96 RP
2021 - 2040
Tried and true, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon displays classic typicity for the bottling. Displaying a dark ruby color at the core with a solid ruby edge, the wine continues to be a clear champion of Washington Cabernet. Succulent blackberry, cassis, lavender-infused dark cherry, currant and layers of elegant baking spices on the nose flutter on top of streams of red and purple flowers with hints of dusty cocoa powder. Full-bodied, rich, elegant and tied up with a bow, the palate is generous, overflowing with dark red and black fruit essence that begins to break into the blue fruit territory. The structure is generous yet balanced, like watching a jumbo jet land with ease. While still young, the tannic structure is firm and will ease over the next three to six years before stretching its legs and hitting its stride. Ending with the long, winding and ever-evolving finish, the wine delivers pleasure at every turn. The wine spent 20 months in 100% new French oak and then rested for a year in bottle. Collectors already know that Quilceda Creek continues to be a juggernaut of Washington state Cabernet, producing quality wines, year after year. Just under 5,000 cases were made.
A powerhouse of Cabernet, Quilceda Creek continues to set the bar in Washington for amazingly complex, round, rich and juicy wines of utmost elegance and precision. The Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet took for me for a ride as one of this year's best Cabernets from Washington State. With longtime employee John Ware leaving for Rocky Pond Winery, the young and talented Alex Stewart has stepped up to the plate. Stewart is crafting amazingly beautiful, wonderfully structured wines that are incredibly complex and worthy of carrying the Quliceda Creek name into the future.
