Slocum & Sons hosted a Quintessa Estate wine luncheon on June 13 at the New Haven Country Club in Hamden. Quintessa Estate Director Rodrigo Soto educated trade guests during a tasting of the Napa Valley wines. Quintessa is owned by the Huneeus family, whose critically acclaimed wines and estates include Flowers, Faust, Benton-Lane, Leviathan and Illumination. Soto, who was born and raised in Chile, has been involved with the wine industry since his teens and studied agronomy in college, with his thesis written on organic farming. Upon graduating, he spent the next 10 years between California and Chile, further expanding his knowledge in organics and biodynamics, joining the Huneeus family in 2012. A first course of red snapper ceviche was paired with Illumination Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Napa County-Sonoma County. A second course of lamb wellington was paired with a vertical tasting of Quintessa Red 2013, 2018 and 2020, a future release. Quintessa Estate red wines are made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carménère, all grown on the winery’s 160-acre, 26-vineyard Napa blocks.