Quintessence Clone 169
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 5 to 15 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Grilled ribeye steak, roasted lamb chops, braised beef short ribs
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Nestled on the steep, sun-drenched south-facing slopes of Washington State's acclaimed Red Mountain AVA, the Quintessence Vineyard is a showcase of viticultural precision. Among its prized blocks, Clone 169—a certified French clone originating from Bordeaux—reigns supreme. Fidelitas isolates this specific clone to craft a wine of singular focus and extraordinary depth. The terroir of Red Mountain, characterized by sweeping winds, scarce rainfall, and calcium-carbonate-rich soils, forces the vines to struggle, resulting in tiny, thick-skinned berries. This specific clone is celebrated for its elegant structure, vibrant acidity, and intense dark fruit profile, offering a sophisticated, site-specific expression of Washington Cabernet Sauvignon that beautifully marries Old World structure with New World power.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Established in 2000 by acclaimed winemaker Charlie Hoppes, Fidelitas is a premier boutique winery deeply rooted in the Red Mountain AVA of Washington State. With a steadfast focus on crafting exceptional Bordeaux-style blends and single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, the winery sources grapes from some of the region's most prestigious vineyards, including Champoux, Ciel du Cheval, and Quintessence, alongside their own estate plantings. Fidelitas is renowned for its modern, precise winemaking techniques, utilizing carefully selected French and American oak barrels to shape wines of remarkable concentration, structure, and aging potential. Under Hoppes' expert guidance, the estate has become a benchmark producer for Red Mountain, capturing the unique, sun-drenched terroir in every bottle of their signature Optu Red and site-specific Cabernet Sauvignon expressions.