Cabernet Sauvignon (1984)

About this wine

This is a Cabernet Sauvignon produced originally under the Johnson Turnbull name in Napa Valley, the estate founded by William Turnbull and Reverdy Johnson in 1979 and later known simply as Turnbull. The 1984 vintage in Napa was warm and dry producing concentrated, tannic Cabernets that often developed generous fruit and strong structure. In bottle this wine typically shows mature dark fruit aromas of blackcurrant and plum, layered with cedar, tobacco, and a leather or dried herb character that comes with age. The palate tends toward medium to full body with still evident tannic backbone and a dried fruit mid palate, often accompanied by savory, tertiary notes and noticeable sediment in older bottles. Bottles from this era were made from Napa fruit and cellared with intention, and examples appear periodically in auction and secondary market listings which note the historic Johnson Turnbull provenance. Over time the wine evolves toward more savory, tobacco and cedar dominated flavors while retaining traces of ripe black fruit and firm structure that reflect its Oakville Napa origins.

About the grape

Cabernet Sauvignon originated in southwest France where it was bred from older vines and became the backbone of Bordeaux, a grape prized for thick skins, structure, and age ability. In Napa Valley it took hold in the 19th and 20th centuries, where well drained gravel and volcanic soils, warm days and cool nights let Cabernet ripen while keeping bright tannins, often trained to vertical shoot position and cane or bilateral cordon to manage vigor. For the 1984 Johnson Turnbull bottling the variety came from the winery founders early plantings in Oakville and nearby sites, with an emphasis on valley floor and nearby hillside blocks that provided concentrated fruit and firm structure. In this wine Cabernet was used as the primary building block, reflecting Napa clonal selections and old world grafting history, and was vinified to highlight the grape's natural tannin, color and capacity to age.

Quick facts

• 🏷️ The bottle is from the Johnson Turnbull era, the original winery name used from the first 1979 releases until the property was renamed in 1993, so a 1984 label still carries that older collectible name.
• 🏛️ One of the founders was William Turnbull, a noted Bay Area architect who actually designed the winery building and influenced the look of other Napa landmarks, making the bottle part wine and part architectural history.
• 🐂 The Turnbull bull crest on early labels is drawn from a centuries old family legend and was later redesigned with an ancient Minoan style bull image, so a 1984 label shows an earlier chapter in that visual story.
• ⏳ 1984 in Napa was generally warm and dry compared with Europe that year, which helped some Cabernets develop ripe fruit and structure, meaning many 1984 Napa Cabs including Johnson Turnbull can show surprisingly fresh color and lively tertiary notes even now.
• 📍 The wine comes from the Oakville neighborhood, literally surrounded by superstar neighbors like Cakebread and Opus One, so this modestly known bottle shares real Napa Valley terroir with some of the most famous estates.

Palate profile

Producer

Turnbull Wine Cellars, originally known as Johnson Turnbull Vineyards, was founded in 1979 by architect William Turnbull Jr. and attorney Reverdy Johnson in Oakville, California. Turnbull, renowned for his work on the Sea Ranch community, designed the winery's distinctive barn-like structures, reflecting his architectural style. In 1993, the winery was acquired by Patrick O'Dell, who expanded its vineyard holdings and rebranded it as Turnbull Wine Cellars. The winery is also notable for housing an extensive collection of American photography, including works by Ansel Adams.