Turiya Wines is a small producer of boutique wines from the Central Coast of California. With unique, fine wines (and one of the coolest winemakers I have ever met), I quickly fell in love with these wines. I was first introduced to Turiya Wines and winemaker, Angela Soleno at the Beverly Hills Bar Association Barristers Vintage Bouquet (which is coming up on April 17th), and since have been able to taste some of my most favorite wines from her. Turiya Wines has a strong femininity from the wines themselves to the design of the bottles. It’s empowering, mysterious, and sexy, but guys, don’t be fooled, this isn’t girly wine. You’ll grab a glass too.
Angela recently sent me her last release which included blends of 2011 Petit Verdot and Sangiovese called Shapeshifter and Golden God, along with a bottle of 2011 Petit Verdot and 2011 Sangiovese. The blends are big in flavor (my favorite) and she extended their barrel aging to 44 months. These two blends are truly works of art and they prove that from something negative, something positive can happen. In 2011, all of California had frost damage in the beginning of the growing season which made the berries very small and many clusters shatter. With 70% of California’s crop lost, Angela was able to produce big flavored wines with a lot of personality. No manipulation required!
2011 Shapeshifter (65% Petit Verdot, 35% Sangiovese) is a mysterious wine with a super dark color and hints of caramel, coffee, cocoa, and cranberry. Shapeshifter has a little of it all, hence it’s name. It’s a great wine for red wine lovers overall. Everyone will find a different aspect of it, and find something to love. Shapeshifter brings back the fact that wine is a living thing. Wine, like humans is constantly going through the similar biological and physiological changes.
2011 Golden God (50% Petit Verdot, 50% Sangiovese) is a dark, earthy wine that really displays the female behind the wine. With a bold, powerful flavor, you will want to slowly drink this wine and enjoy all the aspects of it.
As a wine lover, I enjoyed having the 2011 Sangiovese and the 2011 Petit Verdot along with the blends, so you could taste each grape separately in addition to the blends. The look on my mom’s face when she tasted the Petit Verdot was priceless. A woman, who normally drinks cheap Chardonnay (we all do here and there), she simply goes, “Wow, that’s good wine.” Boy, is she right. It was a straight up 100% Petit Verdot that was dark and delicious. The Sangiovese is oaky with hints of caramel, rhubarb, candy-corn, sage, and mint (we all picked up on different notes). This wine is perfect to celebrate a special occasion whether with a significant other, a best friend, or maybe a quiet night by yourself.
Overall, you can’t choose a wrong wine when it comes to Turiya Wines. They are full of life, full of flavor, and full of stories. Angels puts herself into every bottle and you will experience the love in each bottle.
