Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Very nice. Thought I detected a bit of cork taint initially but seemed to blow off. Sweet dark berries, chocolate cherries, violets, smoke, spice, very slight secondary notes, high octane but not hot. Not sure if it’ll develop much more

Double decanted several hours prior to service (recommended); no formal notes. While probably not my pick for best expression from Columbia Valley, the wines of Quilceda Creek certainly have a massive following for a reason. It has been at least seven years since I last had the 2005 vintage which was probably my favorite from the aughts. Well, I’m happy to report that it is very much alive and well. Big and would still be attractive stuff for many. Balanced. Perhaps a little hot on the finish but that’s pretty common with their wines; at least to my palate. Drink now and through 2030.

First class

WOTD

Mid Ruby/crimson with cherry red flashes. Aromas of menthol, dusty, antique shop, black currant. An absolutely stunning palate - silken - totally balanced and confident in its structure - an aristocrat , up there with the best First Growths. 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot. 100% new French Oak which is now totally resolved. Quilceda Creek said at the time of release that the 2007 was probably the best to date. This was in the top handful of wines we have had this year and I can see why Robert Parker gave it 100 💯 points.

I believe this is the oldest QC I’ve ever had. While I don’t drink them extremely often, I normally really enjoy the profile, albeit knowing they need quite a bit of time to come around. All that to say, I was really excited to see how this would show.

Cork looked almost brand new! Hardly any seepage. Amazingly dark in the glass with some fading around the rim. Aromatics of chocolate bitters dusted blackberries, espresso, baking spices and some savory graphite. Wonderfully balanced and integrated on the palate with a profile that could resemble a warm vintage early ‘00s left bank Bordeaux. Just a small amount of leather to accompany the muddled black and dark red fruits with nice acidity, and the finish is clean and pretty sporting soft tannins. This held up easily over a few hours open in the bottle. Not getting any better, but this is in a nice window where I suspect it will live for a few years.

How do you rate a RP 100 point wine. With a 10! So deserving of a highest grade. Just pure Goodness in every level.

A rich crimson in colour with a little bricking developing - a tawny rim. Aromas of cassis, plum and dark chocolate on the nose. Smooth and silky with black currant - totally balanced with resolved tannins. The proverbial iron fist in the velvet glove - great density. See previous notes - I’ve never seen this for sale in Australia. Bought this from Vinfolio in San Francisco and was immediately impressed. A world class new world Cabernet - just gorgeous. 100 points from Robert Parker and also Jeb Dunnuck - tempted to do the same - I settled on 99. The best wine I’ve had this year.

I became a fan of Quilceda Creek when visiting our son at College in the US back round 2005. I bought this bottle from Vinfolio in San Francisco. This wine is a dark Ruby red with a tawny rim developing. Initially notes of asparagus (SO2) which blew off after about 30 minutes in the decanter. Medium weight on the palate with red and black berries and a touch of chocolate. Very balanced at 16 years of age , some savouriness finishing with soft resolved velvety tannins. Medium plus intensity and low acid. I note Harvey Steimans Drinking window was 2010 to 2020. 14.9% ABV is hardly noticeable. One of the 1001 wines and a delight to drink this.

From mag. Big fella but moves with surprising grace. Plush and creamy blackberry and plum with some wood spice, smoke, mocha.