The Voice of Quintessa
For more than three decades, we have dedicated ourselves to deepening our relationship with the Quintessa estate. Founders Valeria and Agustin Huneeus discovered Quintessa in the course of their search for a pristine landscape. Their shared vision was to steward the beauty of an estate while thoughtfully farming a wine that could become its distinctive expression.
Prior to their arrival, the property encompassed only rolling grasslands, ancient oaks and grazing cattle. In planting the vineyard and building the winery, not a single tree was removed, in an effort to maintain the estate’s ancestral woodlands. The vineyard was designed and planted to respect the flow of the river, the lake, and the rolling hills, preserving Quintessa’s lyrical beauty.
Our founding was guided by the principle that Quintessa presented this singular landscape, with its own personality and voice. That is why we have done our own farming for decades, and make wine grown only on site.
Since the beginning, the estate has never seen chemical farming. Biodynamic® and organic practices have always guided us, helping us to respect the integrity of the estate and farm the vineyard led by intuition and confirmed through science. As plants grow, they adapt to the conditions of their environment. Rooted in place, they teach us about their surroundings.
We have learned the importance of encouraging the right environment for different plants to thrive. Older vines need more thoughtful farming as each vine becomes unique, but their longevity ensures the wine they produce will speak with the voice of Quintessa.
Observing the vines has become a way of better understanding this place. Recording the vineyard’s health has drawn our attention more deeply into the architecture of the soil, the evolving climate conditions and the wild flora and fauna of our area.
The incredible diversity within Quintessa’s vineyards has also guided our winemaking. At harvest, the fruit from each distinct part of the vineyard arrives to its own place in the winery. This ensures that its treatment in the cellar aligns with its growth in the vineyard.
Over time, we have become more attentive farmers, more thoughtful stewards of Quintessa, and ever-more committed to expressing the pristine beauty of this place through wines of elegance and finesse.
