Quintessa Proprietary Red 2021
(Rutherford, Napa Valley, California) - [WE 100] [JS 99] [JD 98] [DM 98] [WA 96] [WS 94] [VM 93]

About the Winery:
Sitting on the eastern edge of Rutherford, at the foot of the Vaca Mountain range, Quintessa is a natural mosaic — an assemblage of hills and valleys with a variety of soils and microclimates that come together to reveal itself in a wine of elegance and harmony. Quintessa captures the very essence of Napa Valley from every vantage point. Here, the landscape rises and falls with undulating vineyard blocks set amidst natural vegetation and groves of ancient oaks. Dragon Lake is home to populations of water life and a wide variety of birds. We invite you to arrange a visit and experience Quintessa.

Vintage Notes:
A dry winter marked the start of 2021, informing a pruning approach that would encourage balanced ripening. Spring was refreshingly cool, and clusters developed slowly. Summer days were then moderately warm. The fruit ripened smoothly and evenly, exhibiting great color, bright acidity, and exciting flavor complexity. With a small crop―and smaller canopies and clusters―we began harvesting early to achieve 
optimum balance and vibrancy. The weather held in our favor with moderate late season temperatures, and the fruit was in beautiful condition come harvest.

Tasting Notes:
Our 2021 unfolds with Quintessa’s signature balance of complex fruit, precise structure, and vital freshness amplified by an especially beautiful growing season. Floral notes―violet and lilac―lift an intensely aromatic bouquet of cassis and black cherry accented with anise, bay laurel, and forest floor. On the palate, firm but fine-grained tannins back dark berry and savory herb flavors interwoven with graphite and iron. Generous texture carries the complex layers to a fine, chalky finish.

APPELLATION: Rutherford, Napa Valley
HARVEST: September 8 – October 18, 2021
MACERATION: 20 Days Average Skin Contact
OAK: 65% New French Oak, 32% Neutral, 3% Terracotta Amphora
BOTTLING DATE: July 2023
ALCOHOL: 14.5%
VARIETIES: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Carménère, 1% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot

Ratings & Reviews

100 Points & Cellar Selection - Wine Enthusiast:
"An exquisite wine, relying primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon from a single estate. Aromas of lavender, dried herbs and grapefruit pith combine with flavors of firm fruits and cocoa on a structure of abundant, powder-fine tannin and a mouthwatering finish. This wine is refined, detailed and delicious, with as much elegance as energy. Best 2026–2040.” - Elaine Chukan Brown (Jul 2024)

99 Points - James Suckling:
"So much graphite and volcanic character on the nose with metal shavings and gunpowder. Black ink, iron and rust, too. Blackberry and blackcurrant undertones. Full-bodied but not overpowering, with chewy and juicy tannins that are long and very subtle. Superb finish. From biodynamic grapes with Demeter certification. 91% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc, 3% carmenere, 1% merlot, and 1% petit verdot. Drinkable now, but better in 2027." (Dec 2023)

98 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Lastly, the 2021 Proprietary Red was just bottled in July of this year and checks in as 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Carmenere, and the rest Petit Verdot and Merlot, brought up in 64% new French oak. It offers pure blue fruits, spring flowers, violets, and spicy oak, with a beautiful chalky, mineral note that comes through more on the palate. It's elegant, full-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, good acidity, and terrific length. It's another gorgeous wine that will evolve for 15+ years." (Feb 2024)

98 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"A compact, coiled-up, polished red. Intensely aromatic and perfumed, it leads with a distinct burst of cast-iron minerality, dusty sage, red and blackberry fruits, and perfumed rose petals. Medium to full-bodied with a dense core of succulent boysenberry fruit, plums, and kirsch, all of which have tremendous staying power matched only by the wine's burly, robust and muscular tannins, which offer a real contrast to the supreme elegance of this wine. More time in the bottle is needed to let these tannins soften. If you open it before 2025, let it breathe several hours ahead of time, perhaps even double-decant it. 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Carmenère, 1% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot aged 22 months in 65% new French oak and 3% terracotta amphora." - Jonathan Cristaldi (Apr 2024)

96 Points - Wine Advocate:
"Marked by scents of cherries and raspberries, with just the barest hints of cedar and mocha-tinged oak, Quintessa's fruit-forward 2021 Proprietary Red Wine is wonderfully smooth and supple in the mouth. It's medium to full-bodied, suave and silky, all class and elegance, without any sense of excessive bulk or rusticity. If one were to have a complaint about it (hardly likely), it's that it comes across as almost too polished, too elegant, too easy to drink." - Joe Czerwinski (Jan 2024)

94 Points - Wine Spectator:
"This sports a fresh-edged beam of mulberry, black currant and boysenberry fruit, while flashes of hibiscus and violet fill in throughout alongside singed apple wood and iron notes. Shows the vintage's combo of dense fruit and racy-edged structure, with nice tension. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2038. 10,000 cases made." - JM (Jul 2024)

93 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2021 Red Wine is an attractive offering from Quintessa. Crushed red berry fruit, cedar, mocha, spice and tobacco open gracefully. All the elements are nicely balanced in this understated Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend." - Antonio Galloni (Dec 2023)