Quintessa estate spotlight
Official Quintessa film on the Rutherford estate, biodynamic farming, and the blend Rebekah Wineburg builds from this property.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2023 Quintessa Red Rutherford across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $259.52 and the average is $263.49. Our slash is $229.00.
2023 Quintessa Red Rutherford, USA
Rebekah Wineburg's biodynamic Rutherford estate red, cassis and graphite from a long cool 2023, a 99-point Quintessa you can actually open at two hundred forty-nine dollars.
The 2023 Quintessa is 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon from one biodynamic Rutherford estate: fresh cassis, violet, tobacco leaf, and powder-fine tannin, now $249.
A long 2023, one estate, harmony as the brief
After three drought years, rain filled Dragon's Lake and the deep Rutherford soils. Rebekah Wineburg built the 2023 from this one property: hillsides, benchland, woodland, a river corridor, and the lake. Riviera Block Cabernet and Cabernet Franc, replanted five to six years earlier, debut in the blend. The glass is cassis and violet, then tobacco and graphite, then tannin that stays powder-fine. Decanter 99. This is the current Quintessa flagship, not a second wine.
The house
Agustin and Valeria Huneeus found the last great undeveloped Rutherford property in 1989. One estate, one wine, biodynamic. In 2023 their granddaughter Antonia joined as estate manager.
The wine
90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Carmenere, 2% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. 22 months in 60% new French oak with a larger terracotta amphora share.
The scores
Decanter 99, Jonathan Cristaldi, June 2026. Harvest September 22 to October 30. Bottled July 2025.
The drinker
Cassis and graphite. Decant 60 minutes. Serve near 64 F. Short ribs or chimichurri steak.
Cassis, graphite, then the estate line
Quintessa's own note opens on fresh cassis and violets, then tobacco leaf and herbs. James Suckling found blackberries, currants, violets, graphite, licorice, dried flowers, and chalk, densely packed with fine minerally tannin. Elaine Chukan Brown at Wine Enthusiast called it clarity, poise, and cashmere tannin, with lavender, cedar, and a long age window.
Copious winter rain replenished the lake and soils. Cool, wet spring delayed bud break two to three weeks. A summer without heat spikes let fruit hang. Harvest ran September 22 through October 30. Bottled July 2025.
Fresh cassis, violet, tobacco leaf, blackcurrant, blackberry, dried herbs, graphite.
Dense yet lithe. Powder-fine tannin. 22 months French oak, 60% new, plus terracotta amphora.
Long, mineral, graceful. Decant 60 minutes. Serve near 64 F.
Parcel by parcel, then a little more amphora
Quintessa is built from 26 estate blocks across hillsides, benchland, woodland, a river corridor, and Dragon's Lake. Each block is harvested and vinified separately so the blend is the property. In 2023 Wineburg slightly increased terracotta amphora during elevage. The shape and material keep freshness and the singular fruit of each variety.
The 2023 blend is 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Twenty-two months in French oak, 60 percent new, with a larger amphora share than recent vintages. Riviera Block Cabernet and Cabernet Franc, replanted five to six years earlier, debut in this vintage.
Rebekah Wineburg tastes for harmony, not volume. Decant an hour. Serve near 64 F. Drink now through about 2040, with the best patience beginning around 2030.
One estate, one flagship
Agustin and Valeria Huneeus wanted one Rutherford wine from one piece of land.
The Huneeus family bought the Mardikian property in 1989, the last large unplanted site in Rutherford, and named it Quintessa. First vintage 1994.
They farmed organic, then biodynamic. Carmenere cuttings from Chile sit in the blend as a family signature. Rebekah Wineburg leads the cellar. Antonia Huneeus, the third generation, joined as estate manager with this 2023 release.
The 2023 is that same estate wine after a long, rain-fed season: one property, one bottle, Riviera Block in the blend for the first time.
Protein, smoke, herbs, and time
Dark fruit and graphite can stand up to roasted or braised red meat, while freshness and fine tannin keep richer dishes from feeling heavy.
Two plates. One short rib. One flat iron with chimichurri. Both fit a Rutherford flagship.
Serve near 64 F. Decant 60 minutes.
Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs
A slow braise for cassis, cedar, and savory graphite.
Why it works: The braise mirrors dark cherry and cassis while richness softens powder-fine tannin.
View Recipe for red wine braised short ribs (opens in a new tab)
Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Chimichurri
Char, salt, herbs, and green lift. A clean match for Rutherford Cabernet.
Why it works: Chimichurri pulls bay laurel and cedar. Grilled beef meets the graphite structure.
View Recipe for grilled flat iron steak with chimichurri (opens in a new tab)Put the 2023 Rutherford flagship in the cellar
Rebekah Wineburg, 26 blocks, Decanter 99. Two hundred forty-nine dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is Quintessa in 750 mL, the current estate wine, priced for the table as well as the cellar.
