It was a great treat to enjoy the "Night With Quintessa" event tonight. Really cool story behind the label and the efforts that go in to beautiful wines. We were treated to 3 barrel samples and the most current vintage of Quintessa. I'll leave brief notes on all 4 wines.
-2015 Mt Calisse barrel sample: This was probably my pick of the 4...the nose was filled with blueberries and the body and structure of the wine at the young age was mind blowing
-2015 Dragon's Terrace barrel sample: Very similar to the first one on the nose, but very cherry forward...massive tannins
-2015 Bench barrel sample: The most "Rutherford dust" style of all the wines. Great balance between fruit and earth
-2013 Quintessa: It had an hour decant and I think it could have benefited from another, though this wine is naturally gorgeous. Lavender on the nose, perfect tannic structure, and a taste that goes on for a good while. — 8 years ago
Tasted alongside barrel samples of the 2018 vintage. Still a baby, but such an expansive palate of cassis, sweet tobacco and violets. Pretty fascinating to explore how each individual parcel contributes to the final blend. Fruit for the ‘16 vintage is mostly from Dragon’s Terrace, Mt. Calisse and Corona vineyards. Such a great example of Rutherford terroir. — 5 years ago
Crisp, spicy and quite lovely — 7 years ago
2015 - Textbook example! I would not hesitate to lay a view bottles down for another 3-5 years. — 8 years ago
Jason Phillips
Enjoyed the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon at the Quintessa tasting room. — 2 months ago