The Omaha Wine & Food Gazette Dec 2025

The Omaha

Winery Profiles: Two Tasting Wines at the 11/15/2025 Lost Rail Stag

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Best of the Cockle Bur compiled & edited by Harry B. Otis, 3rd President 1973-1974

“Worry is the interest you pay on the troubles of tomorrow.”

Dr. Clayton

Château Mouton Rothschild

One of our three tasting wines for the Lost Rail stag was Château Mouton Rothschild 2014. In the 17th century, long before the Rothschilds, the estate played a key part in draining the Médoc marshes by hiring Dutch engineers. This exposed the gravely soil which was ideal for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1740 Mouton belonged to the Marquis de Ségur who later broke up his vineyards into manageable parcels. In 1853, Baron Nathan de Rothschild bought one of these parcels, Château Brane-Mouton, and renamed it Mouton Rothschild. In 1855 it was designated a 2nd Growth in the famous Médoc Classification. In the 1922 the 20-year-old Baron Phillipe began working at Mouton when it was in disrepair and need of attention. He was the first in the Médoc to do estate bottling to ensure quality. Before that, Négotiants were entrusted to do the bottling. He lobbied tirelessly to get Mouton raised to a First Growth. His efforts paid off when, in 1973, Mouton was elevated to First Growth status. The name Mouton is derived from the word motte, which means mound or hillock. Called the Grand Plateau de Mouton, it contains an incredible 98% gravel and 2 % clay. The pebbles hold the heat of the sun, and an adjacent river waters the soil far beneath the surface to form a unique microclimate. In 1924, the Cubist artist Carlu, created the first designer label, but the idea of an artist inspired label died until 1945, when Philippe commissioned a different artist for every year’s label. The 2014 label was designed by David Hackney, a friend of Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. His design features two wine glasses, one full, to symbolize the anticipation and miracle of wine production, and serves as a tribute to the Baroness, who died in 2014.

Turnbull Wine Cellars

Written

Turnbull Wine Cellars (TWC) was founded in 1979 in Oakville, CA by William Turnbull, an architect and Reverdy Johnson, a lawyer. It is currently owned by Patrick O’Dell. The 155 acres of vines spreads across four estates in Oakville and Calistoga. In the Oakville AVA are found the Leopoldina, Fortuna, and Turnbull Home Ranch vineyards. The fourth property is located in Calistoga, the Amoenus Vineyard with an elevation between 460 and 860 feet. Our tasting wine was of the year 2010, from the Fortuna Vineyard, elevation 165 to 180 feet. A historic vineyard planted in the 1890s by the Christian Brothers, it is located at the base of the gently sloping Oakville Bench on the eastern side of the AVA. It is TWC’s warmest vineyard that contains red volcanic cobblestone and clay soils. There are nine clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, but also the Bordeaux Blend red grapes of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot. Due to the combination of great soil and slightly higher temperatures, Fortuna gives concentrated, exceptional grapes that are elegant and energetic, with great structure and depth of flavor. Robert Parker anointed the 2010 TWC Fortuna a perfect 100-point score in 2013.

Tom