x
  • Country ranking ?

    328
  • Producer ranking ?

    2
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2045
  • Food Pairing

    Marinated venison skewer with celery

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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Wine Information

Winemaker's comments
The 2003 vintage resulted in wines that have stunning aromas, flavors and texture. Violets, black-cherry and blackberry coat the palate, layering complex notes of Vahlrhona chocolate, wood-smoke and Asian spice. This wine will mature nicely over the next 7 to 8 years and continue to age gracefully for at least another 10-20 years. 

International Wine Cellar Review

"Full ruby-red. Knockout nose combines blackcurrant, blueberry, smoke, tobacco, road tar, coffee and milk chocolate. Wonderfully ripe and lush but uncompromisingly dry, with an exhilarating underlying minerality and superb lift to its fruit and torrefaction flavors. Full and complete, finishing with outstanding breadth and lingering sweetness. Paul Golitzin notes that tannin management at Quilceda Creek is far more sophisticated today than it was in the mid-90’s."
Score: 93-96 pts

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar Nov/Dec 05 

Wine Advocate Review

"Seemingly unsatisfied with receiving the first perfect score I’ve attributed to a young red wine in these pages, the Golitzin family went for broke, earning two. Alex Golitzin and his son Paul, both obsessive about quality, have worked together for years to maximize fruit flavors and minimize harsh tannins. Their work has been on two fronts. 1.) the vineyards, where their demands, meticulousness, and obsession with late harvests has driven growers crazy (yet, in retrospect, the farmers are grateful); and 2.) the winery, where they have experimented with every conceivable process to further their goals. Soaking and vinifying at precise temperatures (they tape over the gauges lest visitors learn their closely guarded secrets) to draw out flavor and only the sweetest tannin, the Golitzins have gone further, inventing a system utilizing air to break and sink their caps in a much more gentle way than pump-overs (remontages) and punch-downs (pigeages) would ever allow."

"Years ago, Robert M. Parker, Jr. wrote that Quilceda Creek was one of the world’s finest sources of Cabernet Sauvignon. Over the past decade, I’ve chimed in that there isn’t a Cabernet producer with this winery’s track record for consistency. Now, Quilceda Creek has produced two wines that are second to none."

"Darker colored and significantly more powerful, the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon displays mouth-watering aromatics of black chocolate, sage, and blackberry liqueur. Its awe-inspiring core of cassis liqueur, violets, blueberry nectar, black cherry syrup, and chocolate is immensely muscular yet elegant. Texturally reminiscent of liquid velvet, it slathers the palate with oodles of fruit, displaying unreal depth, balance, and length. Wow! Projected maturity: 2010-2024. Congratulations Alex and Paul, welcome to the big leagues."
Score: 100 pts

Pierre-Antoine Rovani, Wine Advocate, Issue 164, closing date 4-24-06 

Wine Advocate Review

"Another wine I've had multiple times recently, the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot) is pure perfection in a glass and yields off-the-hook aromatics of cassis, black raspberries, tobacco leaf, pepper and licorice. Deep, layered and even elegant, with a seamless texture that conceals the sheer wealth of material present, it builds through the mid-palate, possesses huge amounts of extract and masses of polished tannin on the finish. Despite the overall size, it never loses its Cabernet Sauvignon soul and has an almost Bordeaux-like savoriness and tannic frame. Still young (yet gorgeous nonetheless), it can be enjoyed now or cellared for another 10-15+ years." Drink now-2028.
Score: 100 pts

Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate, #207, June 2013 

Wine Spectator Review

"As this Cabernet specialist refines its style, the wines are becoming polished and seductive without losing their richly layered flavors. It has gorgeous, focused currant, plum and blackberry fruit, shaded with touches of dusky spice and smoky notes from oak, but it’s almost subliminal to the harmonious, seamless fruit character. The wine glides over the palate, submerging its tannins to let the flavors soar. Best from 2008 through 2020."
Score: 95 pts

Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator Insider April 19, 2006

 

 

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Information

Origin

Alderdale, Washington

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Best buy

Investment potential

Average

Fake factory

None
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