Outstanding showing. Ripe dark fruit, fresh herbs, conifer, licorice, and Bay leaf bouquet. Perfectly balanced, beautifully resolved, with remnants of a ripe tannic structure that frames black raspberries, dark cherries, and a savory, minerally undercurrent. Culminates with a kiss of bottle-age complexity on the lovely finish.
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Slow ox for three hours and consumed over the following two. Nose was a little subdued throughout the evening. The flavor profile was basically one dimensional with a strong dark cherry licorice element. Tannins were tame, low acidity; drinkable, but far from expected from this producer. Chalk this one up to bottle variance.
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I agree with other notes to say that it is good but nothing great or distinctive. Full body, heavy mouth feel with dark fruit that is somewhat muted behind the weight. Aeration helped some but not enough to make a big difference. Some years have found it to be more balanced and quite delicious. The 2014 does not hit that level but a decent wine nonetheless.
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I like Turnbull’s style, these wines are meant to age. I’ll revisit in a couple of years. Complex and structured: Dark chocolate, cassis, mint and cocoa notes with a decent finish. I expect this wine to improve substantially.
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This entry level cabernet from Turnbull has much in common with its' bigger (priced) siblings. Decanted for two hours and consumed over the following four. Deep, dark purple in the glass. Enticing aromas of dark fruits, coconut, plum, fig and wood. Flavors included cherry, vanilla, anise, cocoa, toasted caramel and raspberry brought forth on a vibrant, round and rich mouthfeel that was both appealing and exotic. Balanced, elegant and velvety texture; tannins were present in the background but approaching being fully resolved. A generous finish completed this wonderful experience. Little variation from start to finish. Approachable now with a decent decant but with many years of life remaining.
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Terroir-istes International - USA - California, Napa, Oakville (Cape Town Law offices): (Tasted Blind): Deep black-red colour with milk chocolate, cassis, graphite and tobacco leaf aromas. It is an attractive wine with a plush entry and a prominent presence of blackcurrant fruit, tar, liquorice and blueberry preserve. Sinewy to grippy tannins contribute to the wine's structure; the wine has a delightful freshness, purity, juicy feel, and vibrant acidity. Full-bodied, the wine has extract, but it is not over-extracted and closes long with more graphite, cedar wood, and pencil shavings.
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I decanted for 3 hours, and still just had no taste at all. Weird. I would say then that it needs much more time. Definitely closed. I do believe it will be good in time. I am adding to this review. I drank the other half of the bottle the next day, and it had opened up some, so I changed the rating to 91.
Restaurant Pop-n-Pour. No ‘13’s available so opened this one. Very impressive for this price point. Accessible now, but really deserves 2-3 years cellaring. Dark fruits, earthy with touch of menthol. Will seek out some bottles.
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Mocha, black cherry, black currant, lemon oil, cedar and rich earth. Focused upon entry, round on the middle and long thru the end. Layered and the cottony tannins persist, but not in a bulwark manner. A distinct persona. Drink 2020 - 2035.
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Don't feel bad opening this now. Low to medium tannin and medium acidity. Not as full bodied as I wished, but certainly in line with this price point. A solid drinker.
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Decided to revisit because I'm thinking about buying more. Similar notes as last bottle but I thought this bottle showed a little less depth. Drank next to a 2014 Apriori Reserve cab and I thought the Apriori was quite a bit better - fuller fruit, more flavorful, longer/deeper finish. Nonetheless, still a solid bottle for the price point at around $30.
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Found this at a nice price on sale so I decided to give it a shot in light of Suckling's 92 rating. Dark purple fruit - blackberry, blueberry, currants, and a little dark plum. Smooth mid-palate with decent depth for the price point. The tannins are integrated quite well despite its youth. Solid finish but only long nor deep. Decanted for one hour and drank over another two. Improved a little with time but drinking quite well after the decant. An enjoyable cab for around $30. 91% cab, 6% cab franc, 2% petit verdot, and 1% merlot.
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Pnp and poured through a vinturri. Appearance of dark ruby-purple. Nose of sweet blackberries, blueberry jam, and hints of blackcurrants swirling around. On the palate, has a mouth filling profile of blackberries, black licorice, blueberries, and a tad of graphite; a slight hint of vanilla is also detected; some tannins hang around. Medium-full bodied with a medium+ finish. Good drinking now me thinks and can be cellared for a quite a bit as well. 93+
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Very fruit-primary, but not jammy or unctuous. Well-balanced, not too tannic but with enough grip to stand up to some ribeyes. Could age a bit, but really tempting to drink right now.
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The 2014 Turnbull Estate Cabernet Sauvignon impresses upon opening with black-and-blueberry followed by increasingly complex plum, herb and oak flavors as the bottle breathes. Unctuous in body, this cab begs for a well seasoned steak - like the pictured porterhouse. The tannins are mellow enough for consumption now, but a couple more years of bottle age wouldn't hurt.
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3/5/2023 - Kentw wrote: 90 Points
Improved a bit since my last bottle in 2020. Plenty dark fruits, mild mid level acidity and smooth finish. Good but not extraordinary.
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7/10/2022 - r4Cali Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really enjoyed. In a perfect drinking window.
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2/22/2022 - Baron Slick wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding showing. Ripe dark fruit, fresh herbs, conifer, licorice, and Bay leaf bouquet. Perfectly balanced, beautifully resolved, with remnants of a ripe tannic structure that frames black raspberries, dark cherries, and a savory, minerally undercurrent. Culminates with a kiss of bottle-age complexity on the lovely finish.
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2/20/2022 - spoplack wrote:
still awesome. great cab maybe not as concentrated or nuanced as the single vineyard Turnbull offerings but still great cab
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10/1/2021 - Tahlequahdave1972 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Slow ox for three hours and consumed over the following two. Nose was a little subdued throughout the evening. The flavor profile was basically one dimensional with a strong dark cherry licorice element. Tannins were tame, low acidity; drinkable, but far from expected from this producer. Chalk this one up to bottle variance.
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8/23/2021 - The Raven Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice wine.
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12/16/2020 - Kentw wrote: 89 Points
I agree with other notes to say that it is good but nothing great or distinctive. Full body, heavy mouth feel with dark fruit that is somewhat muted behind the weight. Aeration helped some but not enough to make a big difference. Some years have found it to be more balanced and quite delicious. The 2014 does not hit that level but a decent wine nonetheless.
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4/20/2020 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decent cab that does nothing wrong but nothing great either..
No tasting notes so that says something.....
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4/11/2019 - nisid Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice big Napa Cab. Hold for complexity to develop.
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12/9/2018 - tc from santee Likes this wine: 91 Points
I like Turnbull’s style, these wines are meant to age. I’ll revisit in a couple of years. Complex and structured: Dark chocolate, cassis, mint and cocoa notes with a decent finish. I expect this wine to improve substantially.
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10/30/2018 - Tahlequahdave1972 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This entry level cabernet from Turnbull has much in common with its' bigger (priced) siblings. Decanted for two hours and consumed over the following four. Deep, dark purple in the glass. Enticing aromas of dark fruits, coconut, plum, fig and wood. Flavors included cherry, vanilla, anise, cocoa, toasted caramel and raspberry brought forth on a vibrant, round and rich mouthfeel that was both appealing and exotic. Balanced, elegant and velvety texture; tannins were present in the background but approaching being fully resolved. A generous finish completed this wonderful experience. Little variation from start to finish. Approachable now with a decent decant but with many years of life remaining.
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9/17/2018 - vancouvermatt wrote: 92 Points
This is accessible now and really overdelivers for its price point in the category. Great mid-week Napa cab.
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8/16/2018 - jps3@columbia.edu Likes this wine: 90 Points
After an hour and a half it all came together to be an enjoyable, reasonably priced Napa cabernet.
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6/4/2018 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 91 Points
Terroir-istes International - USA - California, Napa, Oakville (Cape Town Law offices): (Tasted Blind): Deep black-red colour with milk chocolate, cassis, graphite and tobacco leaf aromas.
It is an attractive wine with a plush entry and a prominent presence of blackcurrant fruit, tar, liquorice and blueberry preserve. Sinewy to grippy tannins contribute to the wine's structure; the wine has a delightful freshness, purity, juicy feel, and vibrant acidity. Full-bodied, the wine has extract, but it is not over-extracted and closes long with more graphite, cedar wood, and pencil shavings.
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2/26/2018 - wildmang666 wrote: 91 Points
I decanted for 3 hours, and still just had no taste at all. Weird. I would say then that it needs much more time. Definitely closed. I do believe it will be good in time. I am adding to this review. I drank the other half of the bottle the next day, and it had opened up some, so I changed the rating to 91.
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1/19/2018 - DB Lawton Likes this wine: 91 Points
Restaurant Pop-n-Pour. No ‘13’s available so opened this one. Very impressive for this price point. Accessible now, but really deserves 2-3 years cellaring. Dark fruits, earthy with touch of menthol. Will seek out some bottles.
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8/11/2017 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 93 Points
Mocha, black cherry, black currant, lemon oil, cedar and rich earth. Focused upon entry, round on the middle and long thru the end. Layered and the cottony tannins persist, but not in a bulwark manner. A distinct persona. Drink 2020 - 2035.
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8/4/2017 - sinebubble wrote:
Don't feel bad opening this now. Low to medium tannin and medium acidity. Not as full bodied as I wished, but certainly in line with this price point. A solid drinker.
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7/4/2017 - Badmonkey wrote: 91 Points
Decided to revisit because I'm thinking about buying more. Similar notes as last bottle but I thought this bottle showed a little less depth. Drank next to a 2014 Apriori Reserve cab and I thought the Apriori was quite a bit better - fuller fruit, more flavorful, longer/deeper finish. Nonetheless, still a solid bottle for the price point at around $30.
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7/2/2017 - Badmonkey wrote: 92 Points
Found this at a nice price on sale so I decided to give it a shot in light of Suckling's 92 rating. Dark purple fruit - blackberry, blueberry, currants, and a little dark plum. Smooth mid-palate with decent depth for the price point. The tannins are integrated quite well despite its youth. Solid finish but only long nor deep. Decanted for one hour and drank over another two. Improved a little with time but drinking quite well after the decant. An enjoyable cab for around $30. 91% cab, 6% cab franc, 2% petit verdot, and 1% merlot.
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6/17/2017 - AMC Eagle wrote: 93 Points
Pnp and poured through a vinturri. Appearance of dark ruby-purple. Nose of sweet blackberries, blueberry jam, and hints of blackcurrants swirling around. On the palate, has a mouth filling profile of blackberries, black licorice, blueberries, and a tad of graphite; a slight hint of vanilla is also detected; some tannins hang around. Medium-full bodied with a medium+ finish. Good drinking now me thinks and can be cellared for a quite a bit as well. 93+
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4/21/2017 - THaas wrote: 91 Points
Very fruit-primary, but not jammy or unctuous. Well-balanced, not too tannic but with enough grip to stand up to some ribeyes. Could age a bit, but really tempting to drink right now.
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1/29/2017 - Basicallyjones wrote: 91 Points
The 2014 Turnbull Estate Cabernet Sauvignon impresses upon opening with black-and-blueberry followed by increasingly complex plum, herb and oak flavors as the bottle breathes. Unctuous in body, this cab begs for a well seasoned steak - like the pictured porterhouse. The tannins are mellow enough for consumption now, but a couple more years of bottle age wouldn't hurt.
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12/6/2016 - BigAngryWino wrote: 90 Points
Young light tannins leather licorice deep blackberry not sweet smooth finish lingering taste. Needs a few years.
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