2010 Quintessa, Proprietary Red, Rutherford, Bottle (750ml)

DR95 "During my tasting, winemaker Rebeca Wineburg said this 2010 vintage signals a clear turning point into a ‘modern era of maturity and expression of the place.’ Estate Director Rodrigo Soto explained it as a ‘confidence of the people and the land coming into view.’ They noted that from 2007 to 2014, Charles Thomas was the winemaker, and Michel Rolland was the consultant enologist. The 2010, tasted in the spring of 2023, possesses a restrained elegance, with traces of sweet tobacco interlocked with dried violets, rose petals, high-toned mineral notes, dark chocolate, and a seamlessness to the texture and fruit balance. The tannins are imbued with the classic powdery, fine-grained Rutherford dust quality. The fruit is classic blackberry, a bit ripe and sweet, and framed by black olive, river stones, and a saline quality that beckons another sip. It was a cooler year with a good bit of acidity that made the wine austere in its youth, but this is a vintage that is showing very well today. 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Carménère." JC for DR Feb 2023

RP94 "The 2010 Proprietary Red Wine will be re-released as a library wine this year. It is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère aged for 20 months in 85% new French oak. Medium to deep garnet colored, it sings of potpourri, fallen leaves, underbrush, baking fruits and sandalwood over a core of redcurrant jelly, Black Forest cake and wild sage with wafts of beef drippings and iron ore. Medium-bodied, the elegant, spicy fruit slides seductively over the palate with a gentle grip of grainy tannins, finishing on a provocative ferrous note." LPB for TWA Dec 2018