Quintessa 2016

Ever since the winery’s start in 1990, the goal at Quintessa was always to have the most beautiful wine estate in the world, with the best winemaking team making the best wines. That much is clear. The winery is always at the top of the Napa Visit list– a picturesque 270-acre plot in Rutherford right in the heart of Napa Valley with a massive, state of the art tasting room and 17,000 square foot wine caves on the premises.

On the winemaking side, the team includes superstar consultant Michel Rolland, joining Andy Erickson (Screaming Eagle/Leviathan) and superstar young winemaker, Rebekah Wineburg who joined the team in 2015 after stints at Staglin and Rudd. Ever since Rebekah joined the team in 2015, the winery has reached an even greater level of craftsmanship, and her first vintage, the 2016 speaks volumes into the new direction of the famous winery.

Showered with high scores from both James Suckling and Parker’s Wine Advocate, this one is more than deserving of the lavish praise. It’s a delicate, intricately woven blend with incredible precision. Parker’s Advocate called it, “Full, rich and beautifully laced with layers of floral notes and fragrant earth”. With so much to offer on the attack with aromas of blackberry, cocoa, cassis and red currant with hints of sage and earth. It’s the type of excellence that you’ve come to expect from one of America’s top wineries, but this kicks it up even another notch above that this year.