Nose
A fresh floral, violet aroma mingles with plum and currant in the nose.
Palate
On entry, the wine
is supple with pleasing richness and density that leads through the midpalate. Warm clove
spice, sassafras and a touch of vanilla complement nuances of toast to deliver a complex mix
of flavors and texture in the mouth. The wine finishes long and satisfying with dark berry
fruits, cassis and chocolate. —Winemaker Charles Thomas
Growing Conditions
A relatively dry winter kicked off the 2009 growing season. Moderate weather prevailed
through spring and early summer. As the grapes moved towards veraison, a few heat spells
pushed color and the early stages of sugar development. The moderate season brought harvest
a few weeks later than usual and then picking moved swiftly through the end of September.
A short spell of unusual early October rains had little effect on the vintage quality as most of
the Quintessa vineyards had been picked. The remaining hearty Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
picked post rain came to the winery in optimal condition due to careful attention in the
vineyard and extra attention during sorting. Rigorous lot selection and overall lower than
average yields for the second year in a row resulted in a small vintage of very high quality.
Vineyard blocks
(in descending order
of quantity)
Dragon’s Terraces , Cruz del
Sur, Corona Norte, Corona
Sur, Bench, Riviera Sur,
Howard’s Million, Canyon,
Monte Cruz, Alcantara,
Corral, Silverdale South,
Tesoro
Bottling
Bottling Date
August 2011
Winemaking
Maceration
30 days average
Aging
20 months in
100% French oak, 85% new from
diverse forests north of the
Loire River, very fine grained,
chatea
Coopers
Taransaud, Demptos, Sylvain,
Saury, Seguin-Moreau
