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WINE COUNTRY THIS WEEK | WINE COUNTRY NEWS
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release room with its high wood ceiling, skylights and French-doored
garden views are quite attractive, it’s the Reserve Room that draws me
back every time.
On the art side, the winery presents two exhibitions a year in The
Reserve Room Gallery, drawing from more than 4,000 pieces by
renowned photographers, including work from Ansel Adams,
Margaret Bourke White, Walker Evans, Yousuf Karsh, Dorothea
Lange, Herb Ritts and Edward Weston. The space’s cathedral ceiling,
exposed beams, antique bar and barrels highlight one of the West
Coast’s largest permanent photography locales. Through the end of
March, the space hosts “Abstract Visions: A Brett Weston
Retrospective,” and the new “Birds of the World” exhibit opens April
14th in conjunction with the Napa Arts and Napa Valley Destination
Councils’ “Arts in April” events. Running through September, this
new exhibit features the work of George Edwards, John Gould, John
James Audubon, and Mark Catesby, among others. Admission to the
gallery, by the way, is always complimentary, so the sober driver or
non-imbiber won’t feel left out one bit.
The reserve wines are equally as stellar as the artwork and the
barrels containing subsequent vintages they’re tasted alongside and
being able to taste horizontals of the same variety – Cabernet
Sauvignon – as expressed through three different vineyards –
Amoneus, Fortuna and Leopoldina – is quite a treat as each bottling
shows off unique characteristics derived from its vineyard’s soil,
elevation, micro-climate and a whole host of other elements all best
summed up as simply “terroir.” Equally, in being able to taste Merlot
and Cabernet Franc bottlings from the same vineyards, the impact of
terroir on all wines is also made clear. It’s quite the tasting and not to
be missed.
The wines above, and many others, have won a considerable
amount of acclaim – a half dozen have recently received excellent
scores above 90 from the major publications, for example – but it’s
the variety of wines available – a good two dozen or so – in
combination with the variety of art also there to be enjoyed with
them that makes a visit to Turnbull Wine Cellars truly memorable. If
that’s not enough to get you to stop by, it’s spring, which means new
releases, including the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc and the limited, tastingroom-only
2011 Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon – both just perfect for
parties and picnics – are now available, too. There are all kinds of
great places throughout the Valley, but do yourself a favor and stop in
at Turnbull the next time you’re here. Once you pull off of Highway
29, you’ll feel pulled into a whole different way of seeing – and
enjoying – great wines. Enjoy!
www.WineCountryThisWeek.com
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