Turtle Rock Vineyards is owned and operated by Don and Claudia Burns. Katelyn and I met Don a couple years ago during a Paso Robles trip while tasting at Saxum. Don works under Justin Smith as an assistant winemaker for Saxum and he was gracious enough to share some of his own wines during the visit ————> When I tasted the Turtle Rock next to the Saxum I was at a LOSS FOR WORDS… This was a wine that I’d never heard of and I was ASTONISHED that it was competing with the holy grail of Paso wines!
In the glass, this Grenache Mourvèdre blend has a deep ruby core that flows into pale purple edges…
When I get my nose in the glass I’m hit with a bursting raspberry note and a floral thing that I LOVE. Another sniff brings out some black cherry and citrus….
The palate is straight up silk with a bing cherry start start that fades into cranberries and a touch of cola…. The mid-palate keeps the silkiness alive with red licorice and a gentle tea note before a finish that brightens back up with orange peel and a peppery kick… Holy WOW!!!!
Guys, to say that this thing is stupid good is a gross understatement… Listen to me when I tell you ———-> Turtle Rock is going to be THE next IT winery out of Paso. You can still buy this wine direct but I can’t imagine it will be that way for long. If there is just one list to join today; Turtle Rock is it.
2015 Turtle Rock Vineyards “Plum Orchard Grenache/Mourvèdre” Paso Robles CA
Wines on the Range 