So many years ago back in the early 1990's, Hugh Chappelle was the winemaker here at Madroña (and I was just a wee whippersnapper). Some of you (and you'll be dating yourselves) still remember our 1990 Claret, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This wine was a bit of an introduction into how well our mountain-grown Bordeaux varieties worked together. Structured and bold with layers of complexity, the wine had an immediate following of lovers.
When Hugh started here in 1993, he too noticed how well these wines married together. But he also felt the blend would benefit from the addition of Malbec and Petit Verdot, two more incredible Bordeaux varieties. In 1992, we grafted in both varieties into our Enye Vineyards in Pleasant Valley on vines planted in the early 1980's.
Our first vintage of Quintet, the 1992, was elegant and glorious with well-tamed tannins. (The Petit Verdot and Malbec though were not Estate Grown.) In 1993 we started our Quintet program with Estate Grown fruit from our vineyards making Bordeaux-inspired blends that showcase the complexity of the wines as well as our region's terroir.
Always a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, this is the "California" twist on a Bordeaux expression. In Bordeaux, you won't find blends with all five varieties. Instead, the wines on the left bank are Cabernet Sauvignon based with some Merlot and maybe a bit of Petit Verdot. The right bank, near St. Émilion, is predominantly Cabernet Franc and Merlot blends. There is Malbec farther east in Blaye, but the variety is not blended throughout the regions.
Thus, our Quintet is somewhat of a unique wine. Our cooler climate produces a more structured, maybe even austere, expression on the varieties...more like Bordeaux than the ripe styles of California. But with the inclusion of all five varieties, we have the painter's palate of wines to embrace the complexity of the blend.
As I taste the 2024 vintage here (as every vintage is unique), each wine has it's own personality.
2024 Cabernet Sauvignon: Red currants, tart plum and almost blackberry characters. Softer on the palate than many vintages, this wine may make for a great foundation for a rounder expression of Quintet.
2024 Cabernet Franc: More full-bodied with a beautiful dark cherry nose, the palate is more linear with great fruit throughout. The tannins are a bit more in control than many vintages!
2024 Merlot: More elegant plum and red cherry fruit greet the nose on this Merlot. Wonderfully balanced with a few of those high-elevation tannins, here's a Merlot that will add complexity and structure at the same time to your blend!
2024 Petit Verdot: A hint of spice with all the blackberry pie characters filling the bouquet. The palate is fresh with a cornucopia of dark fruit, giving the Quintet just one more layer of complexity.
2024 Malbec: Pure blueberry fruit in the aromas leads this pitch black (in color) wine. Medium-bodied with great cherry and blueberry cobbler characters trailing the mid-palate, I can just see how this wine will work into a bolder Malbec-driven Quintet!
And if you're curious, I blended the "leftovers" of each of my tasting glasses together into one glass, and it's pretty damn good (oops, excuse my French there!). Don't worry though, you'll have pipettes and graduated cylinders to make your blends next week! It's a darn good vintage, the 2024!!!