Cork came out intact, though a few bits in the wine...medium red color...fruit has largely faded off...medium finish with a bit of heat...past its prime in my opinion.
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dry crumbly cork, but wine was perfect. Much better than my last bottle (drank in 2013), much more in balance - with no over ripe or toasty oak showing. Simple, and easy to drink. Paired well with Skirt Steak
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Very similar to my last tasting in Sept 19. Last bottle of a case and in fine shape for its age. Still some tannins standing behind the fruit, but I wouldn't hold on to these much longer. We drank this on its own during a Corona-distancing gathering next door and while it was fine without food, it'd have been better with lightly-seasoned beef. .
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A soft supple wine that shows full maturity. A drafts of cedar and pencil lead drifts across the nose. The front end shows soft berry and some cinnamon. A finish that is on the short end leaves me wishing for earlier consumption.
Don’t hesitate to drink this vintage.
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Pop and pour, not decanted. Cork came out as if just bottled yesterday, w virtually no stain penetration.
Nose is old world; Muted leather, tobacco and earth. While the fruit is fading, the tannins are equally soft. Frankly, it’s impressive that any $35 wine would age this gracefully for 14 years.
My bride and I enjoyed the wine on its own for two hours before finally pairing it with a filet Mignon roast and broccoli from our garden. Another glorious Friday evening watching a proud American flag wave in a modest Texas breeze. No matter your political leanings, we are “privileged” and proudly worked to enjoy tonight’s bounty.
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Poured half the bottle into a decanter and followed it over the course of 90 minutes, reserving the other half for tomorrow.
Bright, dark fruit, blackberries on the nose; these continue with tart apple front palate and a dry finish that carries through the mid/back palate and lingers for 20+ seconds. This is VERY well-balanced and in its ideal window. Doesn’t get much better than this and out-performs wines at triple the release price. Bravo!
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Just discovered that I have more bottles 2005 Quliceda Creek Red Wine than I had remembered. Was a little worried that this may have rested a bit too long, but was pleasantly surprised. Opened and decanted a bottle tonight; the color is starting to fade, but the nose is bright with plum and lead pencil. The texture is balanced, flavors of lavender, cassis, steel, and just-right tannins. Lots of love left in this bottle! Plan to open the others soon; it's kind of like hearing great stories from your grandmother while she can still remember them.
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Black cherries, dried fig, a little blueberry and blackberry, earth, flowers, roasted herbs, and licorice on the nose. Black and red cherries, tart cherry, earth, spice, herbs, and some aged oak on the finish. Surprisingly nice acidity, mostly integrated tannins, long finish. Medium body. Slightly warm from alcohol. This bottle was really quite nice. 91-92
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Mature red fruit on thei nose, hint of tobacco or dark tea. Well-balanced but clearly towards the end of its drinking window. Good coating mid-to-back palate, ripe fruits, diminishing tannins yield a nice wine that shows it age but it still drinking quite well
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Decanted by the restaurant. Little sediment. Medium red color. Nice nose of black and red fruit, oak with a charred aspect to it. The wine is ready to drink, very balanced between all elements. Excellent now.
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Finally, the flavors of this wine have come around. The high alcohol tends to fade after 90 minutes and the flavors emerge. Has a slightly sweet finish that makes it hard to resist. Took a long time for this wine to come around but it is finally there in my view. Does need 90 minutes for the alcohol to subside. Should last several more years.
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Pnp, drank over 5 hours. Consistently very good. Medium weight. Nice fruit, a touch of mint & earth nose. Better than previous bottles. Smooth drinking. Enjoy now.
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Pnp,, then drank over 3 hours. Consistently very good. Medium weight. Nice fruit, a touch of mint & earth nose. Better than previous bottles. Cherry & blueberries, smooth drinking. Enjoy now.
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Medium bodied displaying black cherry fruit, anise, marzipan, dried herbs, and minerals. It has serious weight, excellent length, and should be at its best through 2020.
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Still in line with my notes from earlier in the year; no decant necessary, likely detrimental as the wine is medium-light weight. Violets, blue fruit, dark tea; finish doesn't last very long but the dark blue fruit makes this an easy drinker with a variety of foods or on its own.
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This bottle was just great. Drank with dinner then the wife and I had the last two glasses by the fire. No decant and total time open was about 4 hours. The last two glasses were the best. The nose has always been a little muted but the mid palette and long finish more than make up for it.
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PnP. Tight at first, with some muted fruit. Last glass 3 hours later was somewhat better but still tannins & missing fruit. If I wait for the tannins to mellow out will the fruit emerge or be MIA?
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This is still a very nice, fruity cabernet that has aged well but needs to be consumed soon. I will probably finish off the remainder of this vintage over the next year.
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Can't believe it's been 3 years since last popping one of these. Blueberry aromas waft up from the stems when poured in. As this wine is one of our daily drinkers due to its price point, we don't typically have the opportunity to enjoy them wiht this much age. It's a treat. It an elegant wine in a beautiful place. Bottle air is fine; no decant necessary. This may continue to evolve a bit more, but still plan to drink remaining bottles by 2021
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Still not offering much on nose and tight on the palate. The heat is a little more muted than a few years ago. Tannins are integrated well. Will hold remaining bottles at least 2-4 yrs.
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Opened three hours plus in advance because I had consumed a bottle in 2011 that was very tight. Even as we started consuming and moved into the fourth hour, there was very little flavor. I can't understand why it isn't more giving but have several more and will wait a bit. I had a 2006 recently that was delicious after about an hour. Wish I had more of those.
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Huge nose, rich red/black fruit, fresh asphalt, ash, tobacco. Smells like a huge wine. Tastes like a huge wine as well, long, intense palate of black fruit, tobacco and structure. The alcohol is up there as it somehow overwhelms the intense flavors in the mid-palate and finish, muddling up the experience a bit. Overall this was quite a bruiser, it paired well with the steak but was sort of lost during the rest of the meal. I feel like this is a wine done in a particular style, if you like these huge Washington reds you will likely enjoy this. If you don't, well, you won't. I'm middle of the road on it.
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Slow O'ed for a couple hours...red and blue fruits, but the most enjoyable dynamic was the silky smooth tannins followed by a nice finish with no heat whatsoever...these CVR's are drinking great with some age.
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Finally this wine is ready to drink! We have a case of it and have been tasting a bottle each year for the last four--too much oak, too much alcohol, too huge--not my deal. Finally it is better integrated and balanced, much smoother, very good.
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Greenblanket didn't even know he had this wine in his cellar (Damn, how he wishes he had bought and forgot a bottle of 2004 Pegau or a nice mid level Pomerol for the same price). Oh well, we live with our mistakes and enjoy them the best that we can. This features ripe dark fruit with the signature blueberry element. Did I say ripe? The oak is resolved and the tannin smooth but strong. The best Greenblanket can say is, that while this wine is not his over extracted cup of tea, it is not wildly out of balance.
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This was probably the first QC RTW that I really enjoyed. At least as far as the 05s. This is finally integrated, balanced. Fruit, oak, alcohol all nicely put into place. Had with burgers
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My only complaint with this wine is that it's overly perfumed, and that is almost entirely oak. Putting your nose in it sometimes feels like you've tipped over the entire fragrance counter of a department store onto the floor. Medium to full bodied, still a fair amount of structure, but the tannins are nothing like they were 3-4 years ago.
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Double decanted and reviewed 2 hours after opening. Nose is very attractive with lots of fruit, oak spice, interesting complexity. Palate is smooth, dense without a lot of weight, the oak is still prominent and this could go quite a bit longer.
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Not horrible, but I was expecting more balance. This wine seems very new world, oaky and fruity. Other people at the tasting liked it even less than me.
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Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (Porter Creek, Mpls, MN): Very dark purple-red color. Followed 1 glass over 60 minutes. This shows more promise than the '03 with some big black fruits and some intensity on the palate. What scares me is that the balance is nowhere to be found with oodles of sharp oak and the alcohol showing through. If this does what the '03 did, and the fruit fades, then I don't know what kind of longevity this can have or whether there is a chance this will resolve and integrate. Apparently it's not my style.
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I Just don't get these wines. Oak still seems prominent. Blue fruits, tannins resolved nicely but oak is too much for me. I'm sensitive to oak so please take that with a grain of salt.
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Popped and poured. Nose of dark cherry fruit and a little kirsch. Very smooth and elegant with medium plus body. Plenty of ripe, dark fruit without being over the top. Secondary notes of coffee, smoke and some green vegetable flavors. Medium length finish with smooth tannins. Did not get the heat I encountered with my previous bottle. This seems to be in a good place just now and should remain there for a while. Excellent QPR.
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Complimented our slow cooked prime steaks and then continued to please for after dinner conversation. To echo the previous comments, this is a well integrated table wine.
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A free replacement for a corked bottle, this one was far from flawed. Drank over the course two nights, it held up well. Showed the usual balance and integration I expect from this red wine from Quilceda, definitely one of the best values in WA.
PDQ93
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Pop n pour. Rich nose of dark berry reduction with rose petal undertone. medium mouthfeel. Darker berry and plum in mouth initially. Mid palate brings some earth and stems, along with balanced acidity. By one hour uncorked, integrates a bit more with richer mouthfeel.
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Popped and aerated in bottle for 2+ hours. Medium-plus purple/garnet, hazy hue...quite youthful in appearance, actually. Solid perfume of plummy fruits and dark berries intermingled with root vegetables/vegetal funk, vanilla bean, and a touch of smoke. Medium-plus body. On the palate, a nice core of fruit flavors represented by blackberry and cherry flavors is complimented by discreet herbaceous notes (menthol, mint, fresh oregano), tinges of mocha, and as with the nose, a touch of smoke from toasted oak. Certainly some heat too. Moderate acidity along with chewy, astringent tannins on the medium-plus close. Starting to integrate and perhaps even open up, this continually improved over a 4-5 hour timespan...seems like it should be reaching an apogee in the next 2-3 years. Best bottle since on release.
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decanted for 1 hour, which might not have been enough. Not as extracted as expected, more on the balanced side with a touch of earthy greenness. Nice fresh finish. Nice for a 2nd wine and for the QPR. bought on release for $35
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Decanted for 45 mins and followed over 3 hours. Decanter is screaming blackberry blackcherry as the wine is poured from the bottle. After waiting 45 mins, this is incredibly silky and lush on the palate. While the mouthfeel is elegant, there's no mistaking this as anything but a New World wine. Dark, ripe fruits, a hint of spice, blackberry. This is really in a good place.
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Opened with Darioush Cab 09, Conn Valley 06, Togni Tanbark Hill 02 and Columbia Crest Resv 07. While all are great, this 05 Quilceda second label had the most room to run. Still incredibly young, it was decanted for over 7 hours. The nose started out very closed down with leather, tobacco lead pencil and cigar box. Over time the black currant, blackberry and black cherry emerged. This wine clearly has many years left but if you can't wait, give it a good overnight decant at cellar temp and you'll be rewarded for patience.
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I agree with Traxx, but maybe not so harshly. After a few-hour decant it's smoothing out, but what's left is a very oaky, liquor-like Cabernet, without the structure and freshness of fruit of really high-quality WA or CA Cabernet. In a word: disappointing.
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I popped the cork and let it open up in the bottle for a little over an hour. The wine had lost the grip that was there just a few years ago. It still had nice fruit but the lack of tannin made it feel flat. With that said I like a punchy wine. Enjoy these soon, they're not getting any better.
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very impressed by this as the Quilceda "everyday" wine. This was our first bottle ever and we were very happy with the purchase. Lots of dark fruits, licorice, velvet texture.
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Big massive body. Nose of dark fruit and tar. On the palate there was nice structure. Full mouth feel with a velvety texture. The flavor was not very expressive. Black berry, black tea and that was about it. A little disapointed.
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popped and poured and let sit for 15 minutes. aroma filled the room with dark fruit, licorice etc. first taste very tannic but filled the mouth and long finish. saved 1/2 bottle for second night.
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Dark red color. Pretty nose of black currant and blackberry fruit, with a nice earthy streak. In the mouth, lightly herbal and effusively fruity, showing ripeness but also good balance and moderate restraint. Solid wine. A-
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Decanted 4+ hours. Inky color. Aromas of licorice, black fruit, plum and raisins. Firm tannins have a sweet edge, with plum and black fruit nuances, though it remains tight.
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Opened by Allred. Decanted for 4 hours. Heavily sedimented. Coffee, black fruit and sweet licorice. Very tight when first opened and did not open that much with time. Really not that enjoyable now. Wait 10 years? 85+ points.
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Outstanding. Sytlistically Quilceda Creek. Great value for money. Expressive on the nose and tongue. Spice and perfume. Full mouth feel, yet not heavy. Balanced. Nice fruits. Good finish. Tasted several bottles in first half of 2012.
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Decanted and consumed over about 4 hours. Initially, this was pretty closed, but only took an hour to open up, and improved through the last glass. Very dense and concentrated, with aromas and flavors of flinty currant, plum and licorice. Good finish. Peaking, IMO, but will certainly hold for 5+ years, I'd estimate.
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Age is starting to serve the QC Reds well. I've always found them to be very dry - almost reminiscent of a glass of chianti poured at your local Italian restaurant - and to a fault, the chilled '05 was no different. But this one eased back a little not long after pour, flowering into a more supple drinker. The tannic backbone is still strong here, and suggests this could go another decade.
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- Garnet color with medium forming legs - Decanted for three hours which helped the wine. When I first opened this bottle in 07 it was terribly acidic but this has evolved. Nice easy drinker with steak.
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Alsways a very solid example of WA wine. Big fruit, big spice. Vanilla. Rough around the edges, but high quality red fruit. Nice round tannins. Long finish.
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Pulled from cellar (one more left of 8). Opened and poured in glass. Swirled and hand warmed for 30 minutes before first sip. Very aromatically challenged. Not much sediment in bottle. Red fruit and light vanilla oak aromatics with a very light hint of coffee…but very light. Medium body and no heaviness (a good thing)….but the wood is overbearing at this time and that "purity" of fruit that you get on the flagship cabs is nowhere to be found. Some chocolate notes (less than what I remember from last year) and tannins are very smooth at this time. 60 mins later still aromatically challenged with more wood and vanilla aroma but pairing well (smooth and nice mouth feel) with the pot roast and BCS game…. IMHO not going to get any better w age and remained very one dimensional (but a good one dimension….but being a QC I want to hold this to a higher bar). Reaffirms my belief that second wines from CA and WA just may not be worth the price (Napanook withstanding for my taste). Have not touched the 06/07 or 08’s QC red wines yet…but now going to start. Second half BCS bottle is 06 Schrader CCS (look for review later).
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HEAVY WINE, there is nothing that describes this better. These wines have plenty of time but if you insist...the heavy mouth feel is set from tight tannin that yields to dark fruits and leather, not a lot of smoke, I am not complaining though. After being open but not decanted for three hours this wine is still gigantic but extemely tasty.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Bricking on the edges and has changed from a dark purple in color to an aged red. Lots of heat on the finish. Nothing special and the last few times I've had the QC Red Wine, I confirm to myself that I will be only buying the Cabs. Better wines at $38.
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Birthday wine with filet, mushrooms, bread, salad, peas, and chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Opened 2.5 hours before dinner, still a bit closed and hot with the first glass. By dinner, it had the classic Red Mountain feel. Spice, mocha, dark fruits that were wonderful with the steak. A big, young wine but oh so good.
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Ridiculously young still. Poured through Vinturi aerator into decanter and decanted over 2 hours. STILL super tight and crazy huge but developing beautifully. Revisit in 3-5 yrs.
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Would agree largely with Anthony Lombardi. There is a lot of oak on this wine. I'm not as against it as he was. I drank this over two days...first day it was big, rich, opulent, fruit forward, lots of chocolate, dark black fruits and coffee (definitely with oak underlying it). Second day the tannin and oak settled a bit, however, alcohol came though a bit more on the nose. I'm thinking this will come together in 3-5 years. If drinking before that I'd strongly encourage at least 2 hours decant and bring to room temp before thinking of serving. Nice wine, way outperforms crap for the same price.
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A promising wine but just not ready. Open for two and a half hours and barely opened up. Saved half a bottle for the second day. But I would say two years away from drinking well though the breeding is clear.
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Drank over three days. Opaque violet, nearly pitch black at the core.
Day 1- Nearly a waste of time. Oak dominates both nose and palate. Heavy, almost fatiguing to drink. Some dark fruit obscured by sweetish oaky flavors. Good tannic structure. Long finish.
Day 2- The nose is still dominated by oak aromas. Don't get me wrong, oak can enhance wine, but this is completely over the top. Integrating slowly on the palate as some complexity and layers of fruit are starting to emerge. Red and black with tons of mocha and tobacco. The weight isn't as viscuous as the previous day.
Day 3- The oak has finally integrated, and now the nose offers black raisined fruit and some alcoholic fumes. Full bodied, but not flabby, the mid palate shows the mix of brooding black fruit still transitioning to sweeter mocha on the back (maybe the oak is still lingering). Heat on the finish.
This is muddled and messy. I suppose I would say bottle age these, but I have no idea what will be waiting for you on the other side.
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Pop and pour, with an hour of air (undecanted). Muted aromatics, some light coffee/tobacco. Medium+ weight, more tobacco/leather, ripe dark fruit, some blueberry notes as well. Great drinking wine and an outstanding QPR.
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Drank with pizza. Nice dark fruit and coffee aroma. Taste has the coffee and blackberry, with some oak coming through in the mid-palate, but not much. A little bit of tannins still coming through at the end, but it works well. Seems to be coming together really well, but I think this would be great in another year or two.
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Decanted 2 hours and rebottled. Lots of jammy fruit on the nose with some kirsch liquor. Great attack of blackberry and blueberry fruit on the palate with notes of smoke and a little spice and some roasted coffee. The fruit is quite extracted and a little sappy which will not doubt put off a lot of people. 20+ second finish with some grippy tannins showing. Just a little heat which was not too bothersome for me. For those who, like me, can enjoy a slightly more extracted style, this is an outstanding effort and represents a good QPR. Should drink well for many years.
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Deep, dark purple color - medium-full bodied - complex, soft polished bouquet and tastes of ripe black and red berry fruits, a soft layer of mocha and vanilla with a smooth moderate tannin finish. Nice easy drinking wine when the call is for a sophisticated red during the hot weather. Nice complement to grilled tenderloin and roasted potatoes - and to the chocolate berry desert. The soft smooth character of this wine seems to be contrary to the the blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot. This wine is consistently enjoyable.
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Popped and poured. Medium-plus deep garnet, hazy. Quite the interesting, yet certainly bizarre nose...think blackberry, black raspberry jam, fresh root vegetables, decaying meat, floral incense, and perhaps a bit of vanilla-tinged smoke. Perhaps this is showing a bit reduced. Medium-plus body. The bizarre aromas do not extend to the palate, where this wine shows classic QC notes of blueberries and blackberries along with hints of spice, pipe tobacco, vegetal flavors, and toasted oak. The tannins are plush on the moderate close. Well balanced, this still has years to go but is definitely in a nice spot.
Quick commentary: While finding the "funk" in a WA wine is certainly possible, I can't recall any other vintage of QC Red wine from 2003 on that has showed this character. Personally, I find it to be from bottle reduction as opposed to terrior and indeed, I made note of this in 2008 when I tried a bottle upon receiving my shipment.
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This wine is drinking very nice now, patience is starting to pay off. Decanted for 2 hours. Fantastic notes of blackberry, black cherry, mocha and mint. Lovely wine
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Crushed red berries and flower petals on the nose. Red berry and some black berry flavors up front; smooth tanins came out mid-palate. (Agree with prior review on lavendar throughout.) Lingering coco, pomegranant, and tanins.
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Wow, this baby was surprisingly good. Definitely the epitomy of what WA wine should be built like. Full body with nice integration, and structure. Tannins very well balanced. Nose had some backing spice on top of red fruit a touch of licorice, vanilla and the slightest bit of WA funk. Blueberries throughout. Long, smooth finish.
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A nice sipping wine with blueberry liquor, vanilla, chocolate, and tobacco on the nose and palate. The nose was a little warm with a nut thing coming through when first opened. Sat in the decanter for 1.5 hrs. Lush mouthfeel with very sweet blue and black fruits coated with chocolate. A cocktail wine for me not a food wine. Will hold remaining bottle for 5 years to see where this goes.
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Yummy, if a little tight. Loads of dark fruits and old saddle leather, not overly oaked. Will improve as the tannins integrate, but pretty darn lovely right now.
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When first opened there as a lot of alcohol and heat, however after a 3 hour decant the story changed. Nice lavendar, blackberry and blueberry fruit with some spice.
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Too much oak and too much heat on the finish. Beautiful fruit, bright blueberry, vanilla, black berry, lavender. Silky mouth feel. Needs more time, but not sure if it will every come around and be in balance.
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creamy oak. medium bodied with plums and dark fruit overshadowed by heavy dark bitter chocolate, cocoa powder, herbs and potent tannins. lots of elements here but will this come together?
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Pop and pour, consumed over 4 hours. Seemed a little sweeter than I recall. Began with some heavily-tannic notes and very quickly softened up without any decanting.
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Best of Washington at Russell's (Bothell): nose: nutty, cashew-like with cocoa. Very oaked palate: flabby, alcohol, blah. Did not like. Others at the table raved. I moved on to other bottles quickly.
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WLTV Offline - Best of WA Tasting (Russell's, Bothell, WA): The nose had aromas of red fruits, spicy oak, and heat. The palate had cherry and blueberry flavors with some green tobacco nuances. Full bodied with a spicy mouthfeel and medium long finish. The finish turned slightly medicinal near the end. I used to really enjoy the Quilceda red wine bottlings, but they just don't quite do it for me the way they once did.
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served at party...but brought home most of bottle. Tried it tonight 3 nights later and not sure how it was stored in terms of temperature...cork was in which is the dark purple plastic one like Behrens uses...this is a very big, ripe wine that probably still needs decanting....will try that tomorrow
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This was just an OK bottle. Kind of a musty mushroom taste to it. The dark fruits were not integrated as well as I would have liked. Literally 100's of wines that are masquerading as something better then they really are.
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similar impression to last time. no significant changes. very primary just a fruit monster with lots of oak. very soft in the mouth. clearly a style one must like in order to fully enjoy.
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Definitely not a big wine. Drank 1 glass on day 1 and finished off the bottle on day 2. Day 1 nothing special, but opened up overnight even though recorked overnight.
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First of all, this bottle was in the decanter for over five hours before consumption. Take a peak at my previous '05 or '06 post. This wine sheds those unwanted tendencies if you have the patience or time to let it hit air before drinking, lots of it. I have to tell you, this little gem did start out as the wooded monster many talk about, it also had disjointed components. This all seemed to meld as it evolved in the decanter, yum. All I can say is the QC red kicks ass. In addition to the tons of dark fruit, I had a spice that reminded me of cinnamon that led to the tannins, similar in consistency to tea. The crescendo of flavors in the mouth lingered after the wine was gone. Bad news, down to my last couple, good news, the '07 is soon to be released. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all....
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Decanted 3 hours. Dark Purple color. Still a bit tight after 3 hours. Rich nose of pencil shaving, earth, spices and plenty of dark fruit. The fruit doesn't carry to the palate. Lots of oak and massive gripping tannins, with noticable heat. I would not sip this, but pairs well with some red meat.
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Starting to taste much better. Opened up nicely after some decanting. Definitely a great example of washington cab, with just enought of the earthy bacterial to let you know it's there but not overpower anything. Thoroughly enjoyed. No shortage of fruit.
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Consistent to prior bottles. Perhaps softening up a little. Needs time and/or air. Big improvement after about 2-3 hours in glass. Rich, ripe aromas, smooth tannins. Finished with sage, blackberry and spice.
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Popped & poured. Much better than last bottle. Bottle variation or another year of age in the bottle. Still needs more time & still has too much oak for my taste. But, much smoother with softer weet tannins. Alcohol didn't seem as obtrusive, but is still there. Flavors felt more balanced. Nose shut down after initial pour.
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Decanted 1 hr. I was surprised, no shocked at how disjointed this was for the first hour. All I could smell and taste was the alcohol and jellied fruit. An hour later somewhat brought this into focus, though it never really gained in any complexity of note. Pretty raspberry coulis flavors paired with a somewhat dominant oak signature brought out a passable beverage, nothing more.
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I am not a scorekeeper but know what is a great wine. This was not my style, TG I only have three left. My vivid memory of this wine brought me back to grade school where I would chew on my pencil, yum. I desperately hunted for the fruit that I've come to love from Washington wines, must have left it out of this one. My yearning for the evolution was not quenched. OK, here comes the good news, I felt this wine was created by a team that walks a very high wire, it is one of the best balanced wines I've had, once again only missing component was that darn fruit. I feel this wine would be worthy of a score of ninety if and only if the finish was there. Still, all in all, this is a fine wine for the dough. Final thought, I have a cellar of their other selections, hoping to find the fruit in them, if not I will have no other choice but to get rid of them, or use them for cooking(JK).
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Very nice nose of blueberry and and strawberry maybe a little herbs. On the palate good silky attack then a nice palate staining mid palate with the finish just a little short. The nose carries over nicely to the palate. Very good and for the release price a steal. Will drink from 2010-2015.
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Opened + 60 min air in bottle. Deep ruby, almost purple with nice nose of black berries and cedar. Medium to full body; mouth coating with long finish. Blueberry, mineral and spice on the palate with cedar & blackberry notes coming in on the finish. This is a surprisingly good wine for the price - the equal, if not the better, of many Napa cab/cab franc bottles for 3x the price. This is also not the Quilceda Cab but very, very nice. If you can find it near the release price - buy it!
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More open in pop and pour than I would have expected. Nice red and blue fruits. Healthy dose of oak, vanilla, cedar etc throughout. Pretty firm tannins at the moment. Nice wine, not earth changing in the least. I will do what I can to wait on my remaining bottle a couple years. We shall see how well I succeed.
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The first night it was open, it was tight and showed very little. 2 days later and there is no sign of oxidation, it is still tight with stiff tannins but is starting to show some signs of life. Showing the trademark taste of blueberries with a hint of mint, it needed the thick and rare rib steaks we ate with it.
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WOW! had the previous bottle about 8months ago and man this is light years from where it was then. Popped to reveal a beautiful nose of blackberries, blueberries, mint and eucalyptus. On the palate it has some pretty aggressive oak but the fruit really stands up to it. Lots of the black and blue berries, carmel, coco, tobacco, and some green vegges with some red fruits peaking in and out. Pretty massive on the palate. After a day in the bottle some jalapenos came on the nose with more coco. I am really impressed with were this bottle is heading and wish I had a bottle or two more to follow it's progression.
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Probably the best bottle of wine we've had all year. Awesome nose. Seemed a little tight at first taste, then smooth silk. I was really surprised at how feminine this wine was. Can't wait (but will) to drink my other bottles.
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Decanted, a good choice. Lots of blue fruits, cedar, earth. It got better as it opened up; the tannins integrated and the blue fruit predominated. Enjoyable.
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Inky purple color with clear edge. Big rich curranty nose with hints of spice. Thick tannic, goes well with London Broil. Open 2 hours: Smoothing out. Quite rich and silky now. Should drink best 2010–15. 91 points. Open 2 days (4/28/09): Has mellowed beautifully! This is very tasty stuff. Amy likes it a lot. “Warm, friendly Cabernet!” 93 points.
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It has been several months so wanted to try this again. Decanted through vinturi into decanter at 1:30PM and poured a small amount into a glass as well. Sampled every hour and found this really needed time. Tight and sharp with alcohol at first. Went through a licorice phase which i've seen before with this wine. At 3 hours I was getting worried although it showed some improvment. Finally consumed with T-bone steak at 8pm (6.5 hours of decanting) and really liked what we found. Tobacco, nice amount of dark fruit, medium-full body and a nice lasting finish without the strong alcohol. it's really a diferent wine but very enjoyable. This is good booze.
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Another solid performance from this wine. Dark fruits ont he nose, some black cherry, charcoal and underbrush. In the mouth, fine grained tannins and nice mouthfeel. Well rounded wine, nice nose, good mouthfeel and decent finish. This should improve with some age.
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has calmed down a bit over the last 4 months. big sour cherry and currant nose and palate impression with firm dry finish. paired nicely with filet, garlic mashers and green beans. drank nicely on its own after the meal.
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Clear, dark ruby. Clean, medium plus intensity aromas of blackberry, plum, rubber, dark choco. Medium acid, medium tannin, medium-plus body. Flavors match aromas. Nice smooth tannin, herbs and flowers on the finish. Hold until 2H 2010.
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Very rough and tight out of the bottle; let it spend an hour in a decanter before retrying. Much more approachable, and it didn't change much after 2 hours in the decanter. Nose and flavors lacking the typical QC profile. As noted earlier, much more restrained than I've seen from earlier vintages of QC red, plum on the nose, the sligtest fine-grained tanins. More strawberry and raspberry, and no sign of oak or other "rougher" components. Enojyable, but thin and one-dimensional with a brief finish. Went very well with a nice steak dinner.
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Somewhat restrained nose of plum, licorice and dark chocolate. Big black fruit and a predominant sour cherry in the mouth. With a two hour decant, remains a bit tart. Still a nice mouthfeel, with the dusty tannins. if i had patience, i'd let these sit more.
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Popped this open and poured a small share. Thought the wine was very disjointed, hot and unpleasant. After an hour in the decanter we tried this again, and much had evolved over that short time. Paired with Humboldt Fog. This exhibited bright red raspberries and ripe cherry. Unparalleled texture, smooth and silky. In my opinion the oak was very complementary. Over the night I became a big fan of this style. I have a few of the cabs from various years which I am very eager to try now. Delicious!
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Decanted of a bit over an hour. Initial flavors or currant, and blue fruits a touch of green, but something else was underneath and present on the front end of the finish... it was a little funky or stewey. nice balanced proportions, plenty of wood showing, but I believe in time it will integrate. I look forward to where this is going and believe it will get better. I like that it is not Napa and not Bordeaux, but it something unto itself.
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1 hour decant and consumed over 2 hours. Agree with Clayfu. Cocoa, sour cherry, rasberry but with uresolved tannic acid and alcohol. No meat or ripe lush fruit here. Huge disappointment.
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Pop and Pour. Really light wine, has an elegance to it but it's "lacking" a little something. Hints of Cocoa , sour cherries, and light raspberries on the mid palate with a really interesting lush forest berry nose that dissipates away to some wood and plum. It needs some time before it'll really come on strong if it's big brother is any indication.
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Not ready for prime time at the 60 min mark. Heavy spice and grain alcohol on the nose, with very little fruit breaking through. Alcohol (vs. heat) on the taste, somewhat bitter and tannic. Bit of dark fruit (cherry) and mocha? At the 3 hour mark, it started to mellow out a bit, with the alcohol on the nose dying down and more cherry coming through on the taste.
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Dark Purple/Black... Nose of pencil shavings, plums, black cherry, cedar and spice - wonderful lush mouthfeel - intense flavors of dark cherry, spice, oak and alcohol come in waves - finish is hot with mouth drying tannins.
This has the stuffing to be very nice - just very imbalanced right now - I will let these sleep for a while.
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Very nice meritge. Nose is tight, but ushers in medicinal black cherry in a good way, a touch of cedar and a faint bell pepper note. This wine was splash decated for 30 minutes and consumed over 2.5 hours. I've had 3 vintages of this wine and to me this is the best of those. This will certainly benefit from time. If you have one to burn, its definitely worth it. I beleive it will be drinking at its peak in 3 to 5 years. I don't get the oak and alcohol as some others have noted, but I am not sensitive to either.
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Opened this Thanksgiving evening (see previous tasting note). A full glass remained in the bottle with a rubber cork (exposed to air in bottle), which I poured & tasted last night. Amazing how full this wine is even after 72 hours. Still has gobs of black fruit & oak, but much more drinkable. Needs more time in the botttle& I hope some of that alcohol burns off. I'm amazed at the level of extraction they get out of their grapes. This wine does not have the level of finance & elegance (although still a BIG wine) as their top shelf Cab offering.
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consumed this bottle over 3 days time and it was drinking best on day 3. Initially this was pretty closed down, but showed currant, cherries and some dark fruit flavors with an herbal edge and a medium length finish. This needs a few years to really come together and show its best. Rating is for day three impression. Hold for 3-4 years and drink over the next 10.
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Tons of fruit, oak, spice & alcohol. Had to walk away from it. After 3 hours, it improved greatly, but this thing needs to be put aside for a while to soften out. Hopefully, the alcohol won't dominate at that point though. Very well made & great for its style. A totally different experience from the '05 QC Cab!
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DO NOT OPEN YET!!! Terribly out of balance. Oak and alcohol at the very forefront now with little fruit shining through. I'd give this at least 6 months.
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Massive concentration on this bad boy and ill be letting my 2nd bottle age 4 several years. The nose was dominated by black currents & black cherries but there were some blue fruits in there 2. Plenty of green peppers & graphite from the cab franc w/some spicy oak rounding it out. On the palate it was an explosion of concentrated flavors. Everything from the nose followed 2 the palate but there was some heat 2. Almost went a lil auzzie 4 me. But definitely a 1st class red table wine 4 sure. I liked the 04 a lil better probably because of the extra bottle time.
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Did not decant. For the 1st 30 mins, this had an explosive nose of blueberry and spicy oak. Very concentrated during this time. After 30 mins, the wine began to mellow into what I would call a subdued relative of the estate cab. The same profile and mouthfeel, but much less of it. Does not have the concentration of the estate cab, but is very good for the price. Jay Miller states that it's true to the QC style, and he is dead on.
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A little disjointed. Maybe because it was just received and shaken for a few days. We let this air for a while and the group thought this was outstanding and definately better than the 04 but it needs time in the bottle for sure. Try the next one in a year or so. Definately worth the $$$.
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Nose is fantastic, if you like sweet. Huge candied strawberry and raspberry with a hint of milk chocolate. Loads of milk chocolate and raspberry on the palate without being too sweet and a very good balance. Absolutely worth the price of admission.
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Decanted for 3 hours. Still not much on the nose. Will wait at least 3 years to try another. Has great potential. Very closed right now...slight hints of the quilceda blue berries.
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Popped and set aside for 2+ hours aeration. Even for a QC, this wine exhibits a deep hue....darker than the 2003 and 2004. Very closed aromatically, some notes of red & black fruits, herbs, oak, and a touch of reduction. Medium-plus body. Interesting red fruits on the palate....cherry, raspberry, even strawberry. Certainly more herbaceous than prior vintages, think tobacco leaf with a hint of anise. Big, chewy tannins. The oak is much better integrated in 2005 (especially when compared to the '03). On day 2 it didn't budge....maybe closed down even further! Still, this has a great core of fruit.
There is a lot going on in this one, but it NEEDS time in bottle. Tremendous potential, I'll open my next in 2010.
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I really didn’t get a chance to spend much time with this wine, but it disappeared very quickly with group, and many positive comments were overheard. I was impressed with this at the QC release party this last spring, and clearly this is one of the better made Red’s made in recent vintages
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Figured I'd take one for the team and open one of my freshly shipped bottles of the latest QC red. Great weekend with the wife at Alderbrook on hood canal. Had the bottle with New York steak and it was very, very good. First few drinks were good but not great--and then it actually went down hill for a while. I got a weird taste, almost like licorice for a while--but let it sit and breathe in the bottle. at about 50 minutes it really picked up and became wonderful. this continued and was what i would call borderline incredible after about and hour and 15 minutes.
I would not hesitatate to open one if you have one and were wondering if it's too early. Mine was shipped a short distance from the winery to Redmond, WA, and then went in the car for a couple hours to the resort--all with no issues.
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Blind tasted this with 04 Quilceda and 01 Barolo...the 05 was the clear winner. Balanced and elegant, I wish I had much more than a few bottles. I could not get enough. The 04 was very good also, just not quite as balanced.
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Popped and poured 48 hours after shipment arrived to see how the wine is fairing since tasting at release party in April. Drinking the best of any of the Red Wines I've had from QC. Leaps and bounds better than the '04 opened the previous night, which was monolithic, disjointed, hot and the worst of the bottles we've had. The '05 had more lift and elegance (for QC) than previous vintages. There is a balance to this wine that is nice to see from the producer.
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Tasted at the release of the 05 Cab. This is a great value if it stays in the $30 range. Great fruit and more noticable oak than in the 05 Cab. Hopefully some of the oak will mellow out by the time it is released. I would be very happy drinking this wine very often.
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2008 Taste of Washington (Qwest Field Event Center, Seattle): Meh, this second wine of Quilceda Creek didn't impress, although it is young. Very tight with uninteresting bouquet. Nothing to write home about on the palate. Little finish. I've had several previous vintages of this wine which were quite good so had higher expectations. Dissappointing.
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12/5/2023 - Buddy318 wrote: 93 Points
Delicious. Tobacco, leather, earth. Probably 2027 at the latest.
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8/5/2023 - hanasowner wrote: 83 Points
Cork came out intact, though a few bits in the wine...medium red color...fruit has largely faded off...medium finish with a bit of heat...past its prime in my opinion.
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5/1/2022 - gzim Likes this wine: 89 Points
dry crumbly cork, but wine was perfect. Much better than my last bottle (drank in 2013), much more in balance - with no over ripe or toasty oak showing.
Simple, and easy to drink. Paired well with Skirt Steak
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2/26/2022 - BobbaWA Likes this wine: 89 Points
Structured, plum and moss. Placed third in a sort-of vertical side-by-side comparison of QC Red Wines 2010, 2006, 2005, 2011.
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11/24/2021 - norsktorsk wrote: 93 Points
big and full. drinking well.
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3/29/2020 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very similar to my last tasting in Sept 19. Last bottle of a case and in fine shape for its age. Still some tannins standing behind the fruit, but I wouldn't hold on to these much longer. We drank this on its own during a Corona-distancing gathering next door and while it was fine without food, it'd have been better with lightly-seasoned beef. .
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3/3/2020 - BobbaWA Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good wine.
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11/5/2019 - BradA wrote: 91 Points
A soft supple wine that shows full maturity. A drafts of cedar and pencil lead drifts across the nose. The front end shows soft berry and some cinnamon. A finish that is on the short end leaves me wishing for earlier consumption.
Don’t hesitate to drink this vintage.
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9/27/2019 - davidandrose Likes this wine:
Pop and pour, not decanted. Cork came out as if just bottled yesterday, w virtually no stain penetration.
Nose is old world; Muted leather, tobacco and earth. While the fruit is fading, the tannins are equally soft. Frankly, it’s impressive that any $35 wine would age this gracefully for 14 years.
My bride and I enjoyed the wine on its own for two hours before finally pairing it with a filet Mignon roast and broccoli from our garden. Another glorious Friday evening watching a proud American flag wave in a modest Texas breeze. No matter your political leanings, we are “privileged” and proudly worked to enjoy tonight’s bounty.
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6/16/2019 - BobbaWA Likes this wine: 90 Points
Another good bottle!
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6/3/2019 - BobbaWA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Holding up well; deep fruit, nice balance. Took this bottle with us on a road trip to Spokane.
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5/26/2019 - theharve wrote: 94 Points
this is serious good shit at least 2-3 yrs from peak. hold on to it folks.
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1/8/2019 - BobbaWA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Just doesn't disappoint. Big, full bodied, balanced, dark fruit and leather.
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12/31/2018 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Poured half the bottle into a decanter and followed it over the course of 90 minutes, reserving the other half for tomorrow.
Bright, dark fruit, blackberries on the nose; these continue with tart apple front palate and a dry finish that carries through the mid/back palate and lingers for 20+ seconds. This is VERY well-balanced and in its ideal window. Doesn’t get much better than this and out-performs wines at triple the release price. Bravo!
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12/14/2018 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
always enjoyable
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12/8/2018 - jfkwines wrote: 91 Points
Drank nicely let sit open for 2+ hours. Stormg mouth feel, slight fruit, lots of texture. Last of the vintage for us.
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11/20/2018 - BobbaWA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just discovered that I have more bottles 2005 Quliceda Creek Red Wine than I had remembered. Was a little worried that this may have rested a bit too long, but was pleasantly surprised. Opened and decanted a bottle tonight; the color is starting to fade, but the nose is bright with plum and lead pencil. The texture is balanced, flavors of lavender, cassis, steel, and just-right tannins. Lots of love left in this bottle! Plan to open the others soon; it's kind of like hearing great stories from your grandmother while she can still remember them.
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6/13/2018 - lirvingham wrote: 93 Points
Tasting great! Still fruit!
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3/10/2018 - rmh66 wrote: 91 Points
Black cherries, dried fig, a little blueberry and blackberry, earth, flowers, roasted herbs, and licorice on the nose. Black and red cherries, tart cherry, earth, spice, herbs, and some aged oak on the finish. Surprisingly nice acidity, mostly integrated tannins, long finish. Medium body. Slightly warm from alcohol. This bottle was really quite nice. 91-92
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3/2/2018 - jfkwines wrote:
Alot of Brett on opening, or I think it was Brett. It became ok and paired well with Steak, but fading fast
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1/21/2018 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mature red fruit on thei nose, hint of tobacco or dark tea. Well-balanced but clearly towards the end of its drinking window. Good coating mid-to-back palate, ripe fruits, diminishing tannins yield a nice wine that shows it age but it still drinking quite well
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12/1/2017 - RichD2 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted by the restaurant. Little sediment. Medium red color. Nice nose of black and red fruit, oak with a charred aspect to it. The wine is ready to drink, very balanced between all elements. Excellent now.
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5/23/2017 - norsktorsk wrote: 91 Points
Drinking well at this time.
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5/1/2017 - rojoloco wrote:
Finally, the flavors of this wine have come around. The high alcohol tends to fade after 90 minutes and the flavors emerge. Has a slightly sweet finish that makes it hard to resist. Took a long time for this wine to come around but it is finally there in my view. Does need 90 minutes for the alcohol to subside. Should last several more years.
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4/16/2017 - patwjr wrote: 91 Points
Pnp, drank over 5 hours. Consistently very good. Medium weight. Nice fruit, a touch of mint & earth nose. Better than previous bottles. Smooth drinking. Enjoy now.
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4/12/2017 - patwjr wrote: 92 Points
Pnp,, then drank over 3 hours. Consistently very good. Medium weight. Nice fruit, a touch of mint & earth nose. Better than previous bottles. Cherry & blueberries, smooth drinking. Enjoy now.
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4/9/2017 - Caroline&Terry Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium bodied displaying black cherry fruit, anise, marzipan, dried herbs, and minerals. It has serious weight, excellent length, and should be at its best through 2020.
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11/1/2016 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still in line with my notes from earlier in the year; no decant necessary, likely detrimental as the wine is medium-light weight. Violets, blue fruit, dark tea; finish doesn't last very long but the dark blue fruit makes this an easy drinker with a variety of foods or on its own.
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10/6/2016 - John4 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle was just great. Drank with dinner then the wife and I had the last two glasses by the fire. No decant and total time open was about 4 hours. The last two glasses were the best. The nose has always been a little muted but the mid palette and long finish more than make up for it.
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8/20/2016 - patwjr Does not like this wine: 87 Points
PnP 2 bottles. Seemed dull, flat, didn't drink. Too old?
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5/30/2016 - patwjr wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Tight at first, with some muted fruit. Last glass 3 hours later was somewhat better but still tannins & missing fruit. If I wait for the tannins to mellow out will the fruit emerge or be MIA?
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5/27/2016 - cabellis wrote: 90 Points
This is still a very nice, fruity cabernet that has aged well but needs to be consumed soon. I will probably finish off the remainder of this vintage over the next year.
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5/12/2016 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 95 Points
Can't believe it's been 3 years since last popping one of these. Blueberry aromas waft up from the stems when poured in. As this wine is one of our daily drinkers due to its price point, we don't typically have the opportunity to enjoy them wiht this much age. It's a treat. It an elegant wine in a beautiful place. Bottle air is fine; no decant necessary. This may continue to evolve a bit more, but still plan to drink remaining bottles by 2021
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3/11/2016 - borneman wrote: 89 Points
Still not offering much on nose and tight on the palate. The heat is a little more muted than a few years ago. Tannins are integrated well. Will hold remaining bottles at least 2-4 yrs.
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10/11/2015 - subir Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfumed bouquet of cedar, marjoram and cherries. Medium body, medium finish. This is finally showing well.
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8/22/2015 - rojoloco Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Opened three hours plus in advance because I had consumed a bottle in 2011 that was very tight. Even as we started consuming and moved into the fourth hour, there was very little flavor. I can't understand why it isn't more giving but have several more and will wait a bit. I had a 2006 recently that was delicious after about an hour. Wish I had more of those.
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2/22/2015 - gripNsip wrote: 85 Points
Huge nose, rich red/black fruit, fresh asphalt, ash, tobacco. Smells like a huge wine. Tastes like a huge wine as well, long, intense palate of black fruit, tobacco and structure. The alcohol is up there as it somehow overwhelms the intense flavors in the mid-palate and finish, muddling up the experience a bit. Overall this was quite a bruiser, it paired well with the steak but was sort of lost during the rest of the meal. I feel like this is a wine done in a particular style, if you like these huge Washington reds you will likely enjoy this. If you don't, well, you won't. I'm middle of the road on it.
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12/31/2014 - hanasowner wrote: 94 Points
Slow O'ed for a couple hours...red and blue fruits, but the most enjoyable dynamic was the silky smooth tannins followed by a nice finish with no heat whatsoever...these CVR's are drinking great with some age.
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10/26/2014 - mprachar wrote: 87 Points
Started out strong but then went away fast. Might be over the hill.
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10/11/2014 - BRR wrote: flawed
Corked / tainted (I can't remember which). Left in the decanter for 2 hours, and still zero nose and a very flat, flavorless palate. NR
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10/9/2014 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
As delicious as the last bottle.
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9/28/2014 - RussK wrote: 88 Points
RUSSK. Seemed cheap and jammy to me, and I have liked the later vintages.
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8/18/2014 - scollier Likes this wine: 91 Points
Needs some time to open up, a bit muted early on. Actually not as "hot" as one might expect for the alcohol content. This still has some cellar life.
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8/17/2014 - Hansen73 wrote: 90 Points
Finally this wine is ready to drink! We have a case of it and have been tasting a bottle each year for the last four--too much oak, too much alcohol, too huge--not my deal. Finally it is better integrated and balanced, much smoother, very good.
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7/31/2014 - KPieper Likes this wine:
Big fruity nose. About as good as it's gonna get. Integrated tannins. Still some heat on the finish, but I don't think that will ever go away...
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7/23/2014 - greenblanket wrote:
Greenblanket didn't even know he had this wine in his cellar (Damn, how he wishes he had bought and forgot a bottle of 2004 Pegau or a nice mid level Pomerol for the same price). Oh well, we live with our mistakes and enjoy them the best that we can. This features ripe dark fruit with the signature blueberry element. Did I say ripe? The oak is resolved and the tannin smooth but strong. The best Greenblanket can say is, that while this wine is not his over extracted cup of tea, it is not wildly out of balance.
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7/23/2014 - marka wrote: 91 Points
This was probably the first QC RTW that I really enjoyed. At least as far as the 05s. This is finally integrated, balanced. Fruit, oak, alcohol all nicely put into place. Had with burgers
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6/29/2014 - enjoyvino wrote: 90 Points
Good but not great. Maybe needed a longer decant. Nice earthy nose, mineral, forest. Palate was a little austere.
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5/31/2014 - EricBe wrote: 94 Points
This wine is drinking beautifully right now.
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4/14/2014 - subir Likes this wine: 89 Points
My only complaint with this wine is that it's overly perfumed, and that is almost entirely oak. Putting your nose in it sometimes feels like you've tipped over the entire fragrance counter of a department store onto the floor. Medium to full bodied, still a fair amount of structure, but the tannins are nothing like they were 3-4 years ago.
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3/16/2014 - johnnyo wrote: 93 Points
Getting down to the last few bottles of this vintage...lovely, wish I had more
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2/2/2014 - johnnyo wrote: 92 Points
Great juice for Super Bowl party! Hawks crushing Broncos made it taste even better.
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12/29/2013 - hiker_guy wrote:
Double decanted and reviewed 2 hours after opening.
Nose is very attractive with lots of fruit, oak spice, interesting complexity.
Palate is smooth, dense without a lot of weight, the oak is still prominent and this could go quite a bit longer.
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12/22/2013 - galewskj wrote: 88 Points
Not horrible, but I was expecting more balance. This wine seems very new world, oaky and fruity. Other people at the tasting liked it even less than me.
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12/21/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 87 Points
Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (Porter Creek, Mpls, MN): Very dark purple-red color. Followed 1 glass over 60 minutes. This shows more promise than the '03 with some big black fruits and some intensity on the palate. What scares me is that the balance is nowhere to be found with oodles of sharp oak and the alcohol showing through. If this does what the '03 did, and the fruit fades, then I don't know what kind of longevity this can have or whether there is a chance this will resolve and integrate. Apparently it's not my style.
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12/21/2013 - texaswinelover wrote: 89 Points
I Just don't get these wines. Oak still seems prominent. Blue fruits, tannins resolved nicely but oak is too much for me. I'm sensitive to oak so please take that with a grain of salt.
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11/28/2013 - Yamadori wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Nose of dark cherry fruit and a little kirsch. Very smooth and elegant with medium plus body. Plenty of ripe, dark fruit without being over the top. Secondary notes of coffee, smoke and some green vegetable flavors. Medium length finish with smooth tannins. Did not get the heat I encountered with my previous bottle. This seems to be in a good place just now and should remain there for a while. Excellent QPR.
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11/25/2013 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Such great balance. round tannins. Great fruit. A substantial, but subtle wine with good structure. Long finish.
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11/10/2013 - lirvingham wrote: 90 Points
Im not entirely sure this wine wasn't flawed. Palate was nice but nose had some bret which i don't remember.
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10/22/2013 - sinebubble wrote:
Complimented our slow cooked prime steaks and then continued to please for after dinner conversation. To echo the previous comments, this is a well integrated table wine.
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9/15/2013 - pdemaio wrote:
A free replacement for a corked bottle, this one was far from flawed. Drank over the course two nights, it held up well. Showed the usual balance and integration I expect from this red wine from Quilceda, definitely one of the best values in WA.
PDQ93
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8/9/2013 - johnnyo wrote: 92 Points
Love this wine!
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8/9/2013 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully!
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8/7/2013 - pdemaio wrote:
Easy to like, with no real flaws. Just a big smooth WA style red wine. Good finish, nice integration.
PDQ93
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8/6/2013 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with my other notes. A great value with great integration and balance. A joy to drink.
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7/12/2013 - johnnyo wrote: 92 Points
This wine is in it's sweet spot right now. Very nice after a 1 hour decant.
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7/12/2013 - phantphant wrote: 92 Points
Deep, intense, earthy.
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6/12/2013 - BMG Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really settling down nicely. Rich dark fruit and a finish that goes for days. Much more approachable than the elder wine.
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5/12/2013 - tairanosaurus wrote: 92 Points
Pop n pour. Rich nose of dark berry reduction with rose petal undertone. medium mouthfeel. Darker berry and plum in mouth initially. Mid palate brings some earth and stems, along with balanced acidity. By one hour uncorked, integrates a bit more with richer mouthfeel.
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5/3/2013 - patwjr wrote: 91 Points
Popped n poured. Not complex but a nice fruit finish. Drank well for the price. Got better with air. Enjoy now or hold.
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4/22/2013 - *Vine* wrote:
Popped and aerated in bottle for 2+ hours. Medium-plus purple/garnet, hazy hue...quite youthful in appearance, actually. Solid perfume of plummy fruits and dark berries intermingled with root vegetables/vegetal funk, vanilla bean, and a touch of smoke. Medium-plus body. On the palate, a nice core of fruit flavors represented by blackberry and cherry flavors is complimented by discreet herbaceous notes (menthol, mint, fresh oregano), tinges of mocha, and as with the nose, a touch of smoke from toasted oak. Certainly some heat too. Moderate acidity along with chewy, astringent tannins on the medium-plus close. Starting to integrate and perhaps even open up, this continually improved over a 4-5 hour timespan...seems like it should be reaching an apogee in the next 2-3 years.
Best bottle since on release.
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4/7/2013 - gzim wrote: 89 Points
decanted for 1 hour, which might not have been enough. Not as extracted as expected, more on the balanced side with a touch of earthy greenness. Nice fresh finish. Nice for a 2nd wine and for the QPR. bought on release for $35
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3/2/2013 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 45 mins and followed over 3 hours. Decanter is screaming blackberry blackcherry as the wine is poured from the bottle. After waiting 45 mins, this is incredibly silky and lush on the palate. While the mouthfeel is elegant, there's no mistaking this as anything but a New World wine. Dark, ripe fruits, a hint of spice, blackberry. This is really in a good place.
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2/18/2013 - BMG Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened with Darioush Cab 09, Conn Valley 06, Togni Tanbark Hill 02 and Columbia Crest Resv 07. While all are great, this 05 Quilceda second label had the most room to run. Still incredibly young, it was decanted for over 7 hours. The nose started out very closed down with leather, tobacco lead pencil and cigar box. Over time the black currant, blackberry and black cherry emerged. This wine clearly has many years left but if you can't wait, give it a good overnight decant at cellar temp and you'll be rewarded for patience.
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2/8/2013 - ewsds wrote: 86 Points
I agree with Traxx, but maybe not so harshly. After a few-hour decant it's smoothing out, but what's left is a very oaky, liquor-like Cabernet, without the structure and freshness of fruit of really high-quality WA or CA Cabernet. In a word: disappointing.
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1/8/2013 - Traxx Does not like this wine: 82 Points
Wow, bad! Oak, booze, gloop.
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12/1/2012 - johnnyo wrote: 92 Points
Drinking great right now though needs several hours of decanting.
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11/18/2012 - chrishallum wrote:
I popped the cork and let it open up in the bottle for a little over an hour. The wine had lost the grip that was there just a few years ago. It still had nice fruit but the lack of tannin made it feel flat. With that said I like a punchy wine. Enjoy these soon, they're not getting any better.
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11/17/2012 - ogres3 wrote:
Decanted about 5 hours. Lots going on. Brother in law thought very good. Still going strong and can sit for a few years.
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11/13/2012 - sjdcellar wrote: 92 Points
very impressed by this as the Quilceda "everyday" wine. This was our first bottle ever and we were very happy with the purchase. Lots of dark fruits, licorice, velvet texture.
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10/27/2012 - lirvingham wrote: 92 Points
Loved it. Ate with Mexican food so maybe not fair, but it still blew me away!
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10/13/2012 - BMG Wine wrote: 95 Points
Demands a long decant but well worth the wait.
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9/25/2012 - FW&W wrote: 88 Points
Big massive body. Nose of dark fruit and tar. On the palate there was nice structure. Full mouth feel with a velvety texture. The flavor was not very expressive. Black berry, black tea and that was about it. A little disapointed.
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9/11/2012 - ntrubee wrote:
popped and poured and let sit for 15 minutes. aroma filled the room with dark fruit, licorice etc. first taste very tannic but filled the mouth and long finish. saved 1/2 bottle for second night.
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8/31/2012 - BMG Wine wrote: 95 Points
MAJOR Upgrade. WOW.
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8/12/2012 - gutt22 wrote:
Dark red color. Pretty nose of black currant and blackberry fruit, with a nice earthy streak. In the mouth, lightly herbal and effusively fruity, showing ripeness but also good balance and moderate restraint. Solid wine. A-
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8/4/2012 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
Decanted 4+ hours. Inky color. Aromas of licorice, black fruit, plum and raisins. Firm tannins have a sweet edge, with plum and black fruit nuances, though it remains tight.
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8/4/2012 - Vino Me wrote: 85 Points
Opened by Allred. Decanted for 4 hours. Heavily sedimented. Coffee, black fruit and sweet licorice. Very tight when first opened and did not open that much with time. Really not that enjoyable now. Wait 10 years? 85+ points.
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7/19/2012 - Chris Herron wrote:
Outstanding. Sytlistically Quilceda Creek. Great value for money. Expressive on the nose and tongue. Spice and perfume. Full mouth feel, yet not heavy. Balanced. Nice fruits. Good finish. Tasted several bottles in first half of 2012.
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7/5/2012 - emdub wrote: 88 Points
I would start to drink up if you have them. I don't see this wine getting much better.
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6/18/2012 - BRR wrote: 92 Points
Decanted and consumed over about 4 hours. Initially, this was pretty closed, but only took an hour to open up, and improved through the last glass. Very dense and concentrated, with aromas and flavors of flinty currant, plum and licorice. Good finish. Peaking, IMO, but will certainly hold for 5+ years, I'd estimate.
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6/7/2012 - fitchbuck Likes this wine: 92 Points
Age is starting to serve the QC Reds well. I've always found them to be very dry - almost reminiscent of a glass of chianti poured at your local Italian restaurant - and to a fault, the chilled '05 was no different. But this one eased back a little not long after pour, flowering into a more supple drinker. The tannic backbone is still strong here, and suggests this could go another decade.
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5/22/2012 - jsioris wrote: 90 Points
- Garnet color with medium forming legs - Decanted for three hours which helped the wine. When I first opened this bottle in 07 it was terribly acidic but this has evolved. Nice easy drinker with steak.
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5/12/2012 - ckinv368 Likes this wine:
Beefy on the nose. Big fruit, cherry and dark blackberry on the palate. Definitely young and in your face at this point.
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4/26/2012 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Gorgeous fruit, but still painfully tannic.
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4/15/2012 - BonnieM wrote:
Still very tannic, needs food cause you can't just sip this wine. Will hold my other bottles for at least another year.
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2/6/2012 - phantphant wrote: 91 Points
Just fine juice...staying fine....drinking fine...
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1/23/2012 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Alsways a very solid example of WA wine. Big fruit, big spice. Vanilla. Rough around the edges, but high quality red fruit. Nice round tannins. Long finish.
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1/23/2012 - BMG Wine wrote: 93 Points
So much for 3-5 yrs....I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle watching footbal with good friends! Too young? YES.... Do I care? NO
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1/9/2012 - enjoywine wrote: 89 Points
Pulled from cellar (one more left of 8). Opened and poured in glass. Swirled and hand warmed for 30 minutes before first sip. Very aromatically challenged. Not much sediment in bottle. Red fruit and light vanilla oak aromatics with a very light hint of coffee…but very light. Medium body and no heaviness (a good thing)….but the wood is overbearing at this time and that "purity" of fruit that you get on the flagship cabs is nowhere to be found. Some chocolate notes (less than what I remember from last year) and tannins are very smooth at this time. 60 mins later still aromatically challenged with more wood and vanilla aroma but pairing well (smooth and nice mouth feel) with the pot roast and BCS game…. IMHO not going to get any better w age and remained very one dimensional (but a good one dimension….but being a QC I want to hold this to a higher bar). Reaffirms my belief that second wines from CA and WA just may not be worth the price (Napanook withstanding for my taste). Have not touched the 06/07 or 08’s QC red wines yet…but now going to start. Second half BCS bottle is 06 Schrader CCS (look for review later).
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1/1/2012 - phantphant wrote: 92 Points
This gets better and better...
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12/29/2011 - jfkwines wrote: 91 Points
HEAVY WINE, there is nothing that describes this better. These wines have plenty of time but if you insist...the heavy mouth feel is set from tight tannin that yields to dark fruits and leather, not a lot of smoke, I am not complaining though. After being open but not decanted for three hours this wine is still gigantic but extemely tasty.
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12/24/2011 - emdub wrote: 87 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Bricking on the edges and has changed from a dark purple in color to an aged red. Lots of heat on the finish. Nothing special and the last few times I've had the QC Red Wine, I confirm to myself that I will be only buying the Cabs. Better wines at $38.
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12/11/2011 - skifree wrote: 92 Points
Birthday wine with filet, mushrooms, bread, salad, peas, and chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Opened 2.5 hours before dinner, still a bit closed and hot with the first glass. By dinner, it had the classic Red Mountain feel. Spice, mocha, dark fruits that were wonderful with the steak. A big, young wine but oh so good.
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11/25/2011 - JPBone wrote: 50 Points
Decanted for 13 hours. Undrinkable plonk. My tongue got wood splinters
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11/14/2011 - BMG Wine wrote: 93 Points
Ridiculously young still. Poured through Vinturi aerator into decanter and decanted over 2 hours. STILL super tight and crazy huge but developing beautifully. Revisit in 3-5 yrs.
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11/12/2011 - xtenson wrote: 90 Points
Would agree largely with Anthony Lombardi. There is a lot of oak on this wine. I'm not as against it as he was. I drank this over two days...first day it was big, rich, opulent, fruit forward, lots of chocolate, dark black fruits and coffee (definitely with oak underlying it). Second day the tannin and oak settled a bit, however, alcohol came though a bit more on the nose. I'm thinking this will come together in 3-5 years. If drinking before that I'd strongly encourage at least 2 hours decant and bring to room temp before thinking of serving. Nice wine, way outperforms crap for the same price.
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11/1/2011 - crimgrey wrote: 94 Points
What was I thinking? Like it was just bottled yesterday... sheesh... so much for patience... see yah in 5 years
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11/1/2011 - rojoloco wrote: 90 Points
A promising wine but just not ready. Open for two and a half hours and barely opened up. Saved half a bottle for the second day. But I would say two years away from drinking well though the breeding is clear.
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10/7/2011 - pjhr wrote: 91 Points
As tasty as the last bottle!
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9/25/2011 - dd wrote:
good abit to much wood
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9/18/2011 - Anthony Lombardi wrote:
Drank over three days. Opaque violet, nearly pitch black at the core.
Day 1- Nearly a waste of time. Oak dominates both nose and palate. Heavy, almost fatiguing to drink. Some dark fruit obscured by sweetish oaky flavors. Good tannic structure. Long finish.
Day 2- The nose is still dominated by oak aromas. Don't get me wrong, oak can enhance wine, but this is completely over the top. Integrating slowly on the palate as some complexity and layers of fruit are starting to emerge. Red and black with tons of mocha and tobacco. The weight isn't as viscuous as the previous day.
Day 3- The oak has finally integrated, and now the nose offers black raisined fruit and some alcoholic fumes. Full bodied, but not flabby, the mid palate shows the mix of brooding black fruit still transitioning to sweeter mocha on the back (maybe the oak is still lingering). Heat on the finish.
This is muddled and messy. I suppose I would say bottle age these, but I have no idea what will be waiting for you on the other side.
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8/6/2011 - davidandrose wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour, with an hour of air (undecanted). Muted aromatics, some light coffee/tobacco. Medium+ weight, more tobacco/leather, ripe dark fruit, some blueberry notes as well. Great drinking wine and an outstanding QPR.
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8/6/2011 - S. Lorin wrote: 88 Points
softened a little but remains heavy, tannic and acidic; mint, herbs and chocolate predominate with short finish.
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8/4/2011 - Wine Sparty wrote: 92 Points
Drank with pizza. Nice dark fruit and coffee aroma. Taste has the coffee and blackberry, with some oak coming through in the mid-palate, but not much. A little bit of tannins still coming through at the end, but it works well. Seems to be coming together really well, but I think this would be great in another year or two.
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7/30/2011 - Yamadori wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours and rebottled. Lots of jammy fruit on the nose with some kirsch liquor. Great attack of blackberry and blueberry fruit on the palate with notes of smoke and a little spice and some roasted coffee. The fruit is quite extracted and a little sappy which will not doubt put off a lot of people. 20+ second finish with some grippy tannins showing. Just a little heat which was not too bothersome for me. For those who, like me, can enjoy a slightly more extracted style, this is an outstanding effort and represents a good QPR. Should drink well for many years.
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7/26/2011 - pjhr wrote: 91 Points
As delicious as the last bottle.
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7/23/2011 - rmcnees wrote: 92 Points
Deep, dark purple color - medium-full bodied - complex, soft polished bouquet and tastes of ripe black and red berry fruits, a soft layer of mocha and vanilla with a smooth moderate tannin finish. Nice easy drinking wine when the call is for a sophisticated red during the hot weather. Nice complement to grilled tenderloin and roasted potatoes - and to the chocolate berry desert. The soft smooth character of this wine seems to be contrary to the the blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot. This wine is consistently enjoyable.
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7/21/2011 - jfkwines wrote:
Not as good as last . No rating given
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7/9/2011 - Bandonista wrote: 90 Points
Drinking well now. Dark, opulent fruit. Very extracted. Typical QC style, good but not great.
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7/5/2011 - bubbachumps wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with prior notes.
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6/23/2011 - *Vine* wrote:
Popped and poured. Medium-plus deep garnet, hazy. Quite the interesting, yet certainly bizarre nose...think blackberry, black raspberry jam, fresh root vegetables, decaying meat, floral incense, and perhaps a bit of vanilla-tinged smoke. Perhaps this is showing a bit reduced. Medium-plus body. The bizarre aromas do not extend to the palate, where this wine shows classic QC notes of blueberries and blackberries along with hints of spice, pipe tobacco, vegetal flavors, and toasted oak. The tannins are plush on the moderate close. Well balanced, this still has years to go but is definitely in a nice spot.
Quick commentary: While finding the "funk" in a WA wine is certainly possible, I can't recall any other vintage of QC Red wine from 2003 on that has showed this character. Personally, I find it to be from bottle reduction as opposed to terrior and indeed, I made note of this in 2008 when I tried a bottle upon receiving my shipment.
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6/10/2011 - subir wrote: 92 Points
Deep, dark purple color. Huge fruity bouquet. Long finish, medium-full bodied. This has to be close to the perfect time to have this.
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6/1/2011 - jfkwines wrote:
I like these a lot . Drinking very well. 2nd bottle consumed. Both ties poor notes taken but I recall that they were well recieved.
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6/1/2011 - jfkwines wrote:
I like these
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5/16/2011 - BMG Wine wrote: 91 Points
Enjoyed at the beach with good friends. No detailed notes taken.
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5/9/2011 - rschoemehl wrote: 87 Points
Dark fruits. Nice wine, but there is some disjointed heat on the finish that wouldn't go away. Night two, it was even more pronounced.
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5/7/2011 - johnnyo wrote: 92 Points
This wine is drinking very nice now, patience is starting to pay off. Decanted for 2 hours. Fantastic notes of blackberry, black cherry, mocha and mint. Lovely wine
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4/26/2011 - skifree wrote: 92 Points
Needed decanting to open up to coffee, chocolate, dark fruits and to smooth out the acids and tannins. Very tight on opening.
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3/31/2011 - pjhr wrote: 91 Points
Tasty blackberry, plum and mocha notes on the nose and palate with tasty tannins on the finish.
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3/29/2011 - phantphant wrote: 90 Points
Fine tasting..not as big and deep as earlier bottles of the same.
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3/19/2011 - tairanosaurus wrote: 91 Points
Crushed red berries and flower petals on the nose. Red berry and some black berry flavors up front; smooth tanins came out mid-palate. (Agree with prior review on lavendar throughout.) Lingering coco, pomegranant, and tanins.
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3/18/2011 - bubbachumps wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with prior notes, except a touch more heat than the others I've tasted.
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2/23/2011 - skifree wrote: 92 Points
Still very nice. Lots of expresso, chocolate, dark fruit, vanilla.
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1/28/2011 - emdub wrote: 89 Points
Over oaked and hight alcohol. Nothing like it's big big brother.
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1/25/2011 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Wow, this baby was surprisingly good. Definitely the epitomy of what WA wine should be built like. Full body with nice integration, and structure. Tannins very well balanced. Nose had some backing spice on top of red fruit a touch of licorice, vanilla and the slightest bit of WA funk. Blueberries throughout. Long, smooth finish.
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1/23/2011 - sdatl Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep, rich fruit and a lot of oak, but a great wine for sitting by the fire. Ready now.
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1/13/2011 - rhalbert wrote: 92 Points
Takes about a 3-4 hour decant to settle down, but after that it really sings. Silky tannins and very nice structure.
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12/17/2010 - patwjr wrote: 91 Points
Give this one some more time given its tannins, though still nice fruit now.
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12/12/2010 - Vinsant wrote: 89 Points
A nice sipping wine with blueberry liquor, vanilla, chocolate, and tobacco on the nose and palate. The nose was a little warm with a nut thing coming through when first opened. Sat in the decanter for 1.5 hrs. Lush mouthfeel with very sweet blue and black fruits coated with chocolate. A cocktail wine for me not a food wine. Will hold remaining bottle for 5 years to see where this goes.
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12/10/2010 - redrhonewine wrote: 92 Points
Yummy, if a little tight. Loads of dark fruits and old saddle leather, not overly oaked. Will improve as the tannins integrate, but pretty darn lovely right now.
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12/4/2010 - scollier wrote: 90 Points
this wine is pretty much as expected. a nice nose with bordeaux character/layers. did not find it to be overly oaky or tannic. an easy drinking wine.
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12/1/2010 - phantphant wrote: 93 Points
YUMMY...this is terrific...intense....bordeaux style loveliness
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11/30/2010 - jfkwines wrote:
Don't recall much. Drank well, wifey liked it well.
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11/6/2010 - mulder wrote: 91 Points
When first opened there as a lot of alcohol and heat, however after a 3 hour decant the story changed. Nice lavendar, blackberry and blueberry fruit with some spice.
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10/24/2010 - emdub wrote: 88 Points
Too much oak and too much heat on the finish. Beautiful fruit, bright blueberry, vanilla, black berry, lavender. Silky mouth feel. Needs more time, but not sure if it will every come around and be in balance.
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9/19/2010 - S. Lorin wrote: 88 Points
creamy oak. medium bodied with plums and dark fruit overshadowed by heavy dark bitter chocolate, cocoa powder, herbs and potent tannins. lots of elements here but will this come together?
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9/4/2010 - davidandrose wrote: 89 Points
Pop and pour, consumed over 4 hours. Seemed a little sweeter than I recall. Began with some heavily-tannic notes and very quickly softened up without any decanting.
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8/7/2010 - phantphant wrote: 92 Points
Yummy fruit and earth. Liking this more and more.
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6/20/2010 - tarheel17 wrote: 85 Points
Best of Washington at Russell's (Bothell): nose: nutty, cashew-like with cocoa. Very oaked
palate: flabby, alcohol, blah. Did not like. Others at the table raved. I moved on to other bottles quickly.
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6/19/2010 - last chance wrote: 86 Points
WLTV Offline - Best of WA Tasting (Russell's, Bothell, WA): The nose had aromas of red fruits, spicy oak, and heat. The palate had cherry and blueberry flavors with some green tobacco nuances. Full bodied with a spicy mouthfeel and medium long finish. The finish turned slightly medicinal near the end. I used to really enjoy the Quilceda red wine bottlings, but they just don't quite do it for me the way they once did.
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6/8/2010 - Mr T wrote:
served at party...but brought home most of bottle. Tried it tonight 3 nights later and not sure how it was stored in terms of temperature...cork was in which is the dark purple plastic one like Behrens uses...this is a very big, ripe wine that probably still needs decanting....will try that tomorrow
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5/6/2010 - ogres3 wrote:
good nose, lots of fruit. not well-integrated and had higher expectations.
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4/19/2010 - mellison wrote: 89 Points
This was just an OK bottle. Kind of a musty mushroom taste to it. The dark fruits were not integrated as well as I would have liked. Literally 100's of wines that are masquerading as something better then they really are.
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4/15/2010 - Montecalvo wrote: 88 Points
similar impression to last time. no significant changes. very primary just a fruit monster with lots of oak. very soft in the mouth. clearly a style one must like in order to fully enjoy.
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4/4/2010 - texaswino wrote: 92 Points
continues to improve
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4/2/2010 - phantphant Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is delicious. The deep fruit intensity begins on first sip and just continues, continues, continues.
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3/23/2010 - jetfan wrote: 92 Points
great qpr. nice coating tannins
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3/11/2010 - Wayne Richmon wrote: 87 Points
Definitely not a big wine. Drank 1 glass on day 1 and finished off the bottle on day 2. Day 1 nothing special, but opened up overnight even though recorked overnight.
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1/30/2010 - joerazore wrote: 90 Points
good bottle, took a lot of time to open up. should have decanted
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12/13/2009 - Ghostwriter777 wrote: 92 Points
First of all, this bottle was in the decanter for over five hours before consumption. Take a peak at my previous '05 or '06 post. This wine sheds those unwanted tendencies if you have the patience or time to let it hit air before drinking, lots of it. I have to tell you, this little gem did start out as the wooded monster many talk about, it also had disjointed components. This all seemed to meld as it evolved in the decanter, yum. All I can say is the QC red kicks ass. In addition to the tons of dark fruit, I had a spice that reminded me of cinnamon that led to the tannins, similar in consistency to tea. The crescendo of flavors in the mouth lingered after the wine was gone. Bad news, down to my last couple, good news, the '07 is soon to be released.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all....
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12/9/2009 - Montecalvo wrote: 88 Points
quite a bit of oak. although well made I'm not certain if this is my style of wine.
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12/7/2009 - yotaiwan wrote: 91 Points
Still too young
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11/25/2009 - mye wrote: 87 Points
Decanted 3 hours. Dark Purple color. Still a bit tight after 3 hours. Rich nose of pencil shaving, earth, spices and plenty of dark fruit. The fruit doesn't carry to the palate. Lots of oak and massive gripping tannins, with noticable heat. I would not sip this, but pairs well with some red meat.
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11/21/2009 - incident wrote:
Consistent with prior bottles.
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11/21/2009 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Starting to taste much better. Opened up nicely after some decanting. Definitely a great example of washington cab, with just enought of the earthy bacterial to let you know it's there but not overpower anything.
Thoroughly enjoyed. No shortage of fruit.
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11/21/2009 - Mr T wrote:
Solid wine...popped at restaurant and opened with time. Very full and rich wine...this has years to go....primary but reasonably well balanced
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10/16/2009 - incident wrote: 91 Points
Consistent to prior bottles. Perhaps softening up a little. Needs time and/or air. Big improvement after about 2-3 hours in glass. Rich, ripe aromas, smooth tannins. Finished with sage, blackberry and spice.
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10/15/2009 - gbbwino wrote: 90 Points
Popped & poured. Much better than last bottle. Bottle variation or another year of age in the bottle. Still needs more time & still has too much oak for my taste. But, much smoother with softer weet tannins. Alcohol didn't seem as obtrusive, but is still there. Flavors felt more balanced. Nose shut down after initial pour.
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9/20/2009 - parathesis wrote:
Seems to need more time. at least 2-3 years
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9/18/2009 - gregsp wrote: 88 Points
Quite nice, but after decanting and over two hours definitely not in the same league as its more expensive siblings.
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9/14/2009 - Dale M wrote: 85 Points
Decanted 1 hr. I was surprised, no shocked at how disjointed this was for the first hour. All I could smell and taste was the alcohol and jellied fruit. An hour later somewhat brought this into focus, though it never really gained in any complexity of note. Pretty raspberry coulis flavors paired with a somewhat dominant oak signature brought out a passable beverage, nothing more.
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9/13/2009 - InterroVino wrote: 95 Points
lots of dark flavors, well balanced, nice acid, tannins are still a lil rough. could lay down for another 2-5years I figure
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8/23/2009 - Ghostwriter777 wrote:
I am not a scorekeeper but know what is a great wine. This was not my style, TG I only have three left. My vivid memory of this wine brought me back to grade school where I would chew on my pencil, yum. I desperately hunted for the fruit that I've come to love from Washington wines, must have left it out of this one. My yearning for the evolution was not quenched. OK, here comes the good news, I felt this wine was created by a team that walks a very high wire, it is one of the best balanced wines I've had, once again only missing component was that darn fruit. I feel this wine would be worthy of a score of ninety if and only if the finish was there. Still, all in all, this is a fine wine for the dough. Final thought, I have a cellar of their other selections, hoping to find the fruit in them, if not I will have no other choice but to get rid of them, or use them for cooking(JK).
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8/11/2009 - pnwskibum wrote: 91 Points
Very nice nose of blueberry and and strawberry maybe a little herbs. On the palate good silky attack then a nice palate staining mid palate with the finish just a little short. The nose carries over nicely to the palate. Very good and for the release price a steal. Will drink from 2010-2015.
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8/9/2009 - CMz wrote: 92 Points
Opened + 60 min air in bottle. Deep ruby, almost purple with nice nose of black berries and cedar. Medium to full body; mouth coating with long finish. Blueberry, mineral and spice on the palate with cedar & blackberry notes coming in on the finish. This is a surprisingly good wine for the price - the equal, if not the better, of many Napa cab/cab franc bottles for 3x the price. This is also not the Quilceda Cab but very, very nice. If you can find it near the release price - buy it!
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8/1/2009 - bubbachumps wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with prior notes. I continue to think this needs more time, but I like it for what it is now - a very good qpr.
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7/26/2009 - Traxx wrote: 89 Points
More open in pop and pour than I would have expected. Nice red and blue fruits. Healthy dose of oak, vanilla, cedar etc throughout. Pretty firm tannins at the moment. Nice wine, not earth changing in the least. I will do what I can to wait on my remaining bottle a couple years. We shall see how well I succeed.
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7/25/2009 - mye wrote: 89 Points
Wine A - Dark red. Pop/pour. Basically shut down on the nose. Some blueberry, vanilla, and quite a bit of oak/wood. Quite tannic, and medium finish.
Revisited after 2 hours, and it has opened up pretty nicely.
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7/24/2009 - Diane (LI) wrote:
The first night it was open, it was tight and showed very little. 2 days later and there is no sign of oxidation, it is still tight with stiff tannins but is starting to show some signs of life. Showing the trademark taste of blueberries with a hint of mint, it needed the thick and rare rib steaks we ate with it.
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7/15/2009 - bajayngo wrote: 91 Points
WOW! had the previous bottle about 8months ago and man this is light years from where it was then. Popped to reveal a beautiful nose of blackberries, blueberries, mint and eucalyptus. On the palate it has some pretty aggressive oak but the fruit really stands up to it. Lots of the black and blue berries, carmel, coco, tobacco, and some green vegges with some red fruits peaking in and out. Pretty massive on the palate. After a day in the bottle some jalapenos came on the nose with more coco. I am really impressed with were this bottle is heading and wish I had a bottle or two more to follow it's progression.
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7/11/2009 - brettlaurvick wrote: 93 Points
Probably the best bottle of wine we've had all year. Awesome nose. Seemed a little tight at first taste, then smooth silk. I was really surprised at how feminine this wine was. Can't wait (but will) to drink my other bottles.
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6/29/2009 - tairanosaurus wrote:
similar to previous note
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6/28/2009 - emdub wrote: 91 Points
This has so much upside potential. QC signature blueberry but not in the dose of his big brother. Needs time or 3 plus hours of decanting.
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6/28/2009 - incident wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with prior bottles. Continues to improve. Hold until 2010.
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6/13/2009 - gregsp wrote: 87 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Clean and ight, but tight, with nothing in particular standing out. More time needed?
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5/5/2009 - Maine wine guy wrote: 94 Points
Had this one with Ted at his 40th BDay
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4/27/2009 - skifree wrote: 92 Points
Decanted, a good choice. Lots of blue fruits, cedar, earth. It got better as it opened up; the tannins integrated and the blue fruit predominated. Enjoyable.
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4/26/2009 - kenv wrote: 93 Points
Inky purple color with clear edge. Big rich curranty nose with hints of spice. Thick tannic, goes well with London Broil.
Open 2 hours: Smoothing out. Quite rich and silky now. Should drink best 2010–15. 91 points.
Open 2 days (4/28/09): Has mellowed beautifully! This is very tasty stuff. Amy likes it a lot. “Warm, friendly Cabernet!” 93 points.
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4/20/2009 - pdemaio wrote: 89 Points
Not as good as it's big brothers but still well made and also an excellent example of washington style wine.
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4/19/2009 - rogerdog23 wrote: 93 Points
It has been several months so wanted to try this again. Decanted through vinturi into decanter at 1:30PM and poured a small amount into a glass as well. Sampled every hour and found this really needed time. Tight and sharp with alcohol at first. Went through a licorice phase which i've seen before with this wine. At 3 hours I was getting worried although it showed some improvment. Finally consumed with T-bone steak at 8pm (6.5 hours of decanting) and really liked what we found. Tobacco, nice amount of dark fruit, medium-full body and a nice lasting finish without the strong alcohol. it's really a diferent wine but very enjoyable. This is good booze.
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4/16/2009 - bubbachumps wrote: 92 Points
Another solid performance from this wine. Dark fruits ont he nose, some black cherry, charcoal and underbrush. In the mouth, fine grained tannins and nice mouthfeel. Well rounded wine, nice nose, good mouthfeel and decent finish. This should improve with some age.
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4/8/2009 - texaswino wrote: 92 Points
has calmed down a bit over the last 4 months. big sour cherry and currant nose and palate impression with firm dry finish. paired nicely with filet, garlic mashers and green beans. drank nicely on its own after the meal.
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3/23/2009 - incident wrote: 91 Points
Clear, dark ruby. Clean, medium plus intensity aromas of blackberry, plum, rubber, dark choco. Medium acid, medium tannin, medium-plus body. Flavors match aromas. Nice smooth tannin, herbs and flowers on the finish. Hold until 2H 2010.
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3/1/2009 - davidandrose wrote: 90 Points
Very rough and tight out of the bottle; let it spend an hour in a decanter before retrying. Much more approachable, and it didn't change much after 2 hours in the decanter. Nose and flavors lacking the typical QC profile. As noted earlier, much more restrained than I've seen from earlier vintages of QC red, plum on the nose, the sligtest fine-grained tanins. More strawberry and raspberry, and no sign of oak or other "rougher" components. Enojyable, but thin and one-dimensional with a brief finish. Went very well with a nice steak dinner.
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2/14/2009 - tairanosaurus wrote: 91 Points
Somewhat restrained nose of plum, licorice and dark chocolate. Big black fruit and a predominant sour cherry in the mouth. With a two hour decant, remains a bit tart. Still a nice mouthfeel, with the dusty tannins. if i had patience, i'd let these sit more.
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2/8/2009 - chimpanzee29 wrote: 94 Points
Popped this open and poured a small share. Thought the wine was very disjointed, hot and unpleasant. After an hour in the decanter we tried this again, and much had evolved over that short time. Paired with Humboldt Fog. This exhibited bright red raspberries and ripe cherry. Unparalleled texture, smooth and silky. In my opinion the oak was very complementary. Over the night I became a big fan of this style. I have a few of the cabs from various years which I am very eager to try now. Delicious!
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1/31/2009 - gzim wrote: 89 Points
Decanted of a bit over an hour. Initial flavors or currant, and blue fruits a touch of green, but something else was underneath and present on the front end of the finish... it was a little funky or stewey. nice balanced proportions, plenty of wood showing, but I believe in time it will integrate. I look forward to where this is going and believe it will get better.
I like that it is not Napa and not Bordeaux, but it something unto itself.
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1/9/2009 - Phin wrote: 87 Points
1 hour decant and consumed over 2 hours. Agree with Clayfu. Cocoa, sour cherry, rasberry but with uresolved tannic acid and alcohol. No meat or ripe lush fruit here. Huge disappointment.
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12/21/2008 - clayfu wrote: 91 Points
Pop and Pour.
Really light wine, has an elegance to it but it's "lacking" a little something. Hints of Cocoa , sour cherries, and light raspberries on the mid palate with a really interesting lush forest berry nose that dissipates away to some wood and plum. It needs some time before it'll really come on strong if it's big brother is any indication.
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12/12/2008 - DukeDrew wrote: 86 Points
Not ready for prime time at the 60 min mark. Heavy spice and grain alcohol on the nose, with very little fruit breaking through. Alcohol (vs. heat) on the taste, somewhat bitter and tannic. Bit of dark fruit (cherry) and mocha?
At the 3 hour mark, it started to mellow out a bit, with the alcohol on the nose dying down and more cherry coming through on the taste.
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12/8/2008 - dwmcubed wrote:
Dark Purple/Black... Nose of pencil shavings, plums, black cherry, cedar and spice - wonderful lush mouthfeel - intense flavors of dark cherry, spice, oak and alcohol come in waves - finish is hot with mouth drying tannins.
This has the stuffing to be very nice - just very imbalanced right now - I will let these sleep for a while.
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12/6/2008 - bubbachumps wrote: 92 Points
Very nice meritge. Nose is tight, but ushers in medicinal black cherry in a good way, a touch of cedar and a faint bell pepper note. This wine was splash decated for 30 minutes and consumed over 2.5 hours. I've had 3 vintages of this wine and to me this is the best of those. This will certainly benefit from time. If you have one to burn, its definitely worth it. I beleive it will be drinking at its peak in 3 to 5 years. I don't get the oak and alcohol as some others have noted, but I am not sensitive to either.
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12/1/2008 - gbbwino wrote:
Opened this Thanksgiving evening (see previous tasting note). A full glass remained in the bottle with a rubber cork (exposed to air in bottle), which I poured & tasted last night. Amazing how full this wine is even after 72 hours. Still has gobs of black fruit & oak, but much more drinkable. Needs more time in the botttle& I hope some of that alcohol burns off. I'm amazed at the level of extraction they get out of their grapes. This wine does not have the level of finance & elegance (although still a BIG wine) as their top shelf Cab offering.
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11/30/2008 - texaswino wrote: 92 Points
consumed this bottle over 3 days time and it was drinking best on day 3. Initially this was pretty closed down, but showed currant, cherries and some dark fruit flavors with an herbal edge and a medium length finish. This needs a few years to really come together and show its best. Rating is for day three impression. Hold for 3-4 years and drink over the next 10.
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11/30/2008 - gbbwino wrote:
Tons of fruit, oak, spice & alcohol. Had to walk away from it. After 3 hours, it improved greatly, but this thing needs to be put aside for a while to soften out. Hopefully, the alcohol won't dominate at that point though. Very well made & great for its style. A totally different experience from the '05 QC Cab!
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11/26/2008 - thenapalist wrote:
DO NOT OPEN YET!!! Terribly out of balance. Oak and alcohol at the very forefront now with little fruit shining through. I'd give this at least 6 months.
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11/21/2008 - jonphillips wrote: 91 Points
Too big ... will this calm down and be yummy? I gave 91 because it's well made, but it's not yet my style.
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11/18/2008 - bajayngo wrote: 89 Points
Massive concentration on this bad boy and ill be letting my 2nd bottle age 4 several years. The nose was dominated by black currents & black cherries but there were some blue fruits in there 2. Plenty of green peppers & graphite from the cab franc w/some spicy oak rounding it out. On the palate it was an explosion of concentrated flavors. Everything from the nose followed 2 the palate but there was some heat 2. Almost went a lil auzzie 4 me. But definitely a 1st class red table wine 4 sure. I liked the 04 a lil better probably because of the extra bottle time.
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11/11/2008 - hiltondg wrote: 93 Points
Did not decant. For the 1st 30 mins, this had an explosive nose of blueberry and spicy oak. Very concentrated during this time. After 30 mins, the wine began to mellow into what I would call a subdued relative of the estate cab. The same profile and mouthfeel, but much less of it. Does not have the concentration of the estate cab, but is very good for the price. Jay Miller states that it's true to the QC style, and he is dead on.
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11/9/2008 - parathesis wrote: 92 Points
A little disjointed. Maybe because it was just received and shaken for a few days. We let this air for a while and the group thought this was outstanding and definately better than the 04 but it needs time in the bottle for sure. Try the next one in a year or so. Definately worth the $$$.
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11/6/2008 - John wrote: 83 Points
the first 30 minutes, this was awesome. then it shut down. give it 3 years
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11/6/2008 - pakabear wrote: 92 Points
Nose is fantastic, if you like sweet. Huge candied strawberry and raspberry with a hint of milk chocolate. Loads of milk chocolate and raspberry on the palate without being too sweet and a very good balance. Absolutely worth the price of admission.
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11/3/2008 - emdub wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Still not much on the nose. Will wait at least 3 years to try another. Has great potential. Very closed right now...slight hints of the quilceda blue berries.
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10/23/2008 - *Vine* wrote: 91 Points
Popped and set aside for 2+ hours aeration. Even for a QC, this wine exhibits a deep hue....darker than the 2003 and 2004. Very closed aromatically, some notes of red & black fruits, herbs, oak, and a touch of reduction. Medium-plus body. Interesting red fruits on the palate....cherry, raspberry, even strawberry. Certainly more herbaceous than prior vintages, think tobacco leaf with a hint of anise. Big, chewy tannins. The oak is much better integrated in 2005 (especially when compared to the '03). On day 2 it didn't budge....maybe closed down even further! Still, this has a great core of fruit.
There is a lot going on in this one, but it NEEDS time in bottle. Tremendous potential, I'll open my next in 2010.
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10/20/2008 - Dale M wrote:
I really didn’t get a chance to spend much time with this wine, but it disappeared very quickly with group, and many positive comments were overheard. I was impressed with this at the QC release party this last spring, and clearly this is one of the better made Red’s made in recent vintages
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10/13/2008 - johnnyo wrote: 90 Points
This wine has great potential but it needs bottle ageing. Right now the alcohol, fruit and tannins lack some harmony.
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10/12/2008 - rogerdog23 wrote: 93 Points
Figured I'd take one for the team and open one of my freshly shipped bottles of the latest QC red. Great weekend with the wife at Alderbrook on hood canal. Had the bottle with New York steak and it was very, very good. First few drinks were good but not great--and then it actually went down hill for a while. I got a weird taste, almost like licorice for a while--but let it sit and breathe in the bottle. at about 50 minutes it really picked up and became wonderful. this continued and was what i would call borderline incredible after about and hour and 15 minutes.
I would not hesitatate to open one if you have one and were wondering if it's too early. Mine was shipped a short distance from the winery to Redmond, WA, and then went in the car for a couple hours to the resort--all with no issues.
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10/10/2008 - West Wine wrote: 95 Points
Blind tasted this with 04 Quilceda and 01 Barolo...the 05 was the clear winner. Balanced and elegant, I wish I had much more than a few bottles. I could not get enough. The 04 was very good also, just not quite as balanced.
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10/10/2008 - Rob A wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured 48 hours after shipment arrived to see how the wine is fairing since tasting at release party in April. Drinking the best of any of the Red Wines I've had from QC. Leaps and bounds better than the '04 opened the previous night, which was monolithic, disjointed, hot and the worst of the bottles we've had. The '05 had more lift and elegance (for QC) than previous vintages. There is a balance to this wine that is nice to see from the producer.
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4/19/2008 - last chance wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at the release of the 05 Cab. This is a great value if it stays in the $30 range. Great fruit and more noticable oak than in the 05 Cab. Hopefully some of the oak will mellow out by the time it is released. I would be very happy drinking this wine very often.
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4/6/2008 - Ecbatana wrote: 87 Points
2008 Taste of Washington (Qwest Field Event Center, Seattle): Meh, this second wine of Quilceda Creek didn't impress, although it is young. Very tight with uninteresting bouquet. Nothing to write home about on the palate. Little finish. I've had several previous vintages of this wine which were quite good so had higher expectations. Dissappointing.
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