I was given this wine with the comment that it is a “quintissential Napa Valley cab”. I generally agree; this wine shows a lot of effort in presenting a very particular style.

Note: The bottle I had was opened 4 days earlier, so your results may vary.

This wine is thick and hearty, with small unfiltered bits floating around. The tongue shows 3-4 rings transitioning from near magenta to nearly opaque, scarlet red at the heart. Streaky legs reveal the 14.5% alcohol.

The bouquet jumps out of the glass with cocoa, sweet spices (maple?) and a hint of roasted red meat. Unfortunately, the bouquet is so strong that the aromas are all but lost. Not much fruit on the nose. What is there is dark, maybe boysenberry or blackberry?

On the palate, this wine came across to me as being dis-integrated. Maybe it was the 4 days in the open bottle? Could be, but I doubt it. What I tasted was a very complex array of flavors and mouthfeels, all very distinct, with very supple tannins. Soft to say the least, and very plush, with just the slightest sensation of residual sugar. The heavy cocoa aspect continues in the mouth, along with dark fruits and a hint of fresh herbs – mint, basil etc.

What I like about this wine is that it shows a serious effort at quality and integrity in the winemaking process. I get the sense that the fruit itself is nigh on spectacular but may have been left on the vine a week too long. What I don’t like is the heavy-handed approach to vinification, resulting in lack of structure and integration. I love complexity, but I also like to have to think about what’s going on within the body of the wine. This wine isn’t flabby, per se, but just seems so near falling apart that it doesn’t suit my palate.

Ultimately, at $125 per bottle, I’d agree this is a typical “high end” Napa cab. Very well made, and quite tasty, but not at all groundbreaking and maybe just a bit pretentious at its price point. It may be quintissential, but it ain’t no Quintessa