TN: 2018 Turley Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (USA, California, Napa Valley)

  • 2018 Turley Cabernet Sauvignon Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (12/6/2020)
    Had this the other night, and between my quickly fading ability to remember and a complete lack of tasting abilities, all I can say is that I really enjoyed this bottle. I’ll try: kind of classic Cab nose and attack, deep darker fruits, with chalky and just-on-the-right-side-of-gripping tannins. I detected no overt or offensive oak. I’m sure there is some, but it’s beautifully integrated and makes you ask: does it have it or not? Which is exactly how all oak should present itself, if you ask me. Will it improve with age? Probably round it out a little, but it was already drinking great now. Why wait? Great stuff. (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

1 Like

Wow. I had not clue. So I suppose they bought a Cab vineyard in Napa?

I think they planted Cab on their longstanding estate property in Napa. These are very nice indeed, prime Cab territory, very traditionally styled. Price, as I recall, is very reasonable.

Just curious…what was the ABV% on that wine?

Just curious…what was the ABV% on that wine?

My guess will be 15.1%

Think it’s 14.8%.

Had it today again with a longer decant. Now I can taste just a hint of what feels like American oak (which I love), but barely noticeable. Also, today the wine feels much more feminine and soft. Very nice. It really is excellently balanced. Do yourself a favor and get some - provenance-per-dollar on this makes it a great QPR.

Thanks for the note. I’ve been buying Turley for a while but this is the first year getting the Cab for some reason. Seems like a no brainer QPR at the $44 club price when it looks like it shows up for about $80 on the aftermarket (so where was my brain all these years?). Looking forward to trying it.

That was my first thought… where did that come from as I kinda only know them for the thing they do very well above many others and that has not been Cab.

And I’m now curious.

I bought the first vintage of the Turkey cab a few years ago and it was very soft, round, plush, kind of undefined. I think others here had the same reaction.

But it has sounded the last few years that the wine has improved since then. I may have to give it another shot.

“The Label”, or Turley Cab? I still have a bottle if the former tucked away sonewhere.
9B97FDC1-65FF-426A-A672-83704E0F5152.jpeg
Personally I don’t like turkey with cab. [wink.gif]

Had it today again with a longer decant. Now I can taste just a hint of what feels like American oak (which I love), but barely noticeable. Also, today the wine feels much more feminine and soft. Very nice. It really is excellently balanced. Do yourself a favor and get some - provenance-per-dollar on this makes it a great QPR.

Do love American oak when it is subtle as you describe. I used to enjoy Quilceda Creek wines but found the new oak required a massive amount of aging.

Been buying the Turley cab since the 2013 vintage iirc. Have a bottle or two of the 14s left. Bought some of The Label pictured above from 2010 but found that too soft.

The 2018 strikes me as the best Napa yet. Thought it had a bit more structure than past vintages but still consider it to be very good young drinking wine. We tried one a few days ago. The OP covers it well. It is a good value imo and an automatic buy for us.

You’re right, it was “The Label” that I didn’t care for. I guess I’m not a Label drinker!

I’ll have to try the actual Turley cab sometime. Is it just part of the regular offers along with the zins and all?

If I remember correctly it’s a separate release.

Yes, separate release. Sold out in a few days.

Totally agree. But like you said, you have to be subtle with it. Very subtle. One of the things I really dislike about American Oak can be the coconut flavors. But with 36 month aged staves, it’s less pronounced. Everything else about American Oak I find superior to French - not entirely sure why everyone is so enamored with French, to be honest. When you taste new wines in new French oak, it tastes like sucking on 2x4 lumber for about 6 months before it integrates. American oak rarely does that - it always profiles nicely even early on. It’s just sweeter and rounder and not as harsh.

Sounds like me. I bought the early renditions called The Label, then it morphed into Turley Cab. All underwhelmed me and I stopped buying.

Sounds like I need to revisit the Turley Cabs! I tried the 13 vintage (estate, not The Label) and found it more zin-like than cab. Will keep my eyes peeled for a more recent release. Thanks for the note/feedback all!

Had another bottle tonight. Think it’s in an awkward phase. Enjoyed it a bit less this time. Had a sweetness to it that I’d not noticed before.

Nice - I grabbed 3 of the '18 cabs when the offering popped up. Planning on sitting on them for at least another year or so before I dip in.