Important Update From the Founder

Epic Napa Trip - Day 6

Tasted December 10, 2021 by I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine with 204 views

Introduction

Trip is winding down. We had a winery cancel before we arrived to Napa and never filled the vacancy (my liver is thankful for the slight reprieve!) Actually, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we really had a chance to spend quality time at VHR, with Bruce, and learned quite a bit about the art of viticulture, including grafting rootstock and clones, as well as the history of grape growing in Napa. Bruce was a wealth of knowledge and the information was beyond fascinating! Definitely a quality day!

Flight 1 - VHR with Bruce (3 notes)

After an educational stroll through the vineyard which was filled with a plethora of interesting facts about viticulture, including grape growing, grafting and drainage, we sat down and tasted the 2014 and 2018 vintages.

I was looking forward to this tasting after listening to Michael carry on about the virtues of VHR, even though I had never tried one, I was anxious to see what all the accolades were all about! This was an awesome tasting, and one that exceeded my expectations!

Afterward, Bruce let us take home the leftover wine, which we served with dinner...this provided an opportunity to see the wine with lots of air! How awesome was that!

White - Sparkling

2016 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Champagne Premier Cru Gastronome Blanc de Blancs Brut France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

88 points

Tasted at VHR with Bruce - A nice enough Champagne with lots of minerality and saline...will appeal to some, but I prefer more fruit and a creamier mouthfeel. 88 for my palate, but many will think this score low.

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2014 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

95 points

Tasted at the winery, and again at dinner. It definitely opened up more by dinner time, although very approachable at the winery with a decant. The wine initially showed lots of berries on the nose, with purple flowers and hints of herbs, leather and baking spice. Later (dinner), the nose showed some additional cherry and cocoa notes with some slight cigar box notes.

Palate was very plush with lots of red and black fruit, some wet stone, herbs, sweet toasted oak and hints of spice. Later (dinner), the flavors were more integrated and the emergence of baked dark cherry pie, hints of bramble and slight notes of graphite were discernible.

A pleasure to drink now, but should improve with some addition age. Bought 3 bottles and will open one every 3 years (at least that is the plan!) 95 initially and 95+ at dinner, with a good chance of raising that score with a little more time. Also, my score could be slightly jaded because it was drank side by side with an outstanding 2018 (which was more in my wheelhouse)

8 people found this helpful Comments (9)

Red

2018 VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

97 points

Tasted at the winery and again with dinner (7 hours later). Nose didn't change much, and showed plenty purple fruit, lavender, sage and anise, with hints of tar and wood. Later, there were also hints of pine and lead.

Palate was super structured with plenty of red and black fruit, notes of earth, bramble, leather and hints of oak and spice. The wine showed plenty of acidity and tannins to say this wine is a marathon runner and will be drinking quite well in 25-30 years. One cannot help enjoying this fruit-forward wine now, but for me, you can already taste the potential A truly exciting wine that I look forward to drinking throughout the years....I agree with others who think this wine will eventually flirt with perfection! 96-97

Purchased 6 bottles, and will try to drink every three years or so...I have a feeling I will be saying better, but can still improve every time I open a bottle!

9 people found this helpful Comments (14)

Flight 2 - Quintessa (7 notes)

Another winery I was looking forward to visiting! I loved their wines the first time I had one, which was at a James Suckling tasting event in Miami....this was one of my favorite wines, and tied with Paul Hobbs Cobos (Malbec) for first place with my niece! My recollection is that I only had the 2016 prior to the tasting, so I was looking forward to trying some other vintages....the winery came through and let us taste multiple vintages!

Red

2019 Quintessa USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

Tasted at Quintessa - This was interesting.....we were given barrel samples from two different vineyards (Mount Calise and Bench) and tasted each, then we could combine them to make our own blend....was a fun experiment! It did make me wonder though if I took a VHR, a MacDonald and a Harlan, and blended them together, would I come up with the most stupendous wine in the world, or just end up wasting three awesome wines? I think I will let someone else experiment! Was still a fun experiment!

Also, it does reinforce my initial feelings that 2019 will be a great vintage too!

Comment

Red

2018 Quintessa USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

95 points

Tasted at Quintessa - We are sitting outside on gorgeous afternoon at Quintessa, in a open glass structure on top of a hill that overlooks the lake and the vineyard...a perfect setting to taste Quintessa!

As a back note, this wine is one of my niece's favorite wines, so I buy it for her (plus I drink it with her, so it is win-win!). I had purchased a case of the 2018, so I was anxious to taste it, especially because I have loved all the 18s I tasted so far! Well, this wine did not disappoint!

Nose was fragrant and showed plenty of red fruit, bramble, slate and spice. Palate showed layers of red and blue fruit, gravel, iron and some violets and hints of anise, vanilla and sweet tobacco. This wine is super structured (like many 18s I have tasted) and, while delicious now, will definitely get better as everything integrates and some secondary flavors start sharing the spotlight.

Tasting this makes me glad I bought some! 95 today and should improve!

3 people found this helpful Comment

Red

2016 Quintessa USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

95 points

Tasted at Quintessa - I always enjoy this wine! Tastes great now (better with a decant). Nose shows purple flowers, black and red fruit, cedar, cigar and spice.Palate also shows plenty of red and black fruit, some baked blackberry pie, some tobacco, bramble and earth, with chocolate and toasted oak also present. Delicious now, but improves with time, and kept getting better throughout the time there. 95 to 95+ and should improve further.

Note to self - I think the 2018 may eventually surpass this wine, but not today!

2 people found this helpful Comment

Red

2015 Quintessa USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

93 points

Tasted at Quintessa - This wine was similar to the 2016. Nose and flavors mirrored the 2016, but just not to the same extent, i.e., more muted and a little more disjointed. I think this wine, even though older than the 16 and 18, acts the youngest, and will need the most time to come together and reach its potential. Definitely nice now, but plenty of room to improve! 93+ today....should pick up a couple points as it matures.

2 people found this helpful Comment

Red

2014 Quintessa USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

94 points

Tasted at Quintessa - This wine is drinking quite well now! Like many 2014 California Cabernets, this wine is definitely strutting its hedonistic fruit, but still has it wrapped in some secondary flavors that make it a pleasure to drink now! Not quite to level of the 16 or the 18, but probably a huge crowd pleaser at this stage! Lots of red and purple fruit (plums, red currant and dark and tart cherries), violets, tobacco and hints of anise, chocolate and vanilla with some sweet toasted oak. 94+ and clearly in my wheelhouse!

2 people found this helpful Comment

Red

2011 Quintessa USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

93 points

Tasted at Quintessa - I was surprised by this one! Tasted pretty darn good for a 2011! Similar profile to other Quintessa wines (red and dark fruit, tobacco, some anise, chocolate, bramble and oak), but slightly thinner. Still a very good wine I would happily drink! A solid 93 for my palate, and certainly drinking quite well now.

1 person found this helpful Comment

White

2019 Quintessa Sauvignon Blanc Illumination USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

Tasted at Quintessa - Tasted this along with the 2020.....both tasted similar with plenty of citrus and tropical flavors, as well as a tropical and floral nose. I am not a Sauvignon Blanc fan, and this wine did not make me one either. Plenty of people will love this, just not me. :) Unrated because Sauv Blanc is not in my wheelhouse.

1 person found this helpful Comments (1)

Closing

Tasting at VHR was fantastic....they make quality wines, and they are a great value and taste great too! Quintessa was extremely friendly and oh so generous! I am already feeling a sense of sadness at. the prospect of leaving! Still have one more glorious day left though! Hope it is as good as today!

Epic Napa Trip - Day 6

Introduction

Flight 1 - VHR with Bruce (3 notes)

Flight 2 - Quintessa (7 notes)

Closing

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