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 2022 Quintessa Red Rutherford across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $250.25 and the average is $263.49. Our slash is $105.00.
375ML Half Bottle 2022 Quintessa Red Rutherford, USA
Rebekah Wineburg's Rutherford estate red in 375 milliliters, cassis and graphite, a Quintessa you can finish at one hundred five dollars.
The 2022 Quintessa is the same flagship estate red in a 375 mL bottle: 93 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, Decanter 99 and James Suckling 97, now $105.
The full Quintessa idea, in a bottle you will finish
A Rutherford estate Cabernet is easier to open when the bottle is 375 mL. Twenty-six blocks, Dragon's Lake, and Rebekah Wineburg's blend still show in the glass. You just do not have to commit to a 750.
The house
Agustin and Valeria Huneeus found the last great undeveloped Rutherford property in 1989. One estate, one wine, biodynamic.
The wine
93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carmenere, 1% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. 22 months French oak with a terracotta amphora component.
The scores
Decanter 99. James Suckling 97. Harvest September 9 to October 1.
The drinker
Cassis and graphite. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Steak for two.
Cassis, graphite, then the half-bottle usefulness
Decanter called it refined and packed with life. Suckling: elegant, intricate, charming, fine-sand tannins. The 375 mL format makes that architecture more immediate.
Harvest ran September 9 through October 1. Ripe dark fruit and plush texture, held by bright acidity and fine tannin. Half bottles tend to come around quickly.
Black cherry, cassis, raspberry, blueberry, dark plum, bay laurel, cedar.
Fine-grained tannin, generous mid-palate, 22 months French oak (60% new) plus 1% terracotta amphora.
Tobacco, dark chocolate, crushed rock. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Parcel by parcel, then a smaller bottle
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. The 375 mL does not change the method. It changes how much you commit to on a weeknight.
The 2022 blend is 93 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Twenty-two months in French oak, led by 60 percent new, with a small amphora share.
Rebekah Wineburg tastes the lots. Harmony is the brief. In half bottle, check in sooner. Drink now through about 2035.
One estate, one flagship, now in 375
Agustin and Valeria Huneeus wanted one Rutherford wine from one piece of land.
The Huneeus family bought the Mardikian property in 1989, planted it as Quintessa, and released the first vintage in 1994.
They farmed organic, then biodynamic. Carmenere cuttings from Chile sit in the blend as a family signature. Rebekah Wineburg leads the cellar.
The 2022 half bottle is that same estate wine in a format built for steak for two, a cellar check-in, or a gift that does not require a 750.
Steak for two, short ribs in the pot
A 375 mL Quintessa is made for the precise dinner: two glasses beside a beautifully cooked steak or a small braise.
Two plates. One short rib. One flat iron with chimichurri. Both fit a half bottle.
Serve 60 to 64 F. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Half bottles open quickly.
Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs
A slow braise for cassis, cedar, and savory graphite. Especially good when the table is smaller.
Why it works: The braise mirrors dark cherry and cassis while richness softens fine-grained 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 steak for two.
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)Open the half tonight
Same Rutherford flagship, Rebekah Wineburg, a 375 mL you will actually finish. One hundred five dollars.
Put six in the cart. This is Quintessa without leftover-bottle math.
