Quintessa’s 2021 Red Earns 100 Points
Long before she tasted it, winemaker Rebekah Wineburg knew that the Quintessa 2021 Red would be different. The wine had been the culmination of extensive “terroir studies” that revealed insights into the geology and microclimates of the sprawling Napa estate, which runs from the Vaca Mountains to the Napa River on the hilly eastern edge of Rutherford.
But she couldn’t have predicted the transcendent experience of first tasting the Bordeaux-style red blend, which relies primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon. Or the shock she felt upon learning that Wine Enthusiast’s Napa critic Elaine Chukan Brown had given it 100 points in a blind tasting: a rare perfect rating.
“This wine is the purest and most transparent expression of the estate we’ve ever made,” says Wineburg, who likens the feeling of tasting the wine to strolling through Quintessa’s picturesque landscape. “It is really gratifying to see that somebody you respect so much—to see that the critic—saw the same thing.”
In fact, the Quintessa 2021 Red is the first wine Brown has ever awarded 100 points for Wine Enthusiast. During the wine-scoring process, critics taste wines in a cohort of a similar type. “In this case, other Cabernet blends of the same vintage from Napa Valley were tasted together without revealing the producers until after the tasting,” says Brown. “Taking this approach helps to beautifully reveal stand-out wines.”
And this wine stood out. Brown, who deems it “exquisite” in their review, was struck by aromas of lavender, dried herbs and grapefruit pith, complemented by flavors of firm fruit and cocoa. “The balance of pleasure with integrity and refinement was impressive,” they recall.
The Backstory
To make such a spectacular wine, the Quintessa team had to get their hands dirty–namely, by getting in the dirt.
With the help of terroir consultants Pedro Parra and Brenna Quigley, they conducted an investigation of the underground running beneath Quintessa’s 280 acres starting in 2019 to understand how different blocks have produced, beyond just noting their soil and elevation.
“Each of our five terroir units have different bedrock geology, different chemistry and different reactions to drought and soil temperatures—all of this is the character of the wine as it’s expressed,” says Wineburg. “With the ’21, you can see the work that we’ve done to learn how we can better steward and inform the vines.”
A big part of this stewardship is the unglamorous work of pruning. The architecture and size of the vine needs to “match the capacity of the underground,” like the soil’s ability to hold and give water. 2021 was the second year of significant drought, so the approach at Quintessa, which has practiced biodynamic farming since 1996, adapted accordingly.
“We could tell we were going to be starting the season with less gas in the tank, so we pruned according to the conditions of the year, but also the conditions of the underground,” she says. “And we were rewarded with wines that were beautifully balanced.”
The crop, while smaller, was able “to ripen but not overripen, to have concentration and density but also elegance and lightness.” It wasn’t just about having a great site, but anticipating the needs of the vines. In fact, those vines had been there for 30 years, but never before had the team worked so successfully with the geology’s particularities, not against it or in spite of it.
Some vintages surprise you, and develop as they age. But the 2021 offered immediate payoff. “From the moment of harvest, you knew it was something special,” says Wineburg. “There was depth of fruit flavor and acidity and minerality, and firm yet supple tannin.”
Why It’s Great
On the east side of the estate, the land is made of white volcanic ash with very low clay. This lends itself to wines that are ethereal with a floral character, that are “long and linear with a fine chalky texture,” notes Wineburg—qualities that come through in the 2021 Red.
In their 100-point rating, Brown praises “the structure of abundant, powder-fine tannin and a mouthwatering finish.” They conclude, “This wine is refined, detailed and delicious, with as much elegance as energy.”
“The integration of detail and complexity in the Quintessa with structure to age, sumptuous aroma and flavor, and pleasing texture exceeded what is often found in Cabernet and Cabernet blends,” Brown recalls of the tasting.
Wineburg is eager to continue the work of isolating geologic differences at Quintessa to produce more wines that have such a focused and precise expression. “If you know that there’s this difference underground, let’s treat that separately in the winery,” she says. “Let’s not put everything together in the tank because I have a tank that fits it.”
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Published: August 30, 2024
