Tournesol Wine is owned by Bob and Anne Arns; therie is no relation to Arns Winery, also located in Napa Valley. Their 10-acre vineyard site is planted in Coombsville, still Napa Valley’s newest sub appellation, located just east of the town of Napa. Their vineyard is in the southeastern part of Coombsville against the hills of the Vaca mountains. Coombsville is generally known for being a cooler region as it is located in the southern part of Napa Valley closer to the moderating effects of the San Pablo Bay.
However, the part of Coombsville where their vineyard is located is in somewhat of banana belt and gets warmer than other areas in this southern part of the valley. It has its own unique microclimate. In fact, on the day, we visited the site we had driven down from Oakville in the morning, was cooler, the opposite of what one would think based on these differing parts of the valley. By the time we reached the eastern part of Coombsville to Tournesol Vineyards, the temperature was considerably warmer than Oakville. Their vineyard location sits about 300 feet above the valley floor.
While not necessarily a steep vineyard, the site is full of rocks. Bob spoke of having a D7 Caterpillar come in to “rip” the vineyard and make a significant effort in breaking up and moving the large rocks. A shelf of rock sits just under the topsoil in parts of the surrounding landscape. Needless to say, the vines have to struggle to become initially established. The vineyard was planted in 1999 soon after the Arns’ purchased the property. Well regarded viticulturist Mary Hall (now manages Harlan Estate’s vineyards) chose a variety of rootstalks and clones to match the specific micro terroir regions on the property.
The vineyard is planted to the five primary Bordeaux varieties. No grapes are sold from the vineyard and only the highest quality fruit is used in their final wines. A typical production is usually just under 1,000 cases of all their wines. The vineyard management is very much a hand operation from managing weeds to pruning, dropping grapes during critical ripening times of the year and harvesting. In addition, the vineyard is managed sustainable with much thought and effort given to the impact on the soils as well as the nearby water sources. There is small creek next to the vineyard that runs all year in part from a spring higher up in the hills.
The name Tournesol is French for “turning to the sun” and in part ties into their vineyards’ exposure (east to west) and how sunflowers turn their “heads” from east to west throughout the day.
Bob has lived in “the city”, San Francisco for many years; in 1996 he founded and still runs the successful Arns Law Firm; their headquarters are in San Francisco and they also maintain an office in Reno. Bob has also taught for many years at the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he also graduated from in 1975. He has been passionate about wine for many years. He selected this site specifically for its vineyard potential. This is not a story of someone who moves to Napa Valley without the intent of getting into the wine industry and then becomes pulled in by the “Napa allure”. Rather this site was specifically selected for its unique terroir. At the time of their initial purchase, it was not planted to vines.
While not actually having a physical winery on the property, for many years their wine was made just “down the street” at the Haynes Vineyard by winemaker Ken Bernards. Ken has made their wine every year since the first vintage. However after the Haynes Vineyard sold to Gaylon Laurence (the owner of Heitz, Burgess and Stony Hill wineries), production has since moved. Their focus is on two red wines each year: a Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend and a Cabernet Sauvignon.
The more and more we taste of Coombsville fruit the more we are impressed by this region; Coombsville is producing high quality wines that rival anything from up valley and Tournesol’s wines are no exception.
Select Wines
Whites
The 2021 Tournesol Sauvignon Blanc is medium straw in color; first scent we noted was honeydew melon, with additional layers of star jasmine, kiwi, gooseberries, pineapple guava and white peaches. The aromas are delicate and elegant. Balanced beautifully, the palate offers flavors of pomelo, grapefruit, passion fruit, kiwi, Gravenstein apple, white nectarines and lime. Herbal influenced but this wine never crosses into the green or grassy territory. Each sip begs another one. Crisp, juicy and mouth watering, we immediately thought of pairing these with freshly harvested scallops. Throw in a little ocean grit for good measure.
The Tournesol 2018 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc Sémillon (81% Sauvignon Blanc and 19% Sémillon) is straw colored yellow in the glass offering aromas of jasmine, freshly cut grass on a warm summer day, citrus blossom, a lemon/lime zest and honeysuckle flower. This wine is refreshing not only on the bouquet but also on the palate. Offers flavors of grapefruit, green apple and honeydew melon. Not necessarily tart but nicely balanced between flavor and acidity. Crisp but with a pleasing creaminess, especially on the back of the palate. Mineralities. Lively. Only 150 cases were produced.
Reds
The 2020 Tournesol Proprietor’s Blend is deep ruby and nearly opaque in the glass; ripe and generously fruited, the bouquet offers sweet aromatics of plum, cherry, boysenberry, blackberry jam accompanied by mocha, espresso, milk chocolate, Graham cracker dipped in hot chocolate, and sweet tobacco spice. The palate echoes the bouquet to some extent with flavors of milk chocolate, Graham cracker, ripe dark cherry, blackberry, dark Pakistani mulberry at the peak of their ripeness and Santa Rosa plum. The gravelly, dense, grainy and well-textured tannins parallel the fruit on the finish before finally pulling ahead, lingering with a dusty character. Their feel is not course, but rather their edges are polished and will continue to become more so as this wine ages in the bottle. This wine drinks easily and comfortably in its youth.
The 2020 Tournesol Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in color; the generous and sweetly fruited bouquet offers scents of dark raspberry, cherry, boysenberry, and blackberry preserves with layers of attractive baking spices including cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg along with a note of mocha as the wine evolves in the glass. Juicy, layered and loaded with flavor, the palate offers notes of blackberry, plum, dark cherry, milk chocolate and Graham cracker. The palate showcases both a simultaneous freshness but also ripeness. The tannins are rounded, ripe and sport a light to moderate grip, lingering with a light dusty character. Both texture and fruit parallels each other on the finish. The oak is a complementary character here; the fruit is clearly the star of the show. Easy drinking and a fine example of a much maligned vintage.
The 2014 Tournesol Napa Valley Proprietor’s Blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot. Spent 22 months in new French oak. 500 case production. Dark ruby in the glass – well-endowed aromatically with notes of warm saddle leather, plum, hints of tobacco leaf, cassis and sweet ripe blackberry. Soft on the opening, it continues to show its velvet touch across the palate. Juicy. Ripe. But not overly so. Flavors of blackberry and sweet Crème de cassis. The fruit continues to linger for some time complemented by silky smooth tannins – the same tannin framework as we remember from our first tasting of this wine many years ago.
The 2005 Tournesol Proprietor’s Blend shows elegant red and dark fruit aromas as well as black fig, a bit of smokiness and a touch of cedar. The entry is soft and somewhat misleading as to the power that follows; the palate quickly leads to complex flavors including blackberry, plum and blueberry. Vanilla bean and espresso notes show on the finish which is supported by delicate fine-grained tannins. At the time of our tasting this is their current release; the additional bottle age has treated this wine well. The Proprietor’s Blend is always unique each year as it is blended with the best combination of varieties from each particular vintage.
Their intent for future vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignon is to produce this wine so that it is blended with additional Bordeaux varieties. However, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a noticeably bigger wine than the Proprietor’s Blend. This wine evolves very well in the glass especially on the nose. The bouquet is initially all about the fruit, mostly dark in nature. Over time notes of dusty powdered brown chocolate, cocoa and a unique minerality show. The mouth feel is juicy and rounded throughout with a structure that shows broad ripe tannins on the very long finish. The mid palate shows briary blackberry and notes of black cherry. While showing good structure, the finish is not out of balance. This is an age worthy wine but is certainly approachable now.
Tastings, Vintner’s Collective
Localism is a part of a coveted collection of vintners represented at Vintner’s Collective, the city of Napa’s oldest collective tasting room. Vintner’s Collective showcases wines from a select group of mostly Napa Valley based producers most of which do not have their own tasting rooms. And it’s not easy to have one’s wines represented here. Vintner’s Collective has an in-depth vetting process to make sure the wines match what their customers are interested in, including varieties, price points and wine styles.
The tasting flights differ everyday which is certainly part of the appeal for visitors. Unless you are acutely tuned into the world of boutique Napa Valley producers, you probably will never have heard of any of the labels that are being poured, and that is not a bad thing. The wines represented are typically from producers who have a maximum annual production of 1,000 cases. A number of tasting flights are offered – geared towards all levels of wine interest and prior knowledge.
Walk-in customers are generally welcome if space allows but appointments can also be requested including for more private tastings hosted upstairs.
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Because of the low production distribution is limited – currently mostly between select locations in Napa and San Francisco. You can find the wine locally at Mustards Restaurant, Bottega Ristorante and Napa Style. Visit: www.tournesolwine.com
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