Quintessence

Our Quintessence wines offer a classic Bourgogne-style blend of our Dijon clones, but with more oak influence than our Tryptique wines. Our Quintessence wines are aged for up to 18 months in new and second-use French oak barrels that have been specially toasted to develop an extended tannin structure and to add an underlayer of leather and cigar to the wine’s natural fruit flavors. Like all our wines, Quintessence wines are released only after achieving maturity in the bottle, with their tannin structure enabling extended cellaring for a decade or more. Vintage notes: 2011—The 2011 Quintessence's cool-season pinot structure has integrated beautifully in the bottle with the toasty overtones and tannin structure provided by the 15 months spent in new French oak barrels. A confident wine with a deep, complex structure and extended spectrum of flavors that readily engage the senses. 2012—The 2012 Quintessence offers a breath of nuanced pinot flavors developed during the relatively mild 2012 growing season. The pinot flavors have gracefully integrated with the tannin structure and spices derived from 15 months spent in second-use French oak barrels. 2013—The 2013 Quintessence’s warmer-season berry flavors have melded beautifully in the bottle with the toasty overtones and tannin structure provided by the 15 months spent in new French oak barrels. A confident, engaging wine with a complex structure and extended offering of flavors that delightfully engage the senses. 2014—The 2014 Quintessence exhibits deep fruit flavors that were conferred by the relatively warm 2014 growing season and that have beautifully integrated with the tannin structure and spices conferred by 10 months in new and second-use French oak barrels. 2015—The 2015 Quintessence is exhibiting deeply fruitful flavors conferred by periods of warm summer weather during the 2015 growing season. The wine was aged in select, specially toasted new and second-use French oak barrels. A truly sumptuous, lush, deeply satisfying pinot noir wine.