Quintessa 2021

Quintessa is a Rutherford estate in Napa Valley, founded in 1990 by Agustin and Valeria Huneeus, and makes only this one wine. It is a Bordeaux blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The estate spans a range of soils and microclimates across its hills and valleys, and the fruit is farmed biodynamically and organically. Warm Napa days ripen the Cabernet fully, while cooler air off the valley preserves acidity and keeps the wine balanced. The blend is aged 20 months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange rounds the firm Cabernet tannins and adds vanilla, cocoa and a savoury spice that frames the fruit. The colour is deep, near opaque ruby. The nose is dark cherry and plum over cocoa, tobacco and black pepper, with a scent of oak. The palate is full and structured, with ripe, fine tannin and enough acidity to keep it fresh through a long finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant an hour or two ahead, or cellar further. It is built for red meat.