What happens when you combine one of Napa's great modern vintages and one of its most beloved cult collectible icons? Pure perfection, also known as the 2021 Quintessa Proprietary Red. This towering expression of a Napa standard bearer has racked up one superlative after another in the critical sphere, led by a 100-point mark from Wine Enthusiast.
"An exquisite wine ... refined, detailed and delicious, with as much elegance as energy." - Wine Enthusiast
Augustin Huneeus' superb estate just off the Silverado Trail in Rutherford is perfectly suited to spectacular Cabernet Sauvignon wines, and the Proprietary Red blend is always a ringing testament to the Rutherford AVA's singular style. Adding icing to the cake, the now benchmark 2021 vintage gave the winemaking team virtually perfect raw materials from which to craft this legend in the making. Backing up that triple-digit score, the 2021 also boasts near-perfect praise from James Suckling, Jeb Dunnuck, and Decanter, further affirming it as "another gorgeous wine" and one of the top cellar-worthy buys of the 2021 Napa campaign. As if you needed any more convincing, we've also sourced this parcel at an unheard-of price that you won't find anywhere else in the country, so best make room for a new centerpiece in the California section of your cellar, as you're going to want to stack this one in multiples.
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.
100 points, Elaine Chukan Brown, Wine Enthusiast (Jul 2024)
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.
99 points, James Suckling (Dec 2023)
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.
98 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Feb 2024)
The 2021 Quintessa Red Wine is 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% Carmenere, 1% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot aged 22 months in 65% new French oak and 3% terracotta amphora.
98 points, Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter (Apr 2024)
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