Welcome To Your Quintessa Experience

In 1989, when our founders began mapping out vineyards on the ancient uplifts and swales of their distinct property, they were confident it could produce a wine of exceptional elegance and complexity. Inspired by the old world estate model, their intent was to make a single wine each year that would best express this diverse land, transforming soil, vine, climate and energy into something greater than those parts.

This diverse property in the heart of Rutherford is named Quintessa to reflect the five essential elements on our land—working as one organism to produce a single world-class wine. The vineyard, the winery, the hospitality center and the family’s home beside Dragon’s Lake comprise the four main elements.

But on the greatest properties in the Old World, a fifth element is found—a spiritual place, a place for reflection and connection. At Quintessa, this connection is embodied in a circle of interlocking stone benches under ancient blue oaks in the center of the estate. From this outlook, we are reminded to care for this property with the intent of revealing its true uniqueness, its voice. This is the inspiration behind all that we do: our spiritual place, our fifth element, our “Quinta Essentia.”

Sitting at the foot of the Vaca mountain range, Quintessa is a natural mosaic of hills and valleys with a variety of soils and microclimates. Vineyard Master Valeria Huneeus chose to plant five varieties among the natural landscape in small blocks in sync with the unique sub-terroirs of this property. Today, we view these twenty-six different vineyard blocks as a part of a greater organism, as well as individuals that are farmed uniquely throughout the growing season.

A combination of river formations along with ancient earthquakes and land movement created our hillsides and various exposures. Over time, this created vast variations in soil and rocks across the property that give us dozens of micro-terroirs. These create an incredible diversity of environments for the vines to grow, and finally, an array of different flavors in the wine.

Understanding the differences in these rocks provides a deep knowledge of the land—a literal bedrock of diversity— that gives our winemaking team the foundation to hear the voice of each vineyard block and, ultimately, the holistic voice of the estate.

As a living expression of the estate, each vintage of Quintessa is an opportunity to listen to the unique voice of this property that is shaped by the soils, vines, climate, and human element. In order to bring about the purest expression of this special place, we farm using organic and biodynamic farming techniques, and each year, we learn more about the land’s personality and how it reacts to the different conditions of each season.

In addition to the climatic variables of each vintage, Quintessa has the added uniqueness of five different varieties in the blend, with no two years ever the same. Through a yearlong blending process, our winemaking team will taste through over 150 lots multiple times to to decide how much of each will create the harmony of finesse against power, elegance, and complexity that speaks of the spirit of Quintessa in that particular vintage.

“Every year has a distinct personality, and with each vintage we are working to make a deeper connection between the soils, their terroir, and our practices so that we can interpret the property holistically,” notes General Manager Rodrigo Soto.

• 2018 Illumination Tech Sheet
• 2017 Quintessa Tech Sheet
• 2016 Quintessa Tech Sheet
• 2013 Quintessa Tech Sheet