Quintessa - Napa Valley 2021

Wine Enthusiast

100

par Elaine Chukan Brown le 06/12/2024

Best Red Wine Over $80

matthewjukes.com

19

par Matthew Jukes le 18/09/2024

I have followed this wine since the very first time it was shipped to the UK in the Nineties.  It is one of the most luxurious and memorable of all Napa Cabs, and this 2021 is a thriller. It is not often that one writes the word ‘refreshing’ about a rich, heady red wine, but this vintage is incredible.  As a postscript, 2023 Illumination is always an interesting creation, but in this vintage, this 58% Sauvignon Blanc, 32% Sauvignon Musqué, and 10 Semillon blend is sensational!  

The Drink Business

97

par Colin Hay le 31/08/2024

(Napa Valley; 91% Cabernet Sauvignon; 4% Cabernet Franc; 3% Carménère; 1% Merlot; 1% Petit Verdot; 14.5% alcohol). Gracious. Aromatically I find this very floral and lifted, if a little closed at first (not at all a bad thing). Peony. Lily of the valley. Wild thyme. A hint of graphite too. Black berry and stone fruit. Serious. And seriously dense and compact too. Blockier and more foursquare on the palate than one imagines from the aerial, lifted aromatics. Massively layered and dense. Needs time – and deserves it.

Vinous

93

par Antonio Galloni le 09/08/2024

The 2021 Red Wine is an attractive offering from Quintessa. Crushed red berry fruit, cedar, mocha, spice and tobacco open gracefully. All the elements are nicely balanced in this understated Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

par Jane Anson le 01/07/2024

Fabulous intensity and power without ever straying over the line, clear liquorice and cocoa bean, restrained and vivid blackberry, cassis and red cherry fruits overlaid with spiced cardamom and cumin. Grilled campfire smoke as it opens, this is a delicious vintage of Quintessa. Rebekah Wineburg winemaker.

Jancis Robinson

18,5

par Jancis Robinson le 20/05/2024

Deep ruby, nearing purple in colour. Youthful, with dense blackberry and violet aromas and a subtle orange-rind and spice character. Ripeness and viscosity to the palate, with high, sticky tannins that coat the mouth and very fresh acidity. Incredibly concentrated – this should go for ages. Lengthy finish. Absolutely one to stash for a special occasion or keep for a 2021-vintage baby.

Decanter.com

98

par Jonathan Cristaldi le 01/04/2024

Medium to full-bodied, suave and silky, all class and elegance… If one were to have a complaint about it (hardly likely), it's that it comes across as almost too polished, too elegant, too easy to drink.

Jeb DUNNUCK

98

par Jeb Dunnuck le 26/02/2024

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.

Wine Spectator

94

par James Molesworth le 26/02/2024

This well-done version sports a fresh-edged beam of mulberry, black currant and boysenberry fruit, while flashes of hibiscus and violet fill in throughout alongside singed applewood and iron notes. Shows the vintage's combo of dense fruit and racy-edged structure, with nice tension. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2038. 10,000 cases made.

Wine Advocate

96

par Joe Czerwinski le 01/02/2024

Marked by scents of cherries and raspberries, with just the barest hints of cedar and mocha-tinged oak, Quintessa's fruit-forward 2021 Proprietary Red Wine is wonderfully smooth and supple in the mouth. It's medium to full-bodied, suave and silky, all class and elegance, without any sense of excessive bulk or rusticity. If one were to have a complaint about it (hardly likely), it's that it comes across as almost too polished, too elegant, too easy to drink.

Jamessuckling.com

99

par James Suckling le 13/12/2023

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.

Vinous

93

par Antonio Galloni le 04/12/2023

The 2021 Red Wine is an attractive offering from Quintessa. Crushed red berry fruit, cedar, mocha, spice and tobacco open gracefully. All the elements are nicely balanced in this understated Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend.