Benchmark Wine Cellar
Quintessa Red Napa Valley 2010
The Winery
Quintessa
"Everything that we do is based on our beliefs that wine should be -- and our wine will be -- known for the property from which it originates, rather than its varietal composition."
- Agustin Huneeus, Proprietor
In 1989, Agustin and Valeria Huneeus found the property that would be Quintessa, a remarkable estate in the heart of the renowned Rutherford appellation of the Napa Valley. With 280 acres, it was the last great undeveloped property in the Napa Valley and it had all the characteristics of a great wine estate: rolling hills, diverse microclimates and many complex soil types. Agustin and Valeria had the vision to develop an estate perfectly suited for the creation of a singular wine that reflects this unique place. Quintessa expresses harmony and balance through the property, the vineyard and the wine.
Summary
The Quintessa Red 2010 is a distinguished Bordeaux-style blend from Napa Valley's Rutherford region, crafted predominantly from Cabernet Sauvignon (92%). This estate wine, known for its meticulous organic and biodynamic farming practices, showcases a complex interplay of flavors. Notes of plush plum, blackberry, and dark chocolate are complemented by hints of tobacco, graphite, and spices, creating a rich and layered experience. The wine's texture is smooth with fine-grained tannins that exhibit a classic Rutherford elegance. With a balanced acidity and a subtle earthiness, it offers a long, savory finish that invites further tasting. The blend also includes Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Carmenere, aged for 20 months in French oak.
Tasting Notes
- WA93
- The 2010 Quintessa, a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (don’t forget, the proprietor Agustin Huneeus has a background in Chile), is an elegant, finesse-styled red offering deep, rich, cassis fruit, dusty, loamy soil notes, medium to full body and ripe tannins. This evolved, seductive, round, generous 2010 offers up attractive notes of white chocolate and flowers as it sits in the glass. This is one of the first vintages made by Charles Thomas who has an impressive resume having worked previously at Robert Mondavi Winery and Rudd Estate. This 2010 should be drunk over the next decade or more.
- WSM93
- As luscious and luxurious as this wine may be, it has transparency to its flavors and a cool feel that keeps the fruit feeling fresh rather than superripe. The core of the blend comes from the center of this 280-acre estate, where the soils are gravel over rhyolite. The vineyards are planted on a series of hills between the Silverado Trail and the Napa River; the eastern hills of the property are white volcanic ash over rhyolite and the western side of the property is the kind of alluvial soil that's more typical of Rutherford. Charles Thomas culled more than 10 percent of the fruit to diminish the impact of the heat wave in 2010 and ended with a finely ripened wine with the flavor of fat black cherries. the fruit meets firm, precise tannins in a dark and spicy cabernet with drive. For roast duck.
Other wines you may like
Rare Wines, Serious Collectors
As the #1 back-vintage retailer in the US, Benchmark Wine Group prides itself on being a trusted source for the greatest wines in the world. Their unparalleled market knowledge and exceptional service have come together to provide the most accessible cellar of rare and sought-after wines with a guarantee.
Provenance Guarantee
Benchmark Wine Group
445 Devlin RoadNapa, CA 94558
Phone: 707.255.3500
Fax: 707.255.3503
SMS: 707.200.4049
Questions?
Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm
Shipping Questions?
[email protected]
Terms & Conditions
Your Privacy Rights
Accessibility
Copyright © 2025 Benchmark Wine Group