critic reviews
The 2019 Quintus is composed of 55.4% Merlot and 44.6% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it tumbles out of the glass with playful scents of dark chocolate, vanilla pod, and licorice over a core of stewed black cherries and black plums with a hint of aniseed. Full-bodied, rich, and seductive in the mouth, it has wonderfully velvety tannins and a long spicy finish.
The 2019 Quintus has quite a high-toned and outgoing bouquet with liquorice and tinged black fruit. Quite powerful, this gains more cohesion with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, very well balanced, with sappy, pure black fruit laced with minerals and a precise if glossy finish. Wonderful. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
The 2019 Quintus exhibits aromas of rich, plummy fruit mingled with exotic spices and smoky, toasty new oak. Full-bodied, broad and textural, it's rich and fleshy, with a ripe core of fruit, lively acids and powdery structuring tannins. Cabernet Franc represents nearly 45% of the blend this year.
Quintus gets easier and easier to recommend every year, and this is full of plump, confident and well-balanced fruit, with rich layers of flavour that expand through the palate. Cassis and slate, and the Cabernet Franc plays a large part in adding tension through the mid palate. Harvest 19 September through to 27 September for Merlot, then break until October 7 to 9 for Cabernet Franc. Bottled April 2021.