Winemaker Notes
Black Label is a story of two alter egos coming together: Leopoldina Vineyard fruit meets Fortuna Vineyard fruit. The core of our Black Label comes from Leopoldina Vineyard; that’s where we get that big, darkly brooding fruit note with rich, hedonistic tones, and huge structure and texture. Then, we add fruit from Fortuna Vineyard to bring in more lift and focus, making the wine prettier and longer. These are two fantastic, but different, vineyard sites. And the beauty in their differences is wonderfully highlighted by this wine
Unrelenting in allure and unrestrained in power, Black Label returns with stunning magnitude. Hedonistic fruit tones of dusted blackberries, crème de cassis, and updrafts of violet seduce the nose, while superior silky tannins flow with tones of huckleberries and blackberries to establish a massively rich mid-palate. Red and black cherries comingle with blue fruits, tobacco, and chocolate tones, fulfilling aromatic promises with a powerful and lasting finish.
Blend 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A big, opulent wine that stays pure and balanced, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label boasts a deep purple color as well as vibrant notes of beautiful crème de cassis and blueberry-like fruit supported by ample violets, graphite, and charcoal nuances. Deep, rich and powerful, yet light on its feet, it has building tannin and is going to need 4-5 years of bottle age. It should age effortlessly for 20-25 years.
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Vinous
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label is a heady, explosive wine. It has also aged exceptionally well. A blast of dark cherry, plum, menthol, licorice, incense and chocolate stains the palate. This has come together so well with time in bottle. It’s a classic expression of the Turnbull house style.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label sports a deep garnet-purple color and nose of crème de cassis, mocha and mulberries with touches of spice box, roses and black tea plus a waft of cigar box. Full-bodied and concentrated with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, it finishes long and layered. Rating: 94+
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Wine Enthusiast
This bold, beautifully made wine is sizable in tannin while imparting an old-world entry of herbaceousness and classic notions of pencil shavings and cedar. Gritty on the palate, it flirts with black cherry, currant and cassis before offering a rounded lengthy finish of clove and tobacco.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: How much Cabernet is too much? The ultra-rich 2015 Turnbull Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon is a brilliant wine with excellent structure. TASTING NOTES. This wine is a handful of goodness. Its aromas and flavors of powerful ripe fruit flavors, oak, and earth notes should provide an excellent foil for a Henry VIII cut prime rib. (Tasted: September 17, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Spectator
Ripe to the edge of berry jam, this offers a tight framework and a supple texture, even with substantial tannins. Ends as it begins, with a forceful presence. Drink now.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.