we should move our event inside and placed us in a cool wine cellar. The wine was stellar and the event ran smoothly. We did a 18 person tasting with a cheese board for a affordable price. All of our guests raved about the location, venue and service! Our contact at the winery was Lauren, she was very communicative and accommodating. I would be happy to return here for another company in the future!

As a local, Turnbull is one of my favorite tasting rooms to visit and bring guests, especially those who appreciate fine Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate offers a relaxed atmosphere, and the team is both informative and casual. The wine is consistently top-notch. With properties in different AVAs, Turnbull showcases a variety of terroirs, perfect for those looking to deepen their wine knowledge. I also enjoy their ever-changing photo gallery, which adds an extra layer of interest to each visit. I highly recommend becoming a member, especially if you are a local. The membership offers exclusive benefits and makes every visit even more special.

This is definitely a place we hope to return to. The wine was all so delightful as was our server. He was friendly and funny and allowed us to do a blind tasting which was super fun. The location and ambiance were everything you could want when sipping on some Napa vino. Highly recommend making a reservation!

Great experience au turnbull. The wine is fantastic. The service was great! Thank you for being so accommodating.

Turnbull Wine Cellars is an absolute gem in Napa Valley! From the moment you step onto their picturesque estate, you're transported into a world of unparalleled luxury and hospitality. The breathtaking vineyard views set the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable wine tasting experience. Each sip of their meticulously crafted wines is a journey through the terroir, showcasing the true essence of Napa Valley winemaking. The staff's knowledge and passion for wine are evident in every pour, making each visit both educational and enjoyable. Whether you're a seasoned wine enthusiast or a novice looking to explore, Turnbull Wine Cellars exceeds expectations on every level. A must-visit destination for anyone seeking the epitome of Napa Valley's wine culture!

Had a private tasting with Eric. Before that was a tour of the property and the efforts that go into the production of their fine wine. We were given tastings of library wines, their high end "Black Label" as well as their whites. The grounds are immaculate. The natural wood and inviting atmosphere make this tasting a must do.

With the unexpected fires nearby we sought refuge at Turnbull. Despite empty tables and full staff, they were completely inflexible - knowing their reservations were caught in the very same unexpected traffic we were. This was not only disappointing it was antithetical to the spirit of this community.

I love Trumbull! It's my favorite winery at Napa. The service here is awesome! If you are a member ( which I am) , you get several perks including a private wine tasting for you and your friends at discounted price. My favorite wines, which I highly recommend are - Black label, Leopoldina, Josephine

Had a wonderful experience at Turnbull winery. Our wine Steward was very knowledgeable and helpful. We had our tasting outside on the patio and the wines were so good we bought several bottles. Definitely worth a stop!

At a dinner party got a taste of Turnbull wine and loved it. Finally had Turnbull be one of the stops on our Napa trip. The inside is cute and has a cozy feeling. They have holiday decorations up making it smell great. The tasting consists of 4 different wine. Omar was knowledgeable and attentive during our tasting. The Sauvignon Blanc and Leopolinda were my favorite and came home with us.

The girls and I decided to pay Turnbull a visit on our last day of one of our frequent trips to Napa Valley. We made an appointment for the four of us to taste. Erin was our host for the afternoon. She made our experience entertaining and fun with her side jokes, and wine knowledge. We even got to know a little bit about her and how she ended up in the Napa Valley. We were all seated around a wooden coffee table with plushy seating in spacious, lofty interiors and given a few different reds and a white to taste. The reds varied in taste (light to heavier) and were all good, but I went for their sauvignon blanc. I'd had it before on previous visits and enjoy the crisp, refreshing finish. Tasting fees are waived with purchases. So I decided to buy a bottle of the Josephine. If you walk around the grounds, like every other winery they are manicured nicely and there is even a sunny outdoor seating area to enjoy your wine. I wish we'd been seated in the serene outdoors, but it looked like that area was packed already. Everyone seemed to be getting in their last hurrah before another full lock down. Appointments are the way to go nowadays. Turnbull serves some good wines that are in the medium price range. So this is a regular stop amongst our rotating choice of novelty wineries and usually a perfect last stop for us.

Great experience and beautiful wine. Osvaldo was our wine educator and was so great. Highly recommend a tour with Osvaldo. Favorite wine is 2019 Leopoldina.

This is such a hidden jewel of Napa! After visiting several vineyards, we ended our trip with a tasting here. The wine was delicious, the staff was knowledgeable and welcoming and the grounds were relaxed and inviting. By far, this was our best experience and best wine!! Could not have asked for a better experience!

I went wine tasting in Napa for the very first time and had the most fabulous time with Grant. I went from not loving wine to being a wine snob in a matter of minutes. The experience was excellent, from the beautiful gardens to the delicious wine. I do wish you could tip your server at checkout. Thanks Turnbull for the best first wine tasting experience in Napa!

VERY expensive tasting (as a prior club member), with small tastes, but a delightful environment. Alix did an exceptional job telling us about the wines, and they were lovely, but given other tastings we had over the week in wine country, this was by far the most expensive, and the wines did not warrant the price tag. That said, the atmosphere was nice and the pace was good. From our week in Napa, I believe Napa will need to contemplate what folks are willing to pay VS. what they need to make to promote their wines. After considering what a club membership would provide, this experience was a clear NO! Looking back, we should have had our own Turnbull tasting by purchasing their wines from a local shop. I think other wineries should consider this review as their wake up call and look at what should be provided for a tasting.

At the urging of a "friend of a friend", we were told to check out Turnbull during our anniversary trip to Napa/Sonoma. Upon entering, it has a unique, beautiful charm that looks like it is straight out of a Pottery Barn (in the best way possible). We were pleasantly greeted by the staff and told to make ourselves at home. We opted for an outdoor seat, overlooking some of the property vineyards. My wife and I both got a tasting, and the staff was attentive to our wine levels in our glasses at all times, and very eager to share the story behind the wine and the area. Easily one of our favorite wineries, and the only one we visited twice... making a return stop on a Monday to close out our trip prior to heading to the airport. Thanks for a great experience and amazing wine, Turnbull! We'll be back soon.

I was very disappointed by my visit to Turnbull. I kept hoping it would get better, but it just got worse as the experience went on. Arrived for our reservation at the exact time it started. We were told by the host that they would check to see if it was ready and to walk around the gallery while we wait. She never came back to tell us it wasn't and that it would be a few minutes. After about 5-10 minutes and employee came over to us in the gallery with wine glasses and said let's get started. We asked to wait until our table was ready since we were holding all of our stuff but were told we should get started and would be given a little extra to make up for it. After finishing the first tasting, we had to wait another 10 minutes until our table was ready. Now we're just over 20 minutes into our reservation time and just going out. When we got outside we finally were able to see the menu and realize we are on our second of 4 pours, almost halfway through and we just got outside. We are then rushed through the next two pours. The first one we were given about 5 minutes and were not all done when the next wine was brought, but it was still poured so we were forced to finish. When the 4th wine arrived, less than 3 minutes later, no one at the table had finished their pour and all had about half of the pour left. The wine pourer then proceeded to say "we encourage wine shots here" which absolutely appalled me, especially since the wine we were tasting was $125 a bottle. We were given one off menu pour and quickly asked what we wanted to purchase, when we pondered we were then asked if we wanted to revisit. The whole experience was very disappointing. To be made to wait when we had reservations, not communicated with, and then rushed through the whole tasting left a very bad taste in my mouth. It would be one thing if they were just running behind, but it was one thing after another. We felt very unwanted. It was unfortunate because the wines were fantastic, but because of the experience I would not come back to this winery.

We stopped at Turnbull while visiting a few wineries in the area. There was a small mix up with who would be serving us, as lunch breaks were starting/ ending, which led to a short wait time. Once the incredibly nice staff noticed the mix up, we were promptly served, offered extra tastings, and comped. I was blown away by the swiftness in addressing the situation and making it more than right. On top of great service, the wines were also delicious, with a great variety of offerings in the tasting selections. Highly recommend a visit, if you are in the area!

It's pretty easy to find great wines in Napa Valley. What's not so easy is to find a place that isn't pretentious and welcomes you as if your family. That's Turnbull and it's why it's the only wine club I've joined. Yes, the wines are pricey but if you love reds and want to be treated with warmth and kindness- Turnbull is your place. Don't take my word on this friends. Go explore for yourself. Enjoy!

We love Turnbull. Discovered it a few years ago and have been members ever since. Love the tasting room and outside area. Very serene, peaceful and beautiful. Their wine is very high quality. Pricey but you get what you pay for. We had a great tasting yesterday. Drank a tad too much...

Fantastic wines and such a beautiful vineyard! I loved the serenity and outdoor seating on a sunny day. Our host was amazing! I visited with a couple friends and would definitely return!

We have been coming to the valley for years. While a beautiful property and strong wines, perhaps one of the worst tasting experiences we have experienced in dozens of tastings we've been fortunate to schedule, A barely there attendant, rushed through the wines, and effectively abandoned for a good 20-30 mins. The quickest thing that came out was the iPad to pay for the tasting. Supremely disappointing...

Omg...the wines are just delicious!! The winery is gorgeous! The BEST is Dana! Thank you, Turnbull Cellars for hiring such amazing employees that not only know your passion for wine and your wines, but also your various audiences. Additionally, The employee morale speaks volumes about their place of employment. We are not big wine drinkers but Dana gave us all the information we could and would want, and made us feel super comfortable when we didn't know much. The Sauvignon Blanc (Josephine) was my Personal favorite! My hubby loved the Black Label! We had a lovely spot which was cool for our little dog, there was lovely music and water fountains that added further ambience. Please go! And, please say hi to Dana for us!

Their wines are great, the grounds are really nice and the staff is very friendly. Why not a higher rank then? Because they aren't licensed for glass pours or bottles. All you can get is a tasting, which is a bummer because the wines are so good they beg for a glass, or three, to be consumed on the property. I hope one day they'll get licensed so people can stop in and enjoy a glass, or bottle, of their exceptional estate grown wines. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed....

Grant. Was. Amazing. He was very knowledgeable and so much fun! The property is beautiful and the wine was delicious

We had the absolute best time at Turnbull! Our pourer, Osvaldo, could not have been a better host. The grounds are pristine, it's small and unique. I could not recommend visiting this place any more. Made us feel so at home and welcomed. A true must visit.

This is a wonderful winery. We came here based on a referral from a trusted source. We were immediately greeted and the staff already knew who we were and they were expecting us. Our host for the day, Dana, was absolutely amazing (as was the owner of the winery). Dana spent a lot of time with us making sure we were taken care of and provided generous pours of each wine for our tasting. The wine here is in another league. You just have to try it to see. We ended up buying a couple bottles of their red wine and took it home with us (they provide a cardboard box that survived a plane ride home easily). I definitely recommend this winery to anyone visiting the Napa/Sonoma area. Thanks for your hospitality!

So many mixed feelings about this vineyard but we had a phenomenal experience here, one of the best stops of our entire trip. Perhaps it was because we came at the right time and had the entire back patio area to ourselves but regardless, I highly recommend this place and cannot wait to return the next time we have an opportunity to travel to Napa. Didn't plan this vineyard into our trip but we were at Silver Oak beforehand and the guy there told us we must check this place out and boy was he right. The vineyard is absolutely stunning, any one who is a fan of rustic, country feels, you oughta come here. Oh, right and if you like wine too I hear they have that here as well. Came in around 2ish or so on a Wednesday and the place was empty, we were pumped. It happened to be my birthday that day and so it was an unbelievable surprise to see we had the entire back patio to ourselves and my oh my a patio it was. Gorgeous vineyard views, lawn chairs, fire pit, huge long table with chairs, beautiful flowers everywhere, grounds we were able to walk around and take photos of the old school trucks parked on the grass. The tasting room itself was a rustic barn type looking place, absolutely beautiful. They had artwork hung all over the tasting room, it was chic and just lovely. Backtrack a few, the woman assisting us with our tasting, Dana, first asked if we wanted to sit in or out, when we chose outside she brought us to a table where there were delicious breadsticks and she also gave us a large pitcher of water and two glasses. Dana was informative, funny, laid back but professional, we thoroughly enjoyed our experience getting to know her and know the wines. We told her it was our first time visiting and she grabbed another person who worked there, cannot recall her name but she too was lovely. They both sat down at the table with us and we talked wine, restaurants, food, you name it. It was a seriously wonderful afternoon spending time at this vineyard talking to two women who worked there who couldn't have been friendlier and more helpful. It happened to be my birthday that day and coming to Turnbull really made the day special. The wines were fantastic and I cannot wait to come back here next time I'm in Napa. Also, the bathrooms are outside, like an outhouse, which I've come to realize is a wine country thing but they're super clean!

Was at the Turnbull winery today. Second time here and with a wine club member. Had reservation for 4. We ended up with Osvaldo as our host. Wine is outstanding and was looking forward to joining today. Unfortunately, the experience was poor. Our host was not attentive. 1). No detail on the wines we were tasting 2.) took 15 minutes to get to our table to start the experience 3.) took 15-30 minutes between tasting 4) never came back to finish our last taste 5) had to get served by another person 6) Osvaldo was sitting and talking with other tables for 10-15 and not taking care of his tables 7) tables around us had a side by side....never had that 8) we mentioned the wine we like and never offered, as soon as we got better service the new mentioned they had some of our favorite open. 8) awful when your glass is empty for 10min and host chatting with other guests sitting down. Great wine.....bad service..... Ask for Alex!

Do not waste your time and go to this Vineyard. Extremely rude staff / snobby. They are not accommodating or hospitable. We called yesterday an hour before they closed to make a reservation and the woman on the phone told us that we'd be rushed if we came in. After getting past that, we rescheduled for today and was our intention to taste and purchase a good amount of wine but there was only 2 of us requesting to taste in the group. They told us that "we're taking up too much real estate" and that more in the group needed to taste. Plenty other vineyards that would appreciate the business - definitely skip this one! Update: No excuse for being rude and giving bad service - covid-19 precautions are not an excuse as the manager Tobi cited in this response attached. We believe the staff ignorantly passed on our business when not all of us were participating in the tasting. This was not smart since we then left to go to Del Dotta and spent almost $4,000 (receipt pictured) Their loss was Del Dotta's gain! So glad we had the opportunity too discover Del Dotta. We highly recommend Del Dotta right up the road - much much better atmosphere and the staff is very hospitable!

If you're a red lover, you'll love Turnbull Wine Cellars (TWC) period. Though I am not a white wine person, I would say their recent introduction of a couple the whites (2015 Josephine Sauvignon Blanc and 2015 Rose of Cabernet Blanc) might just steer me towards opening up for some great whites!! If you love to be a tourist and be guided with lines and lines of tour guides, go to Mondavi. TWC gives fantastic tours, don't get me wrong. However when I come here to wine taste, I feel a sense of tranquility like I am at home. Of course, I am a fur baby lover too so with Rosie and Marvin (2 beautiful and smart as hell pups!!), they've added more flavor to the whole experience!! Since I'm a favorite of Cabernet Sauvignons, TWC makes some of the best Cabernets, especially their Black Labels!! Though I love a great Cabernet, I also love Merlots too, which TWC makes an excellent 2013 Fortuna from a very selected berries with a touch of floral taste. TWC makes excellent cabs that's just pleasing to my palate! Most think TWC wines are a bit pricey, but I don't. When was the last time that you've found a good cheap wine? I love coming to TWC. Relaxed atmosphere with a beautiful garden behind the tasting room. A hidden gem, that may soon not be so hidden anymore.

Enjoyed this tasting room and their wines! Not entirely a tourist trap - where many tasting rooms nearby on the highway not inmate like Turnbull. Friendly staff serving yummy big red wines! Mostly Cabs! If this is your fancy - do spot in, you'll be glad you did. I personally loved the 2014 Oakville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. But all the wines we tasted were quite enjoyable. A small family owned boutique winery with all estate grown fruit, aged in french oak. There is even a Tesla charging station of customers that visit.

Staffs are super rude and not friendly at all. We walked in and we left right away bc they way they talked to us. Seems like they didn't need the business Replying to Tobi, I'm sure you are aware that this is not the first review about how awful and rude your staffs are. I scrolled through and read all the reviews and a lot of people have had the same experience we had. Please re train your staff

Such a lovely winery in Oakville, Napa Valley. We enjoyed the Gallery Tasting flight for $40 per person. Enjoyed our tasting indoors and outdoors in their lovely garden that had great tunes playing. Very laid back. Guests can even bring their [well behaved] pets too! Great wine and good service! I highly recommend you come here!

Some friends and I went to three wineries this past weekend, and of all 3, Turnbull was the best! I believe Sheena was the one guiding us during our tastings and she was a hoot! Such a great personality, made everything so relatable to us, and didn't rush us or push us to buy anything. We tasted 4 or 5 wines. I ended up purchasing a Cabernet Sauvignon that was not part of the tasting, but I'm so grateful I did because it was GOOOOD!!!! I also ended up purchasing their red blend and my boyfriend purchased the black label reserve (really good, just a bit out of my price range). Absolutely loved the staff, the atmosphere and everything in between. Will definitely be returning here!

I could not believe this place. I made a reservation for 4 people. Another group made a separate reservation for 6 people. There was no one in the place. I don't understand why they treated us as one group. We came in 4 separate cars from 4 separate cities. Just because you know another group, is that a sin? They refused to separate the "group" according to our reservations even though we clearly made separate reservations. They refused to serve us in different table. I think these people are ridiculous to not seat people with reservations and ruin our trip to Napa. I wonder if it had to do with the fact that we were Asians. The staff lady tried to be nice but did not find a solution. They just kicked us out basically. Membership has been cancelled. If they don't know how to treat their customers, and find solutions especially when people are here on vacation, they don't understand the service industry. Very disappointed in this winery. Customers beware!

The grounds at Turnbull are beautiful and they did an amazing job keeping us safe during the COVID period. Kurt was our host and he was absolutely incredible - full of knowledge, history and passion. Known for their reds, they are unique and well priced compared to other high end wineries. We loved it so much that we joined as members! We definitely can't wait to come back. Definitely ask for Kurt to take care of you when you go!

Went there on a Monday,first time being there service was great but their wines are even better . Their Cabernets are to die for . Also their Sauvignon blanc is a must try .

I came with my boyfriend on a busy President's weekend and wasn't expecting to get a tasting in but we decided to try anyway. Stewart made us feel welcome immediately and offered to fit us in for a tasting. Private tastings were booked out, so if you are interested in those, definitely book ahead. $40 a head for a tasting, $80 for a private tasting that comes with a tour as well. We tasted 4 wines, and thought they were a bit pricey before we began but we left with a membership because we thought the wine was that good. Yes, most of their bottles are expensive, but these aren't bottles you just crack open because you want a glass while you watch the Bachelor...you're paying for amazing quality here. WORTH IT.

Visited Turnbull with a wine club member for the 3rd time this past Saturday. The wine club member had made the reservation for 6 people, but responded to the email that 2 couples would be sharing a tasting. He never received a response before our reservation. We arrived on time and got seated at our table. When we mentioned that some of us would be sharing a tasting we were advised that was not allowed at Turnbull. We have been to many wineries & that is the first time we have heard that. There is no mention if this on the winery website, at the time of making the reservation, nor when the wine club member replied to the reservation email confirmation. This was disappointing & placed a cloud on the experience. Fortunately, the wine was pretty good according to those that did taste in our group. During our previous visits my husband & I were not excited about the wine nor the service, but this time my husband was surprised that he enjoyed some of the wines. He even considered purchasing some wine & our friend was excited about purchasing a couple of bottles as well. Unfortunately, our server was sitting down at another table. We had a reservation at another winery that we had to get to. Service has never been impressive, but this was the worst. Luckily the next tasting at a different winery made up for the horrible experience. I wish we could have experienced what the other positive reviewers did.

For all you wine-ies, wine snobs and people who fancy wine, you all know Turnbull for some of the best Cabs. We came in on a Monday. + because they have EV charger. + because it was a small intimate winery. + because we met Tess. Tess was amazing - really knowledgeable about the wines....the different grapes, tastes, etc. She was really warm and friendly and it almost felt like she was our best friend - I wish she pulled up a chair and pour herself a glass. Nina was pretty cute too - she is a 9 year old Boston terrier. We love Turnball and cant wait to come back again

It was a great pleasure to visit this beautiful winery and be welcomed by amazing staff. Luckily, we had the outdoor space to ourselves, and we felt very peaceful and relaxed. Our wine tasting experience was superb and informative. My favorite was the Fortuna Cabernet Sauvignon, and my husband very much enjoyed their Sauvignon Blanc. This beautiful place will stick to our memory with a pleasant experience and we hope to visit again in the future. We left the grounds with our hands full with our new favorite bottles.

Had a wonderful and relax visit at Turnbull. 5 out of 5. The tasting experience was amazing and Shaefer is very knowledgeable but patient in sharing the difference between regions and grapes and how it affects the tasting and aging ability. The plus side is we made a reservation so it's not too crowded and we get to bring our dog to just chill and enjoy the wine.

First time here, small intimate tasting room and pet friendly. The grounds are beautiful. They are known for their Cabs and they are delicious. You have got to watch they wine decanting in action.

Tess was our wine host at this lovely vineyard! Tess was five stars all the way! She was Very knowledgeable about the wine. During the week we went to many wineries and by far Turnbull is our number one choice in quality of wine, the facilities and employees! We were so impressed we even joined their amazing wine club! Turnbull should be your next stop !

Rude service! We did come to the tasting 10 mins late past our appt so we do apologize. We are here for 4th of july weekend and traffic did catch up to us. We arrived with our party and the first two tasting were nice but the last two tastings, our server was rude. She didn't explain the wines or explanation of what we were drinking. She ended up bringing the charge for the tastings immediately after that. So disappointed. Don't think i will come here again. Don't come here past 3pm, workers want to go home and not mingle. Have fun in other wineries.

This Winery Does NOT Require An Appointment! SITREP To be honest, I miss the days 15-20 years ago when you could just hop over into Napa Valley and if you saw winery-architecture you took a fancy too as you were driving by on HWY 29 or the Silverado Trail, you could pop into that Winery's driveway, walk into their taste room and "have at it". However, too often these days, the whole industry of wine-tasting has gotten much more restrictive - requiring appointments, requiring (in some instances) pretty pricey tasting fees of $25, of $40, or even more, etc. - so it's a breath of fresh-air when you can show up to a winery without an appointment and just an enjoy a basic tasting for no more than $10. THE SETUP Located in Oakville in Napa Valley, Turnball Wine Cellars has quite a variety of delicious wines. Most of the wines are quite pricey, going towards $50 and $60 a bottle. But I found a few varietals that were more accessible to my pocketbook. My preference runs to whites, so I made sure to sample their: * Napa Valley 2012 Sauvignon Blanc ($20) - less tart & dry than Chardonnay and something that I prefer, with definite hints of fresh crisp melon. * Napa Valley 2010 Voignier ($30), with distinct floral (Honeysuckle) and fruity (Apricot) notes. I did like one red in my particular wine-tasting flight: * Napa Valley 2009 Petite Sirah ($40), was bursting berry flavors, like blueberries & huckleberries and absolutely delicious. If you are a wine club member, than you get an extra 20% discount on your purchases. COOL STUFF There is an old Ford jalopy stationed outside the winery building that is so cool to see and probably the most photographed item at this winery judging by the photo album for this winery. And the art & photography in this facility is absolutely beautiful and seems to change from year to year. The gallery of exhibited works is it's OWN reason to make sure to stop by and take in these beautiful works. THE LOWDOWN Since for many, wine-tasting is a learning experience, AND not necessarily everyone is brimming with lots of disposal income to burn, it's great to find the OCCASIONAL winery that lets you have a meaningul wine-tasting experience without greedily burning a hole in your wallet. Turnbull Wine Cellars is a fun, eclectic and enjoyble wine-tasting stop for the wine-novice.

This is one of our favorite wineries in Napa valley. Knowing that they are strong in reds, which we love, we are shopping for some great whites for the summer season of foods. They do have a good bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, but definitely a bit over priced compared to Duckhorn & few others in Napa. So, here is what didn't go well! They sent us to St. Supery next door for some low grade whites. They made comments about this area is "red wine country" when we asked them why they don't make pinots, "... and that you guys should go to Russian River not here in Napa" to get them! Think we don't know our wine countries and areas?! We live in northern cal. That's pretty offensive and snobby comment! There are many awesome wineries in Napa that makes wonderful selections of wines! We don't need these snobby comments from employees who think they "know" better than wine veterans. Please learn this lesson!!