WINEMAKER'S NOTES:
A cold and dry start to the 1999 vintage induced the vines into deep dormancy. By late winter, after sufficient rainfall, the clouds disappeared as if by magic and the much-awaited sun broke through. Spring was here and nature caressed the vines with soft placid days, providing ideal conditions for fruit set. Summer was mild with only a few avid bouts of heat that were tempered by diligent water management. Total crop load was low but the vines were graced with small, full berries carrying ripe flavours and spicy aromas. In the 1999 vintage, the cool evenings captured the necessary acidity to keep the wine's structure in balance. Harvest occurred in early October when the fruit had reached a culmination of flavours.
Quintessa 1999 has attained deep, integrated flavours with round tannins along with very elegant fruitiness.
TASTING NOTES:
Displays distinct valley-floor qualities, with its well-ripened black-currant fruit and soft, intricately woven tannins. Feels rich and lush in the mouth, and coats the palate through the long finish. Oak provides a context, but doesn’t overwhelm.
- Wine Enthusiast, 93 pts.
Intense, vibrant and concentrated, with firm, complex currant, cedar, anise and black cherry fruit. Tightly wound, with chewy tannins, it can stand short-term cellaring.
- Wine Spectator, 91 pts.
Bright red-ruby. Highly aromatic nose combines currant, cherry, spicecake, bitter chocolate, marzipan and a floral topnote. Lively, intensely flavored and light on its feet, with perfumed flavors of red cherry and rose petal and slightly intrusive oakiness. Grew silky as it opened in the glass. Finishes with fine but firm tannins that call for at least a few years of additional bottle aging.
- Vinous, 90 pts.
