Winemaker Notes
Blend: 45% Syrah, 41% Grenache, 9% Mourvèdre, 5% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This outstanding blend brings together 45% Syrah, 41% Grenache, 9% Mourvèdre and 5% Petite Sirah, the grapes from the Landa Vineyard and Teldeschi Home Ranch. Soft, structured and juicy on the midpalate, it has strong, forceful layers of meaty, peppery exoticism, complemented in dried herb and blackberry compote.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Turbine Red is a Châteauneuf-du-Pape-style blend of 45% Syrah, 41% Grenache, 9% Mourvèdre and 5% Petite Sirah. Medium ruby-purple, it has a gregarious nose of green and white pepper, menthol, crushed black cherries and blackberries and notes of loamy earth, soy sauce and red fruit sparks. Medium to full-bodied, it has a good core of savory fruit with firm, grainy tannins and good freshness, finishing long and savory.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Perhaps the most historically significant appellation in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Valley is home to both Buena Vista winery, California's oldest commercial winery, and Gundlach Bundschu winery, California's oldest family-run winery.
It is also one of the more geologically and climactically diverse districts. The valley includes and overlaps four distinct Sonoma County sub-appellations, including Carneros, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley. With mountains, benchlands, plains, abundant sunshine and the cooling effects of the nearby Pacific, this appellation can successfully produce a wide range of grape varieties. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, and most notably, Zinfandel all thrive here. Ancient Zinfandel vines over 100 years old produce small crops of concentrated, spicy fruit, which in turn make some of the Valley's most unique wines. These can also be made as “field blends” (wines made from a mix of grape varieties grown in the same vineyard) along with Petite Sirah, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet.