96 Points - new                                                                            
One of Paso Roble's up-and-coming Superstars. Turtle Rock  is a new label from Don Burns, assistant winemaker at SAXUM. Limited.

95 Points Jeb Dunnuck:  "More Grenache-dominated, the 2020 Plum Orchard checks in as 75% Grenache and the rest Syrah and Mourvèdre that saw lots of stems as well as mostly used barrels. Rocking Grenache notes of ripe strawberries, framboise, spice, and flowery incense dominate the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a pure, elegant mouthfeel and a great finish. It seems to have avoided any smoke at this point and is a terrific looking wine....

...There are few estates in California today that are more exciting than Don Burns’ Turtle Rock. Pulling from some of the top vineyards on the westside of Paso Robles and making the wines as Justin Smith’s Saxum estate, Burns has consistently produced some of the wines of the vintage since his first releases in 2014. As I wrote in the past, readers interested in finding the next up and coming superstar in Paso Robles need to put Don and Claudia Burns’ Turtle Rock estate at the top of their list."

The Turtle Rock Plum Orchard is a very pleasing Grenache based blend. Both the Grenache and Mataro are grown in decomposed sandstone that gives way to elegant red fruit and spice. We fermented with 50% whole cluster then aged for 22 months in 50% new French oak. This wine is handsomely full bodied but with fine, soft tannin and a lasting finish. Cases produced 188. Enjoy now until 2029."