2006 Quintessa Red
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Tasting notes
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Carmenère. 35 days’ maceration. Aged for 18 months in 85% new French oak (remainder neutral) from diverse forests north of the Loire River, with an emphasis on tight-grain wood, medium-plus toast. This was the 12th release of Quintessa. From magnum. Deep garnet. Gorgeous nose – tobacco leaf, iodine, rocky, with dark dried-cherry fruit. Concentration is still intense. Ripe and supple tannin and a long, chocolatey finish. There’s a char character that points to heavier oak use than the modern Quintessa, which tends towards a lighter, brighter profile. More density than current vintages. (SCJ)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
This beautiful estate just off the Silverado Trail in Rutherford has turned out a spicy, elegant, understated 2006 that is very good, but does not ratchet up the level of performance enough to call it exciting. Dark plum and black currant fruits are intermixed with some weedy tobacco notes and subtle earthiness. The wine is well-made, restrained, and best drunk over the next decade. Tel. (707) 967-1601; Fax (707) 286-2727
A Cabernet-based proprietary wine not labelled as Cabernet Sauvignon. Very tannic and closed, yet with a bright, intense cherry/berry aroma and palate core suggest a promising future. (LM)