Ratings & Tasting Notes:
91 points Wine Spectator, April 2000
This review describes a tight, complex wine with layers of spicy currant, earth, cedar, and toast, noting it “firms up on the finish, with crisp acidity and mineral notes.”
90 points Wine Enthusiast, September 2000
This review describes a strong briar-patch nose accented by cola and toasted oak, calling it “much the classic Rutherford big boy” with black currant, licorice, and tobacco, yet remaining “cool and light, not heavy or corpulent.”
Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar), November 1999
This review describes dusty, cedary aromas of currant, roasted plum, and tobacco, noting a “pliant and juicy” palate with firm, even tannins and “very good length,” calling it a drier-styled but sophisticated wine.
Cult Wines International Notes:
Quintessa was founded in 1990 by Agustin Huneeus Sr. and his wife Valeria, envisioned as a single, unified Napa Valley estate rather than a traditional winery, built entirely around one wine. The 280-acre Rutherford property traces its roots to the original Caymus land grant, historic ground that also drew the interest of Heitz, Robert Mondavi, Joseph Phelps, and Beringer. This 1996 release — a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc — was crafted with guidance from consulting enologist Jacques Boissenot, whose résumé includes work at Château Margaux, Lafite, Pichon Lalande, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville Las Cases, and Palmer.
1996 is remembered as an unusually intense and dense vintage in Napa Valley, a notable departure from Quintessa’s typically more elegant house style. The resulting wine impressed critics precisely because it retained the estate’s characteristic sophistication and balance even while showing greater power and structure than usual — a rare combination that speaks to both the strength of the vintage and the quality of the winemaking team behind it.
Bottle Size:
750 mL
Storage History:
Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.
Condition:
Please note: The bottle shown is the exact bottle being sold.
Outstanding condition.
