Napa trip day 6

Tasted Friday, December 10, 2021 by galewskj with 171 views

Flight 1 - Vine Hill Ranch with Bruce Phillips (3 Notes)

  • 2016 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Champagne Premier Cru Gastronome Blanc de Blancs Brut 88 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

    Drank a good-sized glass while walking through Vine Hill Ranch vineyards with Bruce Phillips. I've always found this champagne to be light at this was no exception. Typical light weight, citrus, almost no toast, lots of slate and minerals.

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  • 2014 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Drank a good-sized glass over 45 minutes with Bruce Phillips at their tasting house in the vineyard (and he let us take home the leftover). Red to blue fruit and minerals on the nose. More red to blue fruit on the palate, plus herbs. Relatively fine tannins, mouth-watering acid. Harmonious, layers of fruit, structure, it's hard to pick out individual flavors because there are so many. Slight ripe red bell pepper.

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  • 2018 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Drank a good-sized glass over 45 minutes with Bruce Phillips at their tasting house in the vineyard (and he let us take home the leftover). Slight bell pepper, really pretty fruit, still big with tons of structure, tannins are big, super ripe, becomes more savory in the glass after 45 minutes. 94+

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Flight 2 - Quintessa with winery rep (8 Notes)

Quintessa was so generous in pouring so many of their wines.

  • 2019 Quintessa

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Barrel sample of 2019 Mount Calise. Lots of red fruit, chocolate, tannins are fine, quite accessible for a barrel tasting.

    Barrel sample of 2019 Bench. Plummy, drak fruit, hight tannins but a short finish.

    Mixing the two improved the wine overall.

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  • 2018 Quintessa 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Drank a glass over 45 minutes overlooking the vineyards with a winery rep. Vibrant fruit, pronounced red licorice, tannins are slightly clunky right now. Needs time.

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  • 2016 Quintessa 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Drank a glass over 45 minutes overlooking the vineyards with a winery rep. Roses and violets, savory fruit, tomato tartine, herbal, cherry, chocolate and a tiny bit of anise.

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  • 2015 Quintessa 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Drank a small pour at the winery's tasting facility. Ripe, savory rich blue fruit, nice earth. It could use some acid or minerality. This wasn't jammy but it comes across as heavy. The tannins are fairly present.

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  • 2014 Quintessa 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Drank a glass over 45 minutes at the winery's tasting facility. Violets and darker fruits. Again, heavy and slightly sweet although not quite jammy. Rich earth, slightly lively in glimmers but then it goes back to density.

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  • 2011 Quintessa 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Drank a glass over 45 minutes at the winery's tasting facility. Lean and savory. This had better balance than the 2014 and 2015, but still managed to be a touch cloying at times.

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  • 2019 Quintessa Sauvignon Blanc Illumination 90 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

    Drank a glass over 45 minutes at the winery's tasting facility. Softer than the 2020 but just as floral. Slight grapefruit and lychee.

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  • 2020 Quintessa Sauvignon Blanc Illumination 89 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

    Drank a glass over 45 minutes at the winery's tasting facility. Very floral, some grapefruit and grass. It is a bit sweet and could be fresher.

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