2019 Quintessa, Proprietary Red, Rutherford, Bottle (750ml)

JS99 So much earth and spice with walnut and wet earth. Like fog laying over the valley in the morning. Black fruit. Medium-to full-bodied with super-fine tannins that are long and persistent, with graceful progression and length on the palate. So long, with real definition. September 2022 release. From biodynamically grown grapes. Hard not to drink now, but will age wonderfully.

JD97 Still gorgeous, the 2019 Proprietary Red has a more layered, rounded, opulent style while still being pure, balanced, and elegant. Full-bodied, round, and lush, with currants, tobacco, chalky mineral and some graphite notes, it has velvety tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. The blend is 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 2% Carmenere, and the rest Petit Verdot, with the élevage spanning 22 months in 60% new French oak.

JA97 Concentrated, powerful and creamy damson and blackberry fruit, rippled through with sage, fennel and warm earth. Hard not to be seduced by the precision and chiselled freshness that plays with a more gourmet brioche and chocolate finish. You'll find the same energy and vitality as in the 2018 vintage, and the same graphite and slate texture to the tannins. A year without too many extremes of temperature, and by this point the vineyard work was extremely precise - 26 different blocks, 86 separate picking sections, far greater accounting for the impact of terroir in the vineyard practices. Winemaker Rebekah Wineberg, consultant Michel Rolland, 60% new oak for ageing.