Quintessa 2019

Robert Parker (reviewed by Joe Czerwinski): "I visited on a weekend morning, greeted by Estate Director Rodrigo Soto and Winemaker Rebekah Wineburg (for those who don't know, Quintessa is owned by the Huneeus family, who also own such California brands as Flowers, Faust and Leviathan). The property is planted in 26 blocks, defined by topography and soil types. According to Wineburg, the two main soil types bring different characters to the wines, with the white soils contributing linearity and length, while the red soils deliver minerality and structural tannins. After a quick tour of the vineyards, we settled in for a brief vertical of the estate red wine, covering seven vintages. Most impressive were the 2013, a year described by Wineburg as "brawny," and the upcoming release, the 2019. The 26 vineyard blocks have been further refined into 85 "picking sections," said Wineburg, allowing the team to more precisely zero in on the desired ripeness for each one. Like many quality-focused producers in Napa, the grapes are hand-picked, destemmed and optically sorted prior to delivery to the fermenters. Following fermentation, the wine spends approximately 22 months in French oak barrels. The proportion of new oak has gradually dropped from 80% in the early days to 60% for current vintages. While the estate wine is understandably Cabernet Sauvignon-based, the winery produces a small amount of a very fine white blend called Illumination. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon sourced from both Napa and Sonoma, it's available only through the winery but shouldn't be overlooked."