BigHammerWines.com

Founded in 1989, Quintessa has been on an unrelenting quest for excellence. With an emphasis on sustainability in the vineyard, the owners, Agustin and Valeria Huneeus farm this estate fully organically and biodynamically, and even maintain a 100-acre nature preserve. The wine is meant to be dynamic from vintage to vintage with an ever-changing blend of grapes that emphasizes Cabernet Sauvignon as the centerpiece. 

This wine is guaranteed to impress you today, and will only improve over the next decade or more. 

Quintessa is sandwiched between the Napa River and the Vacas Mountain range, this unique terroir gives the estate its own set of microclimates across the property. Because of this wide range of temperature differentials and an even more diverse soil array, each vineyard block is farmed individually. These small plots allow for a lot of control over the growth of the grapes and ultimately the final blend of the wine.  

Aging: 22 months in 60% French new oak barrels. 

93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% each Carmenère, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The 2021 vintage from Quintessa unfolds with the winery's signature balance of complex fruit, precise structure, and vibrant freshness, enhanced by an especially remarkable growing season. Floral notes of violet and lilac elevate an intensely aromatic bouquet of cassis and black cherry, complemented by accents of anise, bay laurel, and forest floor. On the palate, firm yet fine-grained tannins support dark berry and savory herb flavors, intricately woven with graphite and iron. A generous texture carries these complex layers to a refined, chalky finish.

What is immediately surprising is just how seamless this young barrel sample of Cabernet is, effusing a plush, soft, and silky fruit profile with layers of creamy dark berry fruits, nuanced by fragrant sagebrush and sweet toasty cedar wood. What an effort! One of the most satisfying wines from this challenging vintage. Crafted by winemaker Rebekah Wineburg with Quintessa's estate Cabernet grapes that are farmed according to biodynamic and organic standards. ~98 Decanter

So sweet and purely fruity on the nose, then layered, sophisticated, detailed and complex on the palate. Full-bodied and fully tannic, yet the fine-sand tannins are beautifully integrated, with ripe red and black cherries, raspberries, blueberries and cocoa. Elegant, intricate, charming and quite fresh. Made from 93% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc and 1% each of carmenere, petit verdot and merlot. Drinkable now, but best from 2030. ~97 James Suckling

A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% each Carmenère, Merlot and Petit Verdot, Quintessa's 2022 Red Wine initially offers up mossy, savory and earthy notes, but those are backed by layers of mixed red and black cherries, plus some plummier bass notes. Aged 22 months in 60% New French oak, there are hints of cedar and vanilla as well. In the mouth, the wine is medium- to full-bodied, fairly broad on the palate, showing some effects of the vintage's early September heat wave, stretching the wine's structural tannins into a coarser weave than typical, without upsetting the overall sense of harmony on the lingering finish. ~94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

***Free Shipping on 12 or more bottles of this wine***