2021 Quintessa Proprietary Red Rutherford Napa Valley 750 ml

Laying eyes on the Quintessa property is to understand why their wines are so lovely: There might not be a more choice piece of land in Napa Valley. Located just north of Conn Creek Road, it’s bordered by Silverado Trail in the east and the Napa River in the west. It’s a sight to behold.

Some of what makes this property special is readily apparent—its undulating landscape of hills and valleys, oriented in all directions, provides the benefit of varied exposures—while some of the magic is beyond view. The vines dig into white volcanic ash in the eastern hills, deep gravel in the central hills, and a mix of clay, loam, sand, and gravel in the benchlands. It’s a diverse array of soils most winemakers can only dream of. 

In the age of single-vineyard wines, Quintessa follows the Bordelais blueprint, as they have from the beginning: They produce one flagship red wine from their biodynamically farmed Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Carmenère. Each of their 26 blocks is farmed, harvested, and vinified separately, then blended to capture the estate in its diverse complexity.

The 2021 vintage provided optimal conditions for Quintessa to craft an exquisite wine. Spring was refreshingly cool weather was moderate throughout, producing grape clusters with perfect ripeness and acidity. Winemaker Rebecca Wineburg and her team had the luxury of a long, leisurely, low-pressure harvest that allowed them to pick the grapes with nothing but utmost quality in mind. 

Now we have the kind of wine that made Quintessa an icon and represents Napa Valley at its most decadent and elegant. It’s a must for any California Cabernet collector and will pay dividends for decades.