James discusses Napa's 2019 vintage with Rebekah Wineburg, the winemaker at Quintessa, and Rodrigo Soto, the estate director.
"'19 is I think one of the most gracious vintages we've ever received," Rebekah tells James. "It had the right amount of rainfall at the beginning of the season," although there was delayed bud break compared with 2018. "But everything caught up with a nice, warm summer, and canopies were balanced, fruit level was balanced, crop load was balanced, and you just flew into another incredible, long, precise, gentle harvest. It's hard not to give too many superlatives to 2019."
Adds Rodrigo: "Yields were lower than '18 as well, so that helps with the concentration... Sometimes it's hard to find the points of difference, but clearly the yield was one of them, and of course that brings a different level of concentration to the wine. So out of a very smooth vintage in terms of temperatures, you realize that you have a little extra power, and it makes the wines absolutely fantastic."
