2020 Quintessa Proprietary Red

2020 Quintessa

98 DEC

From the critics:

94 JS

Featured Review

Gorgeous aromas, fragrant and floral, sweet and heady sun-kissed currants and black cherry fruit. Full and intense but straight and linear, quite lean and not fleshy, with some cool, crystalline blue fruit aspects as well as liquorice and tobacco notes. It's compact for sure, but so well worked, tannins are fine and firm, really supportive and give both a wide and deep frame. Spiced and chalky but this is slick, stylish and sophisticated. The coiled nature of the tannins keeps it from expanding too much right now, clearly youthful with bite and a smoky tang on the finish. A delicious, biodynamic wine worth getting your hands on. Estate director Rodrigo Soto, winemaker Rebekah Wineburg. Ageing 22 months, 60% new French oak. A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Carménère and 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Decanter

Decanter | 98 DEC

Gorgeous aromas, fragrant and floral, sweet and heady sun-kissed currants and black cherry fruit. Full and intense but straight and linear, quite lean and not fleshy, with some cool, crystalline blue fruit aspects as well as liquorice and tobacco notes. It’s compact for sure, but so well worked, tannins are fine and firm, really supportive and give both a wide and deep frame. Spiced and chalky but this is slick, stylish and sophisticated. The coiled nature of the tannins keeps it from expanding too much right now, clearly youthful with bite and a smoky tang on the finish. A delicious, biodynamic wine worth getting your hands on. Estate director Rodrigo Soto, winemaker Rebekah Wineburg. Ageing 22 months, 60% new French oak. A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Carménère and 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

Decanter | 98 DEC

A lovely red with a pretty core of currants, berries, spices and mushrooms. Medium to full body, layers of polished tannins and a juicy finish. A very balanced and fine wine. A little chewy. Drink or hold.

Quintessa | 94 JS

Type of Wine	California Red : Whether it's Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Zinfandel, Californian red wine producers have a lovely habit of taking a varietal and expressing its essence in a unique, never before seen way. From Napa Valley to the regions south of Los Angeles, there's a red for everyone - and it's never too late to start exploring.
Varietal	Proprietary Red
Country	US : As one of the most prolific and innovative wine regions in the world, America is a joy to explore. Most wine connoisseurs will agree that the nation's finest and most compelling wines are being produced today, which means that we have front-row seats to one of the most inspirational stories in wine history. While other regions tend to focus on specific wine styles and have somewhat strict rules as to which varietals you could grow, areas like California have few such restrictions in place. As a result, creative visionaries behind America's most reputable estates have been able to develop compelling, unique, and innovative styles, with a level of terroir expression that rivals even France's largest giants.
Region	California : With a history of wine production that dates back to the 18th century, California currently sits as one of the world's most prolific and reputable wine regions. With an area as vast as California, you can expect a colorful collage of terroir profiles, a series of microclimates, and micro-environments that give the wine a unique, memorable appeal. The region's produce is far from homogenized in that sense, and it would take you countless hours to sample all of it. While the region boasts scars from the Prohibition era, it went through what can only be described as a viticultural Renaissance sometime after the 1960s. At that point, California went from a port-style, sweet wine region to a versatile and compelling competitor on the world market. Today, no matter which way your taste in wine leans, you can find a new favorite producer among California's most talented. Notable sub-regions include legendary names like Napa Valley and Sonoma County, places that any wine lover would die to visit. California's quintessential warm climate allows for incredibly ripe fruit expressions, a style that provides a stark contrast to Old World-inspired, earthy classics. Even where inspiration was clearly taken from staple French appellations, Californian winemakers put their own unique spin on the wine.
Subregion	Napa Valley
Appellation	Rutherford