98 – James Suckling
\nPhenomenal aromas of crushed berries, forest fruit, mushrooms and iron. Medium to full body, with layers of soft and refined tannins that follow through to a beautiful finish. Extremely long and refined. This shows depth and structure with balance and harmony. Hard not to open the bottle now and drink it, but it appears to be closing down now. Needs four to five years to show it all.
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\n97 – Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
\nThe 2016 Proprietary Red Wine is blended of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère, with all fruit coming from the Quintessa estate, and it aged for 20 months in 73% new French oak. Very deep purple-black in color, it comes bounding out of the glass like a pedigree pup with exuberant notions of crème de cassis, warm blueberries and black cherries with hints of redcurrants, kirsch, candied violets, crushed rocks, cigar box and fallen leaves plus a waft of truffles. Full, rich and beautifully laced with layers of floral notes and fragrant earth, the profound black and blue fruits build slowly in the mouth, achieving great energy and depth with a beautiful velvety frame, finishing long and perfumed.
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\n96 – Jeb Dunnuck
\nThe 2016 Proprietary Red is a beauty based on 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Carménère, all of which spent 20 months in just over 70% new French oak. This inky purple colored 2016 offers a perfumed, complex bouquet of sweet crème de cassis, Asian spices, lead pencil, and cedarwood. Full-bodied and plenty powerful, it shines even more for its flawless balance, polished tannins, and great finish. This is a quintessential, rich, elegant Napa Bordeaux blend to enjoy over the coming two decades or more.
