Turtle Rock Vineyards is a family-owned boutique winery in Paso Robles, California. Husband and wife team, Don and Claudia Burns. The winery specializes in Rhone varietals, such as Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre (Mataró). They source their grapes from some of the finest vineyards in the Willow Creek and Temple Gap Districts, including James Berry and G2 Vineyards. Photo Gallery
Turtle Rock is committed to sustainable farming practices and low yields. They harvest their grapes at optimal ripeness, allowing them to make wines with intensity and balance. Their tasting room is located in Tin City, a very cool wine district in Paso Robles. If you haven’t been there while visiting Paso Robles, I recommend a stop to check out Turtle Rock and the other wineries in Tin City, along with shops and restaurants. The tasting room is open Wed-Sun, and you can enjoy tastings of their current releases.
A friend, Michael Smith @miichaelsmith, recommended Turtle Rock to visit, but they’re normally closed on Monday’s, the only day we would have time to stop in, but Claudia graciously accommodated us, opened the tasting room, and gave us a private tasting. She said it had been a while since she hosted a tasting, but she was amazing! We had a fun time!
Don and Claudia are passionate about wine and are grateful to be part of the Paso Robles wine community. They are proud to share their passion with the world through their wines. The wines we tasted that day were:
2020 Willow White 48% Grenache Blanc, 17% Viognier, 25% Roussanne, 10% Picpole.
2021 Plum Orchard 74% Grenache, 26% Mataró (Mourvèdre).
2021 Willow’s Cuvée 43% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 18% Mataró (Mourvèdre), 14% Graciano.
2021 Westberg Red 40% Zinfandel, 36% Tempranillo, 24% Petite Sirah, 4 Hearts Vineyard.
2021 Claude’s Cuvée 52% Syrah, 31% Graciano, 10% Mataró (Mourvèdre), 7% Grenache.
The name Turtle Rock, named by Claudia, comes from the local limestone that over time wears down and resembles a turtle shell.