2016 Bond, Quella, Napa Valley 1×1.5L

Robert Parker 96

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Quella slips seductively out of the glass with notes of warm black plums, blueberry preserves, licorice and creme de cassis with suggestions of wild sage, pencil lead, camphor and Marmite toast. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is like a tightly wound spring, featuring bags of black fruit and earthy nuances and a solid, grainy frame, finishing long and refreshing. [Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 19/09/2019]

Anticipated maturity: 2020-2046

Vinous 93+

The 2016 Quella is especially savory and pungent in this vintage, almost uncharacteristically so. Sage, licorice, black cherry, plum, leather and menthol develop in the glass. There is more than enough depth in the fruit to provide balance, but at the same time, there is no question the 2016 is a stylistic outlier relative to prior vintages and the vintage in Napa Valley more broadly. [Antonio Galloni, 21/12/2018]