Antonio Galloni Applauds Turnbull’s 2021 Vintage with High Praise
Posted: January 9, 2024
“Peter Heitz turned out a stellar set of 2021s at Turnbull. The wines are rich, opulent and ready to give pleasure.”- Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
Join us in congratulating Winemaker, Peter Heitz and our incredible winemaking team as we ring in the New Year with outstanding reviews of our 2021 Vintage wines from Antonio Galloni of Vinous as part of his annual Napa Valley report.
Among the many highlights from his reviews, Antonio wrote that the “seriously impressive 2021 Amoenus Cabernet Sauvignon –(97 Points) is “sumptuous” and has “tremendous substance and voluptuousness,” while describing the “powerful” and “imposing” 2021 Black Label (96 Points) as being “built on textural voluptuousness and sheer power” and finally, the “fabulous” 2021 Oakville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (94 Points) as being “one of the best Napa Valley Cabernets readers can find at this price point. Superb.”
You’ll find Antonio’s full reviews of our ’21’s, below. To read Part One of the full Napa Valley Cabernet Report, click here.
2021 Pierra Cabernet Sauvignon – 97 Points
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Pierra is a tiny, three-barrel blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from Weitz. Soaring aromatics, bright red/purplish fruit, rose petal, blood orange and exotic spice are all dialed up in this explosive, potent Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2021 is seriously impressive.”
2021 Amoenus Cabernet Sauvignon – 97 Points
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Amoenus Vineyard is another seriously impressive wine in this range. Blackberry jam, graphite, leather, cloves, tobacco and chocolate infuse this deep, sumptuous Calistoga Cabernet with tons of complexity. There’s tremendous substance and voluptuousness in the 2021. Admirably, the tannins are exceptionally well-balanced for a young Calistoga Cabernet.”
2021 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon – 96 Points
“A blend of top lots from both Fortuna and Weitz, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label is a powerful, dense wine with imposing fruit and equally strong tannic clout. Blackberry jam, graphite, leather, bittersweet chocolate, sweet spice and licorice infuse the palate with tons of depth. The 2021 is a big, ample wine built on textural voluptuousness and sheer power.”
2021 Fortuna Cabernet Sauvignon – 94 Points
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Fortuna Vineyard is quite supple in this vintage, with soft, plush contours that lend notable charm. Succulent red cherry, Kirsch, cinnamon, rose petal, spice, blood orange and new leather all take shape in the glass. Readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off this gem.”
2021 Oakville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – 94 Points
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Reserve is fabulous. Once again, the Reserve is one of the most stellar wines in the range. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, spice, leather and mocha build nicely as this juicy, exuberant Cabernet shows off its alluring personality. This is one of the best Napa Valley Cabernets readers can find at this price point. Superb.”
2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – 91 Points
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is supple, open-knit and very easy to like. Succulent dark cherry, plum, leather, spice and mocha flesh out nicely in this attractive, easygoing appellation-level Cabernet. It is one of the riper, racier wines in the range and also sees a bit more new oak than the other Cabernets. In this vintage, the percentage of fruit from Amoenus is pretty high.”
2021 Oakville Cabernet Franc – 92 Points
The 2021 Oakville Cabernet Franc is a heady, effusive wine. Soaring aromatics and vibrant fruit all race out of the glass. Mocha, red plum, leather, blood orange and spice are all dialed up. The Franc is blend of one third Fortuna and two thirds Weitz. The Weitz portion was fermented in open-top tonneaux, with 50% stems, an unusual approach for the valley and one that resulted in an especially lifted wine.
2021 Oakville Merlot – 91 Points
The 2021 Oakville Merlot is an interesting wine, as it offers far more savory and earthy notes than most Merlots. Dried herbs, tobacco, cedar and crushed flowers lend notable aromatic nuance. The 2021 is a blend of the three Merlot blocks at Fortuna. It’s very good and quite distinctive.”