Hey you…yes you! Thank you SO much for stopping by my page and reading along, I really appreciate it! Now, I am a bit late to the game on posting this blog article and sharing one of my favorite winery experiences in Napa Valley. As some of you know, I recently moved back to wine country and started a new job, so the last eight months have been a whirlwind. Nevertheless, I am so excited to finally share and hopefully you can soon too visit one of the most beautiful wineries in Napa Valley.
I remember being so excited the day of our tasting at Quintessa. I had been wanting to visit this dazzling winery for years. This was even more true after seeing the property featured in the Amy Poehler, Tina Fey & Maya Rudolph movie “Wine Country.” That weekend I went and purchased a new outfit, a white flowy dress to wear (yes, definitely living on the edge wearing all white to a wine tasting). Side note – I picked up my friend Raquel from @watchmesip, who was also wearing a white dress! What can I say? We are professionals at this point and wearing all white to wine tastings doesn’t scare us!
Pro tip: make sure you have some wine away spray available just in case! (I found a similar maxi dress here)
As you drive along the historic Silverado Trail, if you blink you might miss the private gates for Quintessa’s property. Tucked away in the famous Rutherford region, lies one of the most beautiful wineries in Napa Valley. While the name might sound familiar to you, Quintessa is very much a hidden gem of the valley and has areas that you would never notice from the roadside. You can of course catch a glimpse of the modern and sleek design of the main building and tasting area of the winery that is built into the hillside. However, once we jumped into the Ranger UTV, the real tour of the property began!
Quintessa sits on about 280 acres of Napa Valley land, with 26 vineyard blocks. As we drove through the property, we stumbled upon a large pond and bridge to led to another private venue area. We made our way up the ridge of the hill and took in the vast views of rolling hills and surrounding wineries and vineyards. Continuing our exploration of the property, is when we saw them…the private glass tasting pavilions on the top of the hill. I can only imagine the views at sunset! These private tasting pavilions are a notable feature of the winery and the definition of a private elegant wine tasting experience in Napa Valley. This is was the location where the tasting scene was set in the “Wine County” film. In addition to this tasting option, they have others you are able to choose from. See their full list of experiences here.
Now that you can imagine just how stunning and dreamlike this winery is, let’s talk about the wine! I will preface that wine tasting at Quintessa is unlike most other tastings you may have been to. At other wine tasting you will typically taste through different varietals. Usually beginning with a white varietal, Chardonnay or perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc, and continuing through a selection of red wines; Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, you know the drill. However, at Quintessa, you are tasting through vintages, or “different years the grapes were picked”, for their Quintessa Red Blend. Note, they do offer one white varietal, the Illumination Sauvignon Blanc, which is featured in the photo below.
While the exact percentages of different varietals (types of grapes) that compose this red blend can vary from year to year, one thing stays the same, the high-quality of this blend is undeniable. All vintages of the Quintessa Estate Red Wine are aged in new French oak. The fruit is harvested from the impressive Rutherford appellation, located right in the middle of Napa Valley wine country. It was incredible to have the opportunity to taste through this iconic red blend and see how it develops year over year. How the climate and weather impact the grapes that the year, how the conditions of the seasons play a factor in the creation of the wine, is incredible to taste through and be able to notice the differences.
As if all of the information I have shared already isn’t reason to visit Quintessa, there is one other important factor that is extremely noteworthy. The winery takes tremendous pride in their hard work and dedication to organic farming to preserve and honor the property. Currently, they are an CCOF-California Certified Organic Farm and are continuing to work on receiving their Biodynamic certification. I greatly admire the passion and commitment to protecting this land and the beauty of Napa Valley.
Overall, I found that Quintessa is one of the most beautiful wineries in Napa Valley because of the way it made me fall in love with wine country even more and appreciate living in such a captivating place. Whether you live here, are visiting for the first time, or have been to wine country many times, one thing is always true: the picturesque rolling hills of vineyards, drives through wine country, walking through the vineyards, seeing the sunset just over the hillside, watching the hot air balloons take flight each morning, and tasting incredible wines like those at Quintessa, never gets old. If you would like to see more about my favorite places, check out my wine country section! Thank you again for reading, cheers!
With love,
Sara