Quintessa 2021 Red Blend

The 2021 Quintessa Red Blend is a wine of great concentration and finesse.  But it is just one point on an arc in more than three decades of history, reaching towards an unseen future—and we are not ones to rest on our laurels. The vintage is hard-won affirmation that meeting the opportunity of a stellar growing season with vision, experience, intuition, and science can result in great beauty and excellence.

Our founders, Agustin and Valeria Huneeus, assumed stewardship of Quintessa’s Rutherford estate in 1989, and dedicated themselves to capturing the beauty and harmony of this land in the form of a great wine. In the years since, we have earned our experience through intentional and adaptive repetition. However, experience is not just a factor of knowledge, but of interpretation—which is where intuition comes in. Thoughtful and sensitive attunement have led us to a holistic understanding of the property’s unique features and temperament.

Still, it’s humbling to discover that the more work we do, the more we realize what we don’t know; there are infinite nuances of the property to continue to observe and learn from. Seeking the precision that only science can bring, we have also conducted explorations alongside consultants in soil mapping, geology, pruning, biodynamics, biodiversity, and climate resilience, earning greater transparency into both the physical and unseen forces that define Quintessa.

Finally, each year also introduces seasonal variations. Nature is an unpredictable force, and perhaps increasingly so. If we dedicate ourselves to constantly preparing the site to meet the opportunities that the season presents—to read the signs and react quickly and confidently—we can demonstrate that we are ready to capture its essence and interpret it in a single, distinctive wine.

100 points, Wine Enthusiast 

"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."