Quintessa 2006 opens with sweet and inviting aromas of bright black fruit with red fruitundertones. It announces itself dramatically with a full lush entry, developing into a broad,rich and enrobing wine that coats the mouth with rich black fruit laced with a touch of mocha, licorice, sandalwood and vanilla spice. With tremendous density, concentration and ample fine tannins.
Reviews:
- Wine Enthusiast: A big, powerful wine. Shows classic Quintessa ripeness and density, with focused black cherry, currant, mocha, violet and cedar flavors articulated by firm tannins. Bone dry, this wine, from the winery’s hilly estate vineyard in the northeast quadrant of Rutherford.
- Wine & Spirits: This vintage of Quintessa is savory and dark, yielding little beyond the sense of compressed black-cherry skins, a tannic character that melds with saline minerality. The edges of the structure are perceptible.
Producer Information
Quintessa Estate is a Napa Valley wine producer, located in the Rutherford AVA (American Viticultural Area). It produces just one wine from its 280 acre (113 hectare) estate, a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend that is consistently met with high acclaim. The estate’s founders, Agustin and Valeria Huneeus, have sought to produce one wine that expresses the terroir of the property each vintage. As a result, while always Cabernet Sauvignon-based, Quintessa’s final blend is never exactly the same. While Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, there are also plantings of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere on the estate property. The property’s hills, lake and river contribute different mesoclimates, and there are several different types of soil. The 26 separate vineyard blocks are all vinified separately, and then the final blend is decided before bottling each vintage.
