Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich and layered wine with great balance. Blackberry, black cherry, cassis and plum fruit coat the entire palate in a horizontal, broad fashion. Complex notes of violets, sandalwood, soy, black truffle, walnut, forest floor and minerals are some of the descriptors that may be found in this complex and decadent wine.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
All Cabernet Sauvignon that's 90% from Champoux and 10% from Mach One (both in Horse Heaven Hills), the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley spent 20-22 months in all new French oak. Gorgeous cassis, flowery incense, lead pencil shavings, camphor, and spicy oak all soar from the glass, and it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered, incredibly layered mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. It's another sensationally complex, layered, textured beauty from this team that's world class in every way.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Flirting with perfection, instantly impressive and marked with impeccable shine and polish, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon from Champoux vineyard (90%) and Mach One vineyard (10%). The Cabernet explodes out of a glass with exuberance and power, prancing with layers of juicy black fruit, plum compote, black raspberry jus and hints of cinnamon-spiced black cherries. Full-bodied and with a ripe attack, velvety tannins sway with a glossy mouthfeel that is seductive and hedonistic, and the wine displays a balanced structure with a generous frame. It somersaults to an ever-evolving finish that bursts with layers of complexity, finesse and richness. What a stunning bottle! Bravo! Two thumbs up!
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James Suckling
Lovely aromas of black and purple fruit, tobacco leaf and sage. Full-bodied with fine, smooth tannins that are soaked in ripe, dark fruit. So much complexity and intensity here. Focused and structured, with a guiding note of black and red currant. Suede and coffee.
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Wine Spectator
Dynamic and rich, with a sumptuous structure and detailed blackberry, toasty mocha, clove and other dusky spice flavors, which build polish and energy toward fine-grained tannins.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, with fruit coming from Champoux and Mach One vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills. Aged 20 months in 100% new French oak, the aromas offer notes of dried and fresh herb, incense, cassis, bittersweet chocolate, barrel spice and dark fruit, all still locked up tightly but well delineated. Rich, layered flavors follow. It shows the grace of the vintage but also the intensity of the producer and appellation. Best after 2030.
Quilceda Creek has earned some of the highest reviews and awards of any winery in the United States: thirty - four 100 - point scores from seven different critics across Wine Advocate, Decanter, International Wine Report, The Wine Independent , and OwenBargreen.com . Additionally, Quilceda Creek was awarded four top 10 wines of the year in Wine Spectator , and Wine Enthusiast ’ s Best Cabernet of the Year.
Since 1978 Quilceda Creek has focused exclusively on producing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignons that rival and surpass the quality and pedigree of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons in the world. When Alex Golitzin founded Quilceda Creek, he took his uncle André Tchelistcheff ’ s advice to heart: make one wine and make it well. And for Alex, there was no doubt that wine would be Cabernet Sauvignon. In the several decades since, Quilceda Creek has never wavered from this focus, relentlessly pursuing perfection with every vintage. Their exclusive portfolio of vineyards in Washington State set Quilceda Creek apart. As the 12th bonded winery in the state post Prohibition, Quilceda Creek ’ s longevity has given them years to refine their vineyard sourcing and perfect their farming practices. As the industry and vine acreage in Washington State have grown, they have used their depth of knowledge and experience to their advantage, singling out properties with the combination of geography, climate and soils capable of producing layered and complex Cabernet Sauvignons. Their exclusive portfolio of v ineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA sub - appellations of Horse Heaven Hills and Red Mountain include some of Washington State ’ s most historic and revered vineyard properties. Meticulously farmed by their crew year after year, Champoux, Mach One and Galitzin e vineyards consistently produce acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignons that set the standards for exceptional quality.
Quilceda Creek would not be what it is today without Paul Golitzin, Alex and Jeannette Golitzin ’ s son and Quilceda Creek ’ s President and Winemak er. Growing up at the winery and with winemaking mentors such as his father, Alex, and his great uncle, André Tchelistcheff, Paul was immersed in the lifestyle of the wine industry from an early age, both its hard, physical labor and its culture of beauty and craftsmanship. When he was named winemaker in 1992, just 14 years after Quilceda Creek was founded, Paul made it his mission to bring the winery to new heights of quality. He became laser focused on vineyard sourcing, precision viticultural practices a nd new techniques and technologies in the winery. He began experimenting with yeasts, worked with coopers to develop custom barrels for Quilceda Creek, and kept scrupulous historical vineyard and vintage records to identify the strongest blocks and rows at each property. It is Paul ’ s inspired blend of virtuosity and precision that has resulted in the long string of highly acclaimed wines for which Quilceda Creek is widely known. Under his leadership, Quilceda Creek has solidified its position as a benchmark producer of Cabernet Sauvignon, not only in Washington State, but the world over. Far from resting on his laurels, Paul continues to experiment constantly, following his own dictum that “the best Cabernet Sauvignon Quilceda Creek has made is its next”.
Washington produces so many exciting wines, and that definitely includes Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. With over 10,000 acres under vine, Cabernet Sauvignon is now the most widely-grown varietal in the state. Terrific examples hail from sub-appellations like Red Mountain, Wahluke Slope, Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla Valley. One of the fascinations of these Columbia Valley Cabs is that they so often seem to have one foot in the New World and one in the Old. Representing the former are characteristics like the ripe, forward fruit that results from long sunny days during the growing season (up to two hours longer than in much of California). Old World similarities include an undeniable brightness from acidity, as well as notes of herbs, graphite and a dusty, sometimes gravelly minerality.
Whether you’re looking for a budget bottle for everyday enjoyment, or a stellar, world-class wine with tremendous aging potential, Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines can deliver the goods! Among the many fine options are bottles from Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle, L’ecole #41, Quilceda Creek and Leonetti.