The best part of writing this blog is, without question, the opportunity to meet some amazing people. People in the wine industry are typically passionate and gracious, willing to share their history, experience and hospitality with those who share some of that passion and are genuinely interested in their work and their art. We definitely fall into that group of people who love wine, love to talk about it, and certainly love to taste it. It just so much more amazing when that experience is narrated by the people who created the vision, the label, and certainly the wine. I recently had a chance to spend some time with two gentlemen who have been in the wine industry for over forty years, with an impressive track record and an obvious passion for what they do. Their achievements are impressive, but we’re really here to talk about what they are doing today and what they are doing together. They are as busy as ever.
The two men I refer to are Bob Pepi, winemaker for over 40 years and currently still making wine for multiple labels, as well as Steve Kreps Sr., co-owner of Quintessential Wines, recent winner of the Wine Enthusiast Importer of the Year award. Bob has made wines for many, many different wineries and wine labels, and Steve’s company 
represents many, many wineries around the world. Quintessential is a family owned business between Steve Sr. and his son Dennis. Their focus is on representing family owned and operated wineries, and their portfolio is an impressive collection spanning the entire world of wine.
The friendship between Bob and Steve goes back a long time. They met in their early thirties, when Steve was National Sales Director for a mid-western wine importing company. That company also owned a distribution company at which Bob worked, and through that connection Steve and Bob met at a meeting, with wine icon Tony
Winemaker Bob Pepi
Turlato no less. The two became friends immediately, and that friendship has survived the years. In the early 1980’s, when Bob was making wine with his father, Robert Pepi Sr., at the family winery bearing the same name in Napa Valley, Steve happened to be representing them. During that time Robert Pepi winery produced the first Napa Sangiovese to hit the market, a wine which Steve promoted. A few years later the winery and label were sold, which was the impetus for what would become the incredible consulting and winemaking career that Bob has enjoyed over four decades. That took him to other continents and across the country. Throughout it all, Bob and Steve remained good friends.
It really isn’t a surprise then, given their history, that eventually the two would collaborate and make wine together. The genesis of that first venture was Steve’s desire to make a great Petite Sirah. What they found was a vineyard in Lake County, on California’s North Coast, that had the grapes they were looking for. That first vintage was in 2004. A Sauvignon Blanc followed, also sourced from Lake County. The Two Angels line was 
born. Steve and Bob also collaborate on a second line, Samuel Charles, producing another Sauvignon Blanc from High Valley and a top end Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville in Napa. We’ll look at some of those wines a little later.
Last year Quintessential wines purchased several additional labels, including iconic Geyser Peak and Atlas Peak. This is big, as Geyser Peak has been a fixture in the California wine
industry for over 140 years, since it became the 29th bonded winery in the state in 1880. Bob will be making the wine at both Geyser Peak and Atlas Peak, continuing with Two Angels and Samuel Charles, making his own Cabernet and consulting at other wineries. Both of these men clearly intend to keep busy, and a lot of that activity will be working together.
We’ve got seven wines to look at across four of the lines Bob is making wine for. Three are collaborative with Steve, and the fourth is Bob’s personal project. Let’s take a look at two whites to start.
2019 Two Angels Sauvignon Blanc – this was the second wine made in the Two Angels line. The fruit comes from High Valley, in Lake County, California. Clear Lake is about 700 ft above sea level, but the vineyards around it in High Valley are higher still, at between 1700-1900 ft. The valley sees cool night time temperatures, and Bob believes that
some of the best California Sauvignon Blanc is grown here. He’s been making Sauvignon Blanc for 40 years, and his approach is to try and coax as much of the potential complexity the grape provides out into the wine. Toward that end, these grapes come from several different parts of the vineyard, and are picked at two different times. No oak is used in the wine making process. The wine does see some time on the lees. Here are our thoughts:
The color is a light straw. The nose brings ripe peach, some melon and apple. There is a lot of fruit in here. On the palate the wine is smooth, and you can tell it spent time sur lie as there is a beautiful texture, and a touch of creaminess. Citrus fruit lasts through the long finish. This has an elegance to it, while still remaining fresh and crisp.
The good news is that they bring in about 75 tons of grapes for this, so there should be some available. It has an SRP of $16.99 and is a Value List choice there. I really enjoyed this wine.
And now a look at one of the new acquisitions:
2019 Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc – This wine is very different from the previous one, as the grapes come from four different areas. While Bob was not involved in the basic winemaking, he did oversee the blending. This
has Pinot Gris in the mix, as well as a small percentage of oak fermented Chardonnay. Since this carries the California AVA designation, grapes from anywhere in the state are fair game. Bob enjoys the freedom that gives him to be creative. Our impressions:
You can see the oak in the deeper color of this wine, and a tiny bit on the nose, along with citrus fruit and some grassy notes. There is more oak on the palate, and this is smooth with some nice complexity. It has good length and is another solid Sauvignon Blanc, as well as a Value List wine at $14.99.
The Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc is the workhorse in the line, and they make more of it than any other varietal. Steve indicated that would continue. Overall they produce about 130,000 – 150,000 cases of wine, with more white than red. Steve’s approach to the label will be to take things slowly, but he does have goals to expand production to 500,000 cases in the future, providing that they can source enough fruit and maintain quality.
Now let’s turn to two red wines from the same labels:
2018 Two Angels Petite Sirah – Bob mentioned that Petite Sirah is the easiest grape with which to make a big, bold red wine. It’s natural style is indeed a big wine, tannic and not approachable young. That’s not Bob’s style, as he likes to preserve the fruit so the wine is approachable young, while still maintaining structure and longevity. How
does he do that? In this case by pressing the wine when it’s only about two thirds of the way through fermentation. This gets the skins and stems out of the juice and prevents the tannins from overpowering the fruit characteristics. The grapes here are also from Lake County, more specifically from the Red Hills AVA. They switched to Red Hills a few years ago, and you can see why when you taste it. It’s 100% Petite Sirah, and spends nine months in oak barrels. Alcohol checks in at 14.4%. Let’s see what we thought:
This juice is a very dark, reddish purple. The nose is filled with dark berries, black plum and perfume notes. This is full bodied, with medium+ tannins, but it is still very approachable right now. It has the rich mouthfeel you’d expect from a Petite Sirah, but still smooth, with vibrant fruit. You can taste the oak here as well, and it is complimentary. Black fruit stays through the very long finish. This is delicious, $26.99 and another Value List wine.
And back to the Geyser Peak line:
2017 Geyser Peak Walking Tree Cabernet Sauvignon – this wine is, and will always be, made from grapes from Sonoma’s Alexander Valley. The story of the Walking Tree vineyard involves, not surprisingly, a tree. In this
case it was a large tree on a hillside at the edge of the vineyard, which would move down the slope a few feet every year during the wet season, roots and all. Thus the “walking tree”. This is actually blended with 7% Syrah. It’s 14.5 % alcohol and finished in French oak. What did we think?
The color is a dusty ruby red. On the nose ripe blackberry and blueberry notes are accented with leather and tobacco. Ripe fruit dominates the palate, and it is a little jammy right out of the bottle. Let this wine breathe, or decant for an hour. I came back to it the second day and it was integrated and smooth, with a medium+ body and a complex profile. SRP is $24.99, and this is another solid value wine.
For the remaining wines we’ll move to two other labels, and some classic California Cabernet Sauvignon. Let’s start with a Napa Cab under the Samuel Charles label.
Samuel Charles was the second label started by Quintessential. Bob makes their Sauvignon Blanc and Oak Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon. They have another Cabernet, as well as a red blend from other winemakers. The label name comes from the first names of Steve’s two grandchildren, Samuel and Charles (or Sammy and Charlie as Steve affectionately calls them). It was started to have some fun and make some good wine, and has grown into much more than that. Primarily a California label, it is now distributed to other select markets. Steve indicated they have plans to expand that, but again that will be dependent on finding the right grapes to maintain their quality standards and price points,
Let’s look at their flagship wine, the Bob Pepi made Oak Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon.
2019 Samuel Charles Oak Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon – the fruit here comes from the Oak Knoll district, located between Napa and Yountville in Napa Valley. The vineyard straddles the main road through the valley, Route 29, and this fruit comes from the western half, just into the benchlands of the Mayacamas Mountains. Bob really likes the quality of the fruit here,
and grapes come from vines of different ages, as well as from two different clones. The wine is aged for 10 months in French oak, 30% new barrels. Our thoughts:
A medium, dark ruby in color, this wine has a beautiful nose of fruit, herbs, caramel, flowers, vanilla and spice. It is seriously complex. On the palate it is focused, and refined, with red berries and all of the nuances that the nose promised. Just full bodied, this is long and rich and pure. A great expression of California Cabernet. SRP of $80, so firmly into the premium California Cabernet price range, but very much worth it. On the Value List it goes. If you’re looking for a special bottle this is a good choice.
That brings us to an end of the wines we discussed that Bob makes for Quintessential labels. We do have one more to talk about, or actually two, and they represent a personal project for Bob. Begun in 2000, the Cabernet Sauvignon bottling under Bob’s Eponymous label was originally single vineyard for many years, coming from a stellar vineyard in the upper benchlands of Atlas Peak in Napa Valley. The first year Bob only bottled a portion of it, under the Shiners name, and sold the rest to Whitehall Lane where it found its way into their Reserve wine.
The name Eponymous is a play on words in this instance. It’s definition, according to mirriam-webster.com, is “of, relating to, or being the person or thing for whom or which something is named”. If you recall, we mentioned earlier that Bob’s father sold the Robert Pepi winery and the label back in the 1990’s. As such, Bob can’t put his own name on this label. Thus, his Eponymous wine is a wine created by someone who cannot put his name on it. The shadowy figure on the left is Bob walking away. Even without the name, the wine is all about Bob Pepi.
Now the Eponymous Cabernet is made from multiple vineyards. Still preserving some of the Atlas Peak fruit, Bob has added Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Coombsville, an up and coming area for Cabernet Sauvignon. While there have been other varietals in the Eponymous line in the past, the Cabernet is now the focus, and the only wine Bob made last year.
We had two vintages to taste with Bob and Steve, the 2017, and the soon to be released 2018. I know how Steve feels about the wine, because he referred to himself as “the single largest retail customer in the country for Eponymous Cabernet Sauvignon”. Since it is small production, only around 400-500 cases, I have a feeling Steve gets a significant percentage of it! He calls it his house red (lucky Steve!). Here are the wines:
2017 Eponymous Cabernet Sauvignon – as mentioned above, this is made with fruit from four different sites, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, Atlas Peak and Coombsville, all in Napa Valley. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. 
The backbone of the wine comes from Mount Veeder, which is the largest contributor to the blend. Howell Mountain and Coombsville joined the blend for the 2017 vintage. The wine was aged for 20 months in 60% new oak, 90% French and 10% American. Our impression:
This is very dark purple red in color. The nose if filled with a variety of berry fruit, with some herbal notes. It has a rich and complex nose. On the palate it is also rich, full bodied and sporting medium+ tannins. This is a Cab you can drink now but which is going to last a long time. It should get even better if you can wait for it. The finish is really, really long and the fruit persists throughout, which is a quality you get in superior wines. This is a superior wine. It will benefit from an hour or two in the decanter, as it continued to bloom the longer it stayed in the glass. SRP is $59.99 and it is a Value List wine there.
Now a sneak peak at the 2018! I believe we’re the first ones to taste this. You can see a handwritten 2018 above the crossed out 2017 on the label.
2018 Eponymous Cabernet Sauvignon – this is also 100% Cab from the same vineyards, but with a little more Coombsville fruit here. It is finished and aged the same way as the 2017. Let’s compare:
Also a very dark Cab, this has a similar profile to the 2017, but the fruit is a little leaner. It is also a little softer, with medium tannins and a rounder expression. The palate is more precise. Where as the 2017 is a mix of wonderful berry fruit that permeates the wine, here you get the core of fruit, but also the tobacco notes and clearly a touch of herbs. It is also a very long wine, and a wine that will last and age gracefully. You might want to decant this for a bit as well. Also an SRP of $59.99, and a Value List addition. This is similar to the 2018, but different at the same time.
That brings us to the end of an excellent lineup of wine, but not to the end of the story. Quintessential also now has the Atlas Peak label, and they have big plans for that. The Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon has always been a favorite of ours, a wine which provides a pretty classic Napa Cab expression for a reasonable price. We were very excited to hear that will continue, and that Bob will be making the wine. But wait, it gets even better.
Possibly in a tribute to the Sangiovese wines Bob made with his father back at Robert Pepi Wines, there are plans for a Super Tuscan style wine made with Atlas Peak Cab and Napa Valley Sangiovese. This should be fun, and Bob has the wines in hand for the initial blend. Expected release is this Fall, and I for one can’t wait. This is definitely a wine we will be searching out.
There is more to come from this partnership and the labels we’ve discussed here. Bob loves making wine and new challenges, and the only limit will be his time, as well as the availability of the right fruit. Steve said that while they will take some time to work with and establish the new additions, he and Quintessential are also not planning to stop anytime soon. As Steve said at the end of the interview, “What else would I do?”
Two men, a great friendship and partnership, and pretty spectacular wines: we certainly hope they continue for a long time to come. We can’t wait to see, and drink, what happens next.
You can learn more about Quintessential Wines, including the labels we reviewed here, on their website at https://www.quintessentialwines.com/index.cfm.
A votre santé!
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