With Rib Eye Finky nose though a little less. Palate much better Pencil lead, cassis. 75 minutes in lots of dark blackberry. Finish is slightly clipped keeps the score down. At 150 minute mark some crushed flowers and glycerin. Have 3 more bottles and will try again in 2026
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With Grilled Skirt Steak and Asparagus …. Funky nose, fairly straightforward nothing standsout but worked well with the food. Will try another bottle soon to see if it was just an anomaly.
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It took 14 years to tame the Necco wafer and oak profile that QC typically has when young.
This was singing after a 4 hour decant. Still driven primarily by dark fruit, plenty of life left if you want more secondary character, though really good right now.
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From a bottle purchased upon release and cellared under ideal conditions, this blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec has beautifully matured since last being tasted more than six years ago. Decanted and serially sampled over the ensuing three hours, it retains a youthful opaque ruby color. Laden with black currants, Luxardo cherries, bittersweet chocolate, Asian spices, bark and violets on both the nose and palate, it is a full-bodied red with low-to-medium acidity, nicely integrated oak and silky residual tannins. The alcohol (listed as 15.2%) is well-woven at this point (when served at the appropriate temperature of 60-65° F). With excellent mid-palate density and a lengthy finish, this has rewarded those who have patience and a good cellar. Drink now-2025.
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I think I've drank one other bottle since the 2019 note. Similar notes, but each was better than the previous bottle. I agree with previous poster that it was a great $35 purchase back then. In fact, I prefer it to the flagship bottling.
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Opened 30 minutes ahead for slow o...soft cork...had to use an ah-so...a touch of bricking...Bordeaux-like with muted cherry and earthy tones...still some tannins...short finish...past its prime and still drinkable.
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Decanted in glass for 1 hour prior to meal. Best glass was the last.
My wife complained at the beginning of the meal that the wine was hot.
Reviewed at the end of the meal when the wine was best - 2 hours open.
Nose was smooth and complex. A mix of dark fruit and embers.
palate is smooth, rich, BIG, with lots of richness and a sense of high octane alcohol. This is a Parker wine in all the aspects. Big, Balanced and high octane.
Paired with prime NY steaks and it paired well.
For drinking this is a good wine. For dinner, there are better.
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Starting to come around. The nose is expressive and mostly primary with oak, vanilla, ripe red cherries. Tannin is a bit more integrated. Plenty of fruit and acidity to last 10 more years.
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Not even close to being ready to drink...consumed over 2 days ...first day ...39 mins of air...tar cherry and disjointed. No sign of age. Deep purple. Vacuum pumped 1/2 of the bottle in a 375ml ....24 hours later it is much better integrated and fruit more apparent and tar subdued. Getting better each sip/. Currants , cherry, pencil lead, cassis, Liam, long finish ....
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Coravan to glass of this the prior night and even after following for an hour it seems very shallow. Tonight I uncorked the bottle, and while it was enjoyable from the get go it is also obviously in the back nine of its life. Medium to light dark cherry flavor, faint aged wood and leather period goes down much better today than yesterday and shows it’s age through it’s fading depth and structure.
Time to drink up
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This stuff is a steal, it still has plenty of age left in it. We decanted it for an hour, should have been 2. Great nose and soft on the palate, a bit jammy but if I had decanted longer it softened up as the evening wore on. This stuff compared with much more expensive wines last night.
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Loads of oak. Really need more air to truly get a feel. This has a ton of life left on it so don't feel like you need to rush to open them. Last bottle from a case. I say hold. Will hold my last 08, 09, 10s longer.
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Cassis, blackberry, black cherry, red cherry, some light herbs, a hint of cedar, and a little menthol on the nose. Cassis, spice, dark cherry, plum, tart cherry, menthol, herbs, and earth on the palate. Nice acidity, still a touch firm, but integrating tannins, medium finish. Alcohol is a bit noticeable, so needs a little more chill. Honestly, this has a lot going on and looks good on paper, but it's not really that fun to drink, especially compared to the 2014. It's big, but not all that charming. Maybe it's just me today.
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Oak subsided pretty quickly after a couple minutes in the glass. Blackberries and plum with subtle chocolate notes. Nice complexity and a medium long finish. In a good place but could easily last 5 years or more without significant degradation.
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Pop and pour about an hour after a 3 hr plane flight. While the nose is faint, the flavor profile is perfect.....maybe a bit past peak. Nice balance of dark fruit with just enough structure remaining to make the wine not just pleasant and enjoyable, but interesting. Have one more bottle; will drink within 6 months.
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Dense dark red color, spicy mixed berry nose immediately flowed out as soon as cork was pulled, after 30-45 minutes bouquet expanded, opulent earthy, spicy, currant, blackberry fruit, a little chocolate, integrated tannins, long (minute+) smooth finish. A delicious big and well made wine which we think is one of the best $40-ish American wines.
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B30; G20; 4*+8*+4*+8.5*+8.5*+4.5+4.5=93; Cloudy (sediment that had not settled from cellar) medium purple-red color; initially restrained aromas with very faint skunk on a ripe plum & dark cherry front-end that opens to smoke and a lot more delightful cherry; mouthfeel is smooth with slight acidic overnote and silky tannin; rich dark fruit (cherry, plum) palate with good mineral balance; really long finish with decent complexity - great QPR; fantastic balance (tilted slightly to acid and fruit); many years ahead. Definitely warm to room temp from cellar; possibly a light decant, but this is also very ready to show its evolution over an hour+.
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Decanted for 30 minutes. Aromas of green pepper, blackberry, currant, mint and touch of mocha. Flavors of melted chocolate, blackberry, mint, currant and touch of iron. Ends with a nice finish of chocolate and blackberry that lasts about 30 seconds. Stopped buying these but maybe I should not have. Always a nice wine.
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Popped and poured at a restaurant. Quickly opened up in the glass, and the decanted balance improved further. Not past its prime, but definitely ready to drink.
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Consistent w last bottle- nice nose of with dark ripe fruit and cigar/leather. Tight right out of the bottle and for the first 30 mins. Decanted half the bottle and 90 mins later the decanted wine was still nice but was overly soft. Next time will give 30 mins in the glass and just leave the balance in the bottle to slow ox
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At 10 years old was thinking this might be ready. decanted for about an hour prior to the meal. Big wine with obvious oak notes. Served with lamb stew hoping this would tame the wine a little. Wine still dominated the meal. Tonight I would have preferred a complementary wine.
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Popped and poured, youthful ruby/purple, quite deep. Pronounced aromas immediately off the pop of blackberry, black raspberry, cassis, black currant, lifted florals (incense?), vanilla bean, red clay and a touch of herbaceous root vegetable earth-funk...hello nurse! Medium body. On the palate, this tastes like a Cab blend that's just entering into secondary development, with dark, plummy fruits complimented by flavors of mint leaf, tobacco and earthy autumnal vegetation tinged with spice from oak. The tannins are chewy and somewhat astringent on the moderate-plus close that climaxes with a touch of heat (as do most QCs, seemingly). Although this will hold for many years, it might be best to drink now while the flavors are still so pronounced and have yet to be obscured by tannins and alcohol.
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Very tight right out of the bottle- no idea this is a 10-year-old wine- needed minimum 90 minutes in the decanter to open up and soften.
After decanting: Cigar/tobacco on the nose, medium to medium light weight, dark red fruits, more tobacco, black cherry, pepper, maybe some blackberry. In spite of the lightweight, finish last 20+ seconds. Great wine, might drink within a 2 to 3 our window in the future.
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Opaque dark red, blackberry, cassis, anise aromas, opulent dark berry fruit, chocolate, tobacco, sweet oak flavors. Tannins are smoothing out and the finish is medium length. Not as sophisticated as the QC flagship wine but a very classy wine at a very good price.
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This is one of the best QC Red Wines I've had in recent years. Structured but plenty of rich black fruit with griping tannins and mouthwatering finish.
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Decanted, nose is starting to show aged characteristics of leather and spice with blackberry. Palate is well integrated and showing good balance with still distinct tannins. Finish is lasting and holding up well. Had some on night two and the oak was coming through pretty strong in a not so great way.
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I've had a few of these from different vintages now, and have some themes that stand out. The structure is very, very well built--resolved tannins with some age, but the roundness and velvety mouthfeel are what stand out. On the downside, these wines are always too hot. Too much alcohol distracts from the nuances of the grapes and makes it harder to appreciate. Overall, still a 90+ point wine for the overall quality, but lacks the restraint/finesse of a winemaker striving for more balance and nuance.
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Pretty nose of dark fruit ( mostly cherry I think). Spice, dark fruit, with some tabacco on the finish which is moderate in length. A little brighter than I remembered which hurt it a little. One of the best values around.
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Pop and pour, followed over 90 mins without decanting. Herbs and faint fruit on the nose; Medium-light weight, modest tannins offer a dry and polished finished, but this is fruit-driven wine at/slightly past the peak of its life. Based on tonite's tasting, will drink during the course of '17.
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P&P. Really nice wine, well integrated with nothing too sharp or pronounced. Cassis and boysenberry fruit, tobacco, and vanilla flavors. This has several years of prime drinking left. Drink now - 2018+.
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Not a great showing...cork would not budge and we had to push through and filter. A bit of fruit on the front end, but nothing special after that and the finish was short.
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I preferred this wine a little younger. I thought the wine tasted a little syrupy and extracted. I would say this wine has started its descent, and I would drink it if you have it.
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Followed over 2 nights hooked up to nitro. After 3 hours of air (uneducated) there's modest leather, dark plum, faint black pepper and vanilla on the nose. Coats the palate with a dusty satin, fruits are fading. Fruit was more prominent on night 1, I'd take this as a pop and pour, drink by 2018. While I don't find this to by syrupy, I do see resemblence to a some 13 YO Godolphin syrah I had 2 weeks ago.
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Brought to CT SEA first-second tasting. I also opened this around 9 am and double decanted around 3 PM - then it had the classic black fruit, leather, spice, and tannins I think of with this wine - but by the time of the tasting at 6:30 there was not much left. Disappointed me.
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No decant but I consumed this over about 3 hours. There is some nice rich cassis, tobacco, earth and graphite. But it is rather sweet, syrupy and boozy. To me, this drinks more like a goopy syrah than a Bordeaux blend. Drinking it at a lower temperature seems to help. I believe this is a well-made wine, and I'm trying to be objective, but I am probably not succeeding. This is a style of wine that I do not prefer.
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Although still a nice bottle of wine it was not as strong as the last bottle. Nice not over the top cab but was a little bit flat. Still dang nice QPR...
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Nice nose of dark fruits and subtle oak spice. Rings all the bells for rich fruit (but w/a bit of high alcohol, but which no one made a remark about), plush mid palate richness of dark cherries/black raspberry, a little dark chocolate and cassis, ending in a fine and satisfying finish.
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Finally figuring out that I need to wait and wait on these Quilceda reds. Has really matured into a fine wine offering still fresh but mellowed out notes of cassis, a little licorice. The heat is better integrated as well but still noticeable. Best Quilceda Red Wine I've opened yet as the others were simply too soon.
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Color still very dark ruby -> medium ruby rim. Bouquet of cassis, minerals, chocolate and a whole pile of ash. Palate showed good fruit concentration but still a lot of chalky tannins. Still needs time--at least 2+ years more (that echoes what I said nearly 3 years ago). Volcanic ash, minerals, sour cherries and iodine blasting through the tannin cloak. Good acidity. Definitely more austere than its Cali cabernet counterparts. Great price but will it bring pleasure? Only time will tell . . . .
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When you wait long enough these drink fantastically and offer one of the best QPRs out there. Had with a gorgeous filet with melted Roquefort sauce. One of five wines we had at the 2nd Annual with Jackie and Randy (Noelle and Rick too!)
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Popped this before I went to work. Served a little too cool but understandable sine its 15 degrees out. Aromas of cherry, currant, blackberry and a to of earth. Flavors of cherry, blackberry, currant, earth and a touch of iron. Ends with a 2) second finish. Really worth the wait on these.
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Spice, meat, and dark fruit fill the nose. Richly textured with a mouth coating viscosity and softness. Dark fruit mingled with leather, cola and spice lead in to a finish with fine, persistent tannins and good acidity.
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Tasted blind, I thought initially on a pop and pour that this was a Grenache, however once opened I picked up on the Merlot very easily, however the Cabernet hides in this wine, even though it is the major varietal... It's very good, extracted yet balanced, for the price it's hard to beat.
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Intense nose of cola, leather and some minty notes, though almost entirely secondary, just hints of some blueberries, but the fruit seems rather attenuated. Surprisingly lightweight on the palate, this lacks some of the density I've seen when drinking this wine younger. We opened this and let it sit for about 30 minutes before tasting. Heat was very present early on, but faded a bit with time. The heat was really distracting, and was replaced by a nice pepperiness. The tannin is still quite aggressive, which comes of as slightly out of balance now.
Day 2: While the fruit seemed rather dissipated last night, tonight, this was a very different wine. After getting back to room temperature, this was significantly better than yesterday. The cola on the nose was accented with a root-beer like sweetness. This softened into waves of intense red fruit. The tannins were still rather intense, but everything seemed much better balanced today. Thus, it seems that this wine was just really closed up to begin.
Day 3: Just a little bit left. That cola/root beer is still on the nose, and this still has some pretty significant tannic grip. Maybe a hint of liqueur. The heat and pepper is not really visible anymore.
On another note, this didn't play particularly well with food: with baby back ribs, it showed some bitterness in contrast to the (mildly) sweet and tangy sauce, and with fried chicken it just seemed deadening.
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Opened bottle 4 hours before drinking but did not decant it. Aromas of blackberry, dark cherry, iron and a hint of plum. Nose is very big and expressive. Flavors of blackberry, cherry, touch of plum and kirsch liquor. Drinking very well and an unbelievable value. Glad I waited some extra time before popping into these because they need some time.
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This is an intense ripe wine - full of black cherry, sweet blackberry and currant, on both nose and palate. There is a sweetness to the fruit that I find a little off putting - there is decent balance but would prefer a little more acidity. Very soft tannins, still a little heat on the finish.
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Black fruit, spice, mineral, dark chocolate and earth flavors, delicious, well balanced. Still not completely mellow so could use some time. We gave a 20 minute decant, could use more, but we loved it!
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This opaque ruby blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec delivers aromas of rich black cherries, dark chocolate, clove and coriander. Full-bodied on the palate, it frames black fruit and mineral flavors with low-to-medium acidity and medium-weight, fairly fine-grained tannins. The alcohol (listed as 15.2%) does show some heat, even when served as low as 60° F. This heat becomes most noticeable on the medium-to-long back end. While very enjoyable and still packed with fruit, it is concerning that the alcohol is not fully integrated. Drink now-2024.
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Fortunately my last bottle. This wine has gone from so-so to worse. When it was young, it was an oak monster lacking any subtleties. As it's aged, it has lost its freshness and gotten flabby. A poor value at 1/4 the price of the Grand Vin.
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- Garnet color and aromas of blackberry, black currant, black pepper and oak and has flavours of tobacco, blackberry, oak and alcohol - Drank over two nights. Day 2 softer, but still oak, and tart. Pretty good, not my favorite.
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Decanted and consumed over 4.5 hours. Modest blue aromas upon decanting, violets, lavender, herbal aromas grow through the drinking window. Medium weight - very modest viscosity, smooth mouthfeel with a velvety coating but no granular tanins. Cherries, blueberry, boysenberry flavors dominate in a package that's extremely approachable and enjoyable. As others note, a top qpr year after year.
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To me, this is slightly above average and I won't be paying $42 each for them again. At least it was better than the 2003 and 2005 that I had a few months ago. This one had some nice red/black dark fruit (which makes it above average), is a bit hot, and full-bodied tannins on the finish that are not over-the-top and beg for a fatty piece of beef. It lacks acidity, which makes it unbalanced to me, and falls in the new world camp. Oak is not noticeable. Drank over two days under argon with consistent results. Based on this experience along with the 2003 and 2005, I see it just fading away, losing fruit and gaining alcohol.
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Riper and thicker in texture than I expected. Full body with low to medium acidity. A big lush wine with nice dark fruit, but I did find the alcohol level a bit noticeable which kept me from scoring higher. Still a good value at the release price.
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Actually sippin nicely off a pop and pour. A little vodka-eske heat and black marker. But both were minimal. Matched fairly well with meatloaf Sandwiches topped with bacon and Camembert. Decent length. Blue and black fruit, light vanilla, and spice with a hint of dried earth. Drink up...in a good place.
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This wine is in a good place. I've found the older reds to be a bit disjointed, and overall unpleasant. The younger, brutish and tannic. This one seems to be the right balance of fruit still present but integrated and smoothed out. This may be the best of the QC reds that I have had...
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Opaque color, dark fruit and spice...very bold. Way too much heat for me though--gets in the way. Toned down a bit with time...if I had more of this in my cellar I would decant for an hour before drinking. Probably would make this good wine more enjoyable
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This is an excellent bottle of wine with a beauty of a QPR in my mind. Nice smooth mouthfeel and taught, not flabby as one often finds in this price range. Perhaps a touch to the sweet side but kept in check nicely. Fruity, not complex in the cassis, tobacco and graphite way, but a damn nice drinker.
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2 hr decant. Nose dark fruit, pomegranent. Most noticable is the chalky, smooth moutfeel - first several seconds. Then dark fruit, somewhat sweet tannins and some lingering acidity. Not quite what I think it can be, but very pleasant. An obvious quality wine.
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Opened for a couple hours and lovely big aromas of cab based blend. Was delicious red fruit with plum, cassis, blackberry and light baking spice. Excellent finish and very approachable right now
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Still young tasting. Decant if you are opening it now to smooth out some of the rough edges. Lots of alcohol in this wine. It could improve with more cellar time or not - it's hard to tell.
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Nose was solid wood, figs, dark cherry and currant. Palate was firm, hot, tannic and disjointed. Finished hot. This wine was somewhat of a disappointment tonight.
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Cedar, dark raspberry and oak greet the nose. Flavors of layered red fruit with spices, red licorice, and vanilla notes. Beautiful finish. Wish I had more.
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Decanted with Soiree pourer. Dense ruby color fully coating the glass. Nicely aromatic with aromas of leather, tobacco, violets and black cherry. Creamy cassis and currant notes on the front palate and weighty throughout. Overpowering oak beginning on the mid-palate through the finish- cedar and espresso drowning out the fruit and dulling the edges. Big tannins. Heat and spice on the finish. Needs time for the oak to integrate, hopefully the fruit and profile brightens.
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nose of chocolate, dark cherry and bell pepper. Nice balance with some cocoa, bell pepper again an medium red fruit with asian spice. I don't see this lasting too long as the bell pepper in my experience will become over-powering with time as a secondary characteristic like that showing this much this early will only become more apparent with time.
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I opened this to follow the 07 QC Cab and at $100 less per bottle this one was actually close. I preferred the nose on this as the Cab Franc added some interesting floral notes. This was not as smooth but did not have the 4 hour decant I gave the big bottle. Overall not a bad wine that almost matched the big brother, which I find over-hyped.
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This is really starting to come together. Blackberry, blueberry, a little spice and moderate vanilla/oak. Maybe it was the 2-hour decant that helped, but the former alcohol burn was gone, and this was a very balanced wine. And really good, to boot. I continue to be really impressed with the over-delivering QC Creek Red.
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Two hour decant. Not much to add since last time. Big red cab with lots of black and red fruits and firm tannins. Great with steak, OK by itself. Good $40 wine, but don't think I'll be buying again.
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Been a year. Opened and decanted about 30 minutes. Deep dark berries and slight oak on the nose. Vibrant fruit, slightly tart, the acidity would make this a great food wine. Tannins still sharp. Still young. Solid new world wine. Impressive.
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Oh my, really coming into it's own. Two hour decant, much needed, as it even smoothed out more over time. When it was ready to drink, very well integrated. Deep and dark, nice nose that isn't overpowering, and a full mouth feel of dark fruit and cherries with a medium finish. Can hold for longer, but if you drink now, minimum two hour decant will make it totally worthwhile!
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Decanted and consumed over 3.5 hours. Took about an hour in the decanter for the wine to open up, but once it did, it improved considerably, and continued to improve during the entire drinking window. Dark berry aromas layer over sweet oak; Toasted wood, vanilla, black berry and black cherry are the primary flavors in this approachable and balanced wine. Year after year, QC Red remains one of the better QPRs to be found.
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Pnp, nose has oak licorice black fruits. Mouth is full and balanced with more black fruit tannins, some bitterness and acidity. Great medium long finish.
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This bottle better than the bottle we opened in Jan. It was a good wine with nice juicy fruit flavors, acidity and tannins until the alcohol became abusive on the finish. Decanted an hour before serving with good results.
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One of the best Quilceda's I've had...had to double check that I didn't pull their first label on accident. Massive cherry and subtle smoked oak, complexity and acidity in a killer package.
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Drank after returning home after completing my first 140.6. Popped and poured. Blueberry, blackberry, vanilla, oak. Still tannic, but opening up nicely. Was better after about 30mins in the glass. Saved half bottle for next day to try. Outstanding
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Opened and decanted; started tasting at 2+ hours. Colour was dark ruby to medium ruby rim. Bouquet presented cassis, minerals, chocolate and plums. Palate showed good fruit concentration with chalky tannins. Still needs time--at least 2+ years more. Minerals, sour cherries and iodine blasting through the tannin cloak. Good acidity. Definitely more austere than its Cali cabernet counterparts. While fun to drink and probably better things to come, I think I'd rather plunk down the money on a petite chateau from bordeaux in a good vintage--I'm pretty sure I would be happier at the end of the bottle.
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Really great wine. Nice Washington fruit, excellent balance, and the tannins have smoothed out quite a bit. Nice now but probably even better in a couple more years.
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Incredible wine, but needs time. Decanted about an hour, was still tight, but over time, especially at the 2-3hour mark, it really smoothed out and was incredible. If you are going to open, decant for 3 hours, you will NOT be disappointed
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Enjoyed with Marlene, Jim, Ellen, Mark and Fritzi Saturday 2-June-2012 on a nice evening on the deck. Still young but nice complexity, and bouquet. Lot's of tannins will try another next year. Average rating was 90. Had fresh Copper River sockeye salmon, asparagus, potato salad and salad (Marlene's).
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Still young but opened up over about an hour. Great wine, dark fruit and mocha already very smooth with firm but well intergrated tannins and a long finish.
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Decanted about an hour, could have used more time. Was nice balance between acids and tannins, medium to long finish. Really nice wine, needs another year or so before opening the rest!
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This bottle is showing much better than the last one. Notes of red and black fruit and chocolate on the nose. Raspberries, currants, blackberries on the palate that is followed by nice finish with notes of spice and vanilla. Seems much more balanced than the last bottle.
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Poured through Vinturi into decanter. Started drinking after about an hour of decanting. Ok, this wine is GOING to be good. It's not there yet, however. The nose is somewhat hot, though you get a lot of the usual QC aromas, heavy on the dark fruit and violet (though my wife assures me I have no idea what violets actually smell like). Gobs of blackberry and blueberry on the palate, with some oak. But still tight, with noticeable tannins and alcohol. My wife's reaction, after her obligatory taste, was "grapey." I do get plenty of the signature QC flavors (see blackberry mention above), but it's just not all in balance yet. I really think this will come together and there are definitely things to like already (I hope so, given my 4-5 cases of it), but I'm probably going to give it at least 6 more months before trying again, and probably closer to a year. The alcohol did blow off somewhat as it sat, and it mellowed a bit as it opened up (a little), so I do think some bottle age is going to help.
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It's been about a year since I last opened a bottle of this wine and based on my note from a year ago I'd have to say that maybe changed just a tad in that time. Didn't seem quite as hot as it was back then but other then that, pretty much the same with lots of ripe fruit. I think I picked up a bit of a mocha note this time as well. All things considered, it was a decent value for $35.
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This wine is decent, but isn't fantastic in any way, shape or form. On the nose, the primary aroma is alcohol and garlic, but I think the garlic smell came from my breath, as I was chowing down on some French Garlic sausages with fellow Cellartracker user Abraham Lincoln. That being said, 4 score and 7 years from now this wine may be fantastic, but for now it is only decent.
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A very nice blend from Washington. Higher in alcohol at 15.2%, it nevertheless is very smooth and rounded with some time in the decanter. Light fruit notes, cherries and such, rather than big dark fruits, nice silky tannins.
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Appeared to be light to medium bodied cab, fruit was ok on the front bright red fruit notes, midpalate was smooth but did not carry the weight I would have expected, finish was just ok. 90s, maybe this needs time for more fruit or body to develop. -S
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Excellent value. I enjoyed this over a few hours, and deemed it a flavorful easy drinker, with a very nice palate. Seemed over-oaked, but the nose was interesting and I considered the wine to be food-friendly anyway.
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no notes. quickly decanted and returned to bottle overnight, no sediment in this bottle which is different than previous bottles. drank over the next two nights. first night the wine was hard as nails with a helping of fence post. plenty of fruit though. wine softened considerable on the second night. still had plenty of oak but much more fruit and much softer tannin. maybe just needed more air than it had on the first night.
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Probably should have paid attention to the other recent reviews and decanted this surprisingly big wine. I really thought that almost a year after release, it would have mellowed. The oak is still very strong, at least on day 1 with no decant. Tobacco, leather, and black fruit for sure. Mouth gripping tannins. Maybe another year for the next bottle. For tight, the other half of the bottle goes back to the cellar to see what it tastes like tomorrow.
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Another stellar effort from washington's top winery! Intoxicating wine had last night with kobe steak and lobster Mac and cheese... Paired wonderfully with both. Def an evening to remember
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this is not a bad wine, but it's a wine that seems to be manipulated to cover some flaws. WAY out of balance for me, with searing alcohol on day 1 and day 2, and chewy oak that never went away. this was all over the place, and while i did drink it instead of pouring it out, i would not buy it again, at least not at the price i paid on the secondary market.
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Opened for a few hours and served a bit warmer than usual (68-70F). Nose of creme de cassis, boysenberry, red and black cherry, fern, vanilla, and charcoal. Cassis, red berries, vanilla, forest floor, dark chocolate, and spice on the palate. Very nice mouthfeel - full, but not heavy. Strong mid-palate and great finish. Smooth and very easy to drink. The 15.1% alcohol is not noticeable. While quite New World, this is refined, and the oak is not out of hand. Best Quilceda Red Wine I've had.
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Notes from day 2. On Day 1 I decanted this for about 2 hours. It was huge...over the top, lots of oak and noticeable alcohol. It was still fairly nice, but certainly NOT where I'd expect this wine to be right now. Poured back in the bottle and recapped for the next night.
Day 2, I reopened and poured a glass after dinner, to discover that the wine had integrated overnight and turned into a beautiful creation. Still a bit heavy on the oak, but everything else seems to be in place, although now some chalky tannins are showing themselves. Berry liqueur, violets, minerals, and quite a bit of vanilla from the oak. Ends with some fairly dusty tannins, which are actually rather nice. This can go a bit, so I'd hold off for now, and enjoy this starting in 2012.
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really good. will improve with time. Aggressively decanted 15-30 minutes (we didn't quite put it into a blender, a la Nathan Myhrvold, but gave it a big decanter and plenty of shaking, after we had removed the sediment). Very California-style to us. Delicious. Plenty of fruit, clearly an aggressive sit-up-and-notice-me wine, but not harshly tannic. Changed character mid-palate and into the long finish - blackberries, plums. Big fan. Will try another in a year.
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Decided to open this to see what's going on and to find out if I want the '08s. Popped and poured, not much is going on in the nose - very quiet with a hint of vanilla and dark fruit. Palate follows suit with some hefty tannins and a fairly thin/light body. BUT - with a bit more time in the glass - it began to open. Nose is richer with the fruit (dark currants and black cherry), the palate is showing tobacco, floral spice, some vanilla and the same dark fruit. Tannins are still grippy and the body is still light to medium with a nice long finish. I think with more time in the bottle, this will be delicious. I also think I sold myself on the 2008s. ;-)
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This is Quilceda Creeks proprietary red bordeaux style blend, which we drank alongside a similar Grand Reve blend. While the Grand Reve was a bit better, the Quilceda is a great wine from what is probably Washington's premier Cabernet producer, all for $35.
This definitely needs some time in a decanter. But with some time, and like the Grand Reve, this is a good Bordeaux style blend, with deep fruits, and a definite nose of tobacco leaf, some cassis and spice too. Smooth tannins, but not a very thick wine. Lighter fruit flavors, a hint of oak and tobacco, with some spices thrown in. Overall, a great wine and a good value, as it is every year. Quilceda's fall offering opens on August 8th, and I'll certainly be ordering a bunch of the 2008 Red Wine!
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Picked up from offsite today so why not. 6 hour decant in the cellar and this was smokin'! Sure, some oak, but not nearly as bad as I thought. Jice tannic structure, and a bit more alcohol than I prefer on the finish, but at 15+%, not a shock. I'll hold our remaining bottles, but can be drunk with a 6 hour decant IMHO.
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Mild nose, wildflower & mineral. Very tight on the palate, a la your typical Red, though this one is treating me better than those past. Still showing a little heat. After some time in the glass, chocolate & fruit finally wafting out. The same finessed restraint exists in the mouth. The finish is rather dry. The QC Reds are not wines I would think would please the masses.
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DAY 1 all about the nose and the alc, day 2 smooths out but the alc still present 5 secs after. I'll wait a few months to a year and see how it shakes out. enjoy!!!
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Knocked another one of these back a couple of nights ago. The overwhelming tannins have mellowed a bit a the Quilceda fruit is showing through. Compared to the '08 QC Cab I drank a few weeks back, this wine is solid but nowhere in the league of the Cab. Still ...I'm glad to have 10 more bottles of the '07 Red Wwine. Loads of violet and berry fruits, nose still not very developed. Will try another in the fall
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Wonderful balance, drinking well now and will continue to improve over the next few years. Tasted alongside Justification and Aldin of the same vintage and it was everyone's WOTN.
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Pretty decent Washington wine. Quite a bit of spicy aromas, tons of stewed sweet berry fruit that's quite nice. Really grippy on the palate, pretty tannic, and fairly anonymous red fruit, blueberries, and bitter wood tannins. The finish shows good spice, and is slightly tart, with some unbalanced alcohol. Grippy. Not much interest.
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Took a bottle to Easter Brunch, only a short pour so no formal notes. Again the oak is big on the wine hiding whats underneath, IMO. But the family loved it so it all works out in the end. 88
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Decanted for about an hour and half, then poured. Oaky, seemed thin and red fruit focused. Drying on the finish that was clipped and more oak focused than fruit focused. Very disjointed. Going to let the rest sleep for another year or two and hope that they turn around. Not impressed at all.
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This continues to show great promise, but requires time to settle down. Clear, ruby red color, with deep, almost opaque, intensity. Black fruit, oak, tobacco, chocolate, some menthol, and alcohol on the nose. (It's a bit hot at 15.2%.) Palate is dry, low acid, noticeable youthful drying tannins, full body. Flavor characteristics are in balance with the nose, plus a bit of dried fruit and an extracted quality. Good length. I have high hopes for this, but for now, give it plenty of air.
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The oak was still too intense, even after 1 hr of decanting. Good concentration and nice tobacco notes on the finish. A lot of spices (vanilla) on the nose, smooth tannins... but not well-integrated at the moment. Give it, at the very least, another year before drinking.
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used a ventouri and then let sit in a decanter for about 4 hours. still very tight. by the next day the tannins eased and the wine was much better. plenty of moak which i suspect will evolve in time.
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Opened, 90 minutes decanted. Dark ruby with a huge nose of Cherry, vanilla, spice and a hint of blueberry. This wine is still really young but it has apparently settled down from it ride to the cellar. The big cherry, blueberry, vanilla, spice and tobacco were wonderfully integrated with some big but surprisingly smooth tannins giving a very smooth, almost silky mouthfeel. The wine did not seem so oaky this time and likely the biggest reason i scored it up over my initial "arrival" tasting. Still young but given how nicely (and quickly) this wine is settling down i fear the 17 bottles left will never see old age.... I think the Quilceda red is still one of the better values going right now
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A deep and vibrant blend. Silky smooth on the palate, with big fruit leading it. Still has some time, perhaps 3 years, but great now. Will be nice to see what develops here. Enjoy it.
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The nose of dark berries is followed with an enveloping, softly textured chocolate covered blackberry. There's a nice hint of dark chocolate fused with that slight bittery blackberry taste. An enjoyable wine but only an OK value at $35 to $40 per bottle.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Needed another 1-2 hours to completely open up. I would put this wine up against red blends that are twice the price. The color is ruby red, Medium finish. I can't wait to try the flagship in a few more years.
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Finally broke down and had to try a bottle. 90 mins in a decanter yields an extremely approachable wine. Nice berry aromas that have the intensity of a wine-scented candle - it still has some rough strength, with oak on the edge, but it shows the potential of grand elegance. Looking forward to drinking this case over the coming 10-15 years.
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Very clean, with aromas of plums and blueberries. Delicious from the start, over time the wine became increasingly silky and the fruit more defined. Was still improving as I swallowed the last sip. Requires at least an hour of decanting to experience at it’s best.
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Still very young. Malbec very evident. Tannins on the front, nice complexity in the finish. Lemongrass and sour blueberries. Will be great someday but not yet.
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I began enjoying this wine with a comment from my wife that caught me off guard. She said it was "grassy". OH NO! This is going to be a long night. She took another sip and said "nothing but fruit". Wine I tell ya is like a deep dark mystery. This wine, however, is something many others want to grow up to be. My only wish is that I bought more. An ongoing challenge would be to find a wine in this price range that has so much to offer. The caveat being this is a huge wine with a much expected future. I expect this wine to climb in the rating in about two years. Should it go where I think it is headed I feel we are looking at a 95-96.
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I do not remember the Quilceda red wine tasting this good. It's certainly not as good as the flagship Cabernet, but this wine is incredibly robust for the price (mid-30's). Dark cherry, pomegranate, rosemary and spring rain on the nose - a complex, somewhat tight nose. On the palate, this is definitely tight and could use some gang, but, for now, big rich fruit, caramel and cedar, with big tannins and a long, very well balanced finish. Delicious!
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Popped and poured. A bit non-descript for awhile, but after a couple hours, it opened up. Nice aroma and taste of coffee and dark fruits. This probably could have used some decanting, and I will certainly sit on my other bottle for a couple years.
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Aggressive decant, 1 hour before tasting. Dark, rich crimson color. Nose of dark fruits, cedar, and hints of violets---a bit closed, and hot, not too expressive. Full bodied with fine but very grippy tannins. Palate was also closed, with the oak overpowering the dark fruits to a large degree. Finish is long but a bit hot right now. This wine has the trademark amazing Quilceda structure, and enough going on to turn into something very, very nice. Potentially 92 - 94 points in a few years, but for now, only a 90. Give it at least three years to come together, and for the Oak Monster to subside. If it fleshes out and softens, this will be a fantastic QPR.
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This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (72%), Merlot (20%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Malbec (2%). The wine was splash-decanted and serially tasted over 2-3 hours. The color is opaque purple/ruby, and the nose opens within an hour in decanter to show ripe black currant, black plum and spice aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity, well-integrated oak and big ripe tannins. The alcohol (listed as 15.2%) is a bit hot, even at appropriate serving temperature. The flavors are black fruit and mineral-dominated. The middle is full and the medium-length finish ends with a whiff of heat. This is a nice "fruit bomb" at this point. It is fairly well-structured and may merit a higher score if it can pick up some complexity with the ageing process. Drink now-12/20.
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Too young to rate with any accuracy; Dark ruby color vanilla aromas and red/dark fruit flavors along with a smack of oak. Some minerality on the finish along with chewy tannins and an alcoholic zing. Now 88 points but if the balance improves could be much better, 91?? Very evident 15.2% alcohol.
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2 hours of air in the bottle. A delicious QPR. Good red and blue fruit, spice, hint of cream and great balance. Will likely benefit from a couple years, but certainly good to go now. 92-93+
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This will be the greatest QPR ever, but it requires another year or two first. Upon decanting, it was a bit tannic and austere. After a couple of hours of air, however, it was remarkably accessible, with a big nose and full fruit on the palate. Impressive finish for a reasonably priced wine. I look forward to enjoying this for many more years.
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Lovely. Had with steak. Good noise. Tried without food and wasn't full but once I had with steak it opened up and was do full violets I will wait a year to try again
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Nose had nice raspberry with blueberry and violet emanating from the glass. Palate was solid but lighter than expected. Blue fruit was prominent but had blackberry, anise, and licorice as well. Impressively drinkable early on. Lots of sediment forming.
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Not a good showing for this wine tonight. Opened and splash decanted this as a 2nd bottle with friends after a Ch.Ste Michelle Horse Heaven Hills Merlot and this tasted vegatal compared to the Merlot. This did open after awhile but our guests liked the Merlot better. I guess this really is the 2nd wine of Quilceda as the grapes were only so-so. Maybe 2-3 years in the bottle will reveal some secondary notes.
2 nights later: We still had 1/3 bottle of this left and we started with this wine as a prequel to a 2000 Ch. Grand Mayne and wow this wine lost the vegatal notes and gained some nice smooth dark fruit. I upgraded the score to a solid 90 and patience of 2-3 years will be rewarded.
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Opened, 60 minutes air in bottle - should have decanted having watched it open up in the glass during the evening. Dark ruby to the rim, big nose of black cherry w spicy vanilla notes. Equally big on the palate - cherry & black fruit, spice, tobacco, and vanilla(oak). Nice mouthfeel, long finish but still tight - drinkable w decanting now but will benefit from some cellar time. I think this wine gets better; great value for the price compared to similar CA cabs.
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I'm sure this will improve some with bottle age but it's just delicious now. More put together young than the 2006 was, which I thought was definitely a little disjointed when released. Obviously not in the same category as the signature Cabernet in terms of depth and power, but has some of the profile of that wine, so it's fun to have a reasonably priced drinker to drink while waiting longer on the main event.
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Just a very good wine, great mouthfeel, long finish. Those of you who rated this below 90 can send your bottles to me, i will buy all i can get of this.
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Just gobs of fruit, dark chocolaty coated red fruits with silky tannins and none of the high acids typically associated to fine young wines. This guy comes right out of the bottle as a full throttle mouth coating wine that keeps on giving. I had this bottle open for 9 hours and it just kept getting better. May re-visit in a few months with a feeling that this wine is only going to raise my expectations of affordable wine. Should this improve with time we may be looking at a 95+
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Yummm, nose is faint cab/merlot, color is black, legs are long, one sexy wine. Rick fruit with black cherry and pomegranate off set by tannins that announce their presence than fade away. This will get better with age, but already sets the bar high for this price point.
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Drank over two days. First day, this was hardly giving up anything. Didn't appear to be tannic, but just closed. Day two the wine gave up hints of blueberry, mocha, cigar and oak. But all VERY faint. Again, not too tannic, just closed. This needs time. Witholding score (WAY TOO YOUNG)!
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Notes from day 2. Dark purple to black in color. Nose of cherry, black currant, vanilla, oak. Palate of dark berry, black currant, vanilla, spice, a little good quality tobacco hidden in there, and lots of dusted cocoa. The finish is long and there is tannin still noticably present. When poured at the proper temperature the wine does not seem hot, but once it starts to warm up the 15.2% starts to stick out as well as the large amount of oak the wine sees. Kind of sitting on the fence whether I like this wine or not, it seems like it has such good fruit underneath, but the overoaking is really a turnoff for me. Okay qpr at 35, but may not be a continued buyer due to the oak treatments. Hold. 50+5+11+16+7
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This is wearing a lot of oak, but has some real soil character underneath. Reasonably compelling at this price point, but I'd love to see how this tasted with less wood.
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Ultra ripe and ultra oaked wine with notes of sweet black cherries, vanilla and chocolate. Drank it over three days and tasted as fruity on the third day as it was on the first. This tastes like vanilla and chocolate laced fruit with long finish with touch of balsamic vinegar thrown in.
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An over-the-top oak monster that so woody that it detracts from the rest of what's in the bottle, and I'm a person that rarely ever complains about too much wood. I smell oak and taste wood, and that's the overwhelming smell/flavor I get from this wine. I'm a big fan of Quilceda and of big wines in general, but this is an unbalanced over-the-top effort (and not in a good way) that is unpleasant to drink. A huge disappointment, and I'm being quite generous in giving it an 85.
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Juicy, ripe and hot is the best way to describe this wine. Despite all of those factors which some may find less than appealing, it's still pretty good. I'd love to see the ripeness and alcohol (15.2) dialed back just a tad. Certainly not a wimpy wine and definitely a crowd pleaser.
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Should get much better with time, but now is very tight, with a lot of oak treatment and what almost tastes like burnt rubber. Still, very good fruit, super extraction and what seemed like better balance coming later, or that could have been the 15.2 alcohol catching up to me at the end.
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I'm really surprised by how much I like this. Big appealing fruity floral nose. Rich on the palate. Very Washington State, with plenty of dark fruit along with rich red cherry and a tobacco streak. Tannins are sweet but not quite integrated. Only complaint is the heat which could be toned down a little.
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drank at the end of a lonnngg day of wine tasting, so scoring wouldn't be fair. it is a bit disjointed even after a 6 hour decant, but does show lots of promise. has plenty of oak and pretty strong mouth coating tannins. the flavor profile changed pretty dramatically over the hour i drank my glass showing complextiy and had nicely balanced acidity. would score it unofficial at 93, bottle shock from shipping and the drive to wine country probably didn't help.
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Hard to believe a second wine merits an outstanding score, but this does. Reminded me of a right bank wine, with soft edges to the dark red fruit, soft tannins, and a medium long finish with mostly spice. A very nice bottle.
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The Red wine continues to not really appeal to me, but it is juicy and approachable. For me though it lacked some freshness with a soy/oxidized personality that seemed dull to me.
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tasted at the release party-in my opinion this is maybe the best qpr on the market at release pricing. being bottled recently it was a bit rough around the edges, but the nose on this wine immediately stated its quality. effusive notes of blackberry, blueberry, spice, vanilla with a freshness that i would attribute to nice minerality. the palate was very similar with a long finish showing a touch more oak than the 06 version i drank recently, probably due to its very young age. will be better with some time to settle down. in my opinion it showed better than the columbia valley cab today, but may not age quite as well. in a year it will be great, in three to five it could be spectacular
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6/18/2023 - hanasowner wrote: flawed
Crumbled cork...ended up pushing through and decanting...wine was drinkable, though clearly past its prime...ended up dumping what we didn't consume.
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6/2/2023 - JoeDwine wrote: 89 Points
With Steak…..
Dark Blackberries, pencil lead and scorched earth.
Finish slightly short.
Drink up
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5/15/2023 - elpasobuckeye wrote: 92 Points
yummy
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2/15/2023 - JoeDwine Likes this wine: 90 Points
With Rib Eye
Finky nose though a little less.
Palate much better Pencil lead, cassis.
75 minutes in lots of dark blackberry.
Finish is slightly clipped keeps the score down.
At 150 minute mark some crushed flowers and glycerin.
Have 3 more bottles and will try again in 2026
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2/1/2023 - JoeDwine wrote: 88 Points
With Grilled Skirt Steak and Asparagus ….
Funky nose, fairly straightforward nothing standsout but worked well with the food. Will try another bottle soon to see if it was just an anomaly.
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5/6/2022 - Rhone Rick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ultimate bottle. Still drinking well.. years left. Flavor profile per last note, just awesome
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12/23/2021 - DaneM Likes this wine:
It took 14 years to tame the Necco wafer and oak profile that QC typically has when young.
This was singing after a 4 hour decant. Still driven primarily by dark fruit, plenty of life left if you want more secondary character, though really good right now.
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8/21/2021 - Rhone Rick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Penultimate bottle.
Silky and softened tannins, graphite and faded red fruit. Some brightness. Drank well. At or past peak but still awesome.
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3/12/2021 - Immunoprof Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very smooth. Still plenty of fruit
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1/1/2021 - spts1000 wrote: 89 Points
Good structure and nose of dark berries. It was a bit sweet to me.
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10/23/2020 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a bottle purchased upon release and cellared under ideal conditions, this blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec has beautifully matured since last being tasted more than six years ago. Decanted and serially sampled over the ensuing three hours, it retains a youthful opaque ruby color. Laden with black currants, Luxardo cherries, bittersweet chocolate, Asian spices, bark and violets on both the nose and palate, it is a full-bodied red with low-to-medium acidity, nicely integrated oak and silky residual tannins. The alcohol (listed as 15.2%) is well-woven at this point (when served at the appropriate temperature of 60-65° F). With excellent mid-palate density and a lengthy finish, this has rewarded those who have patience and a good cellar. Drink now-2025.
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8/10/2020 - DoubleD1969 Likes this wine:
I think I've drank one other bottle since the 2019 note. Similar notes, but each was better than the previous bottle. I agree with previous poster that it was a great $35 purchase back then. In fact, I prefer it to the flagship bottling.
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7/7/2020 - Wine12345 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Maybe the best $35 bottle of wine I have ever purchased. Wonderful, and ready to drink now. Enjoy!
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3/20/2020 - hanasowner wrote: 84 Points
Opened 30 minutes ahead for slow o...soft cork...had to use an ah-so...a touch of bricking...Bordeaux-like with muted cherry and earthy tones...still some tannins...short finish...past its prime and still drinkable.
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1/3/2020 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Decanted in glass for 1 hour prior to meal. Best glass was the last.
My wife complained at the beginning of the meal that the wine was hot.
Reviewed at the end of the meal when the wine was best - 2 hours open.
Nose was smooth and complex. A mix of dark fruit and embers.
palate is smooth, rich, BIG, with lots of richness and a sense of high octane alcohol. This is a Parker wine in all the aspects. Big, Balanced and high octane.
Paired with prime NY steaks and it paired well.
For drinking this is a good wine. For dinner, there are better.
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11/14/2019 - DoubleD1969 wrote: 90 Points
Starting to come around. The nose is expressive and mostly primary with oak, vanilla, ripe red cherries. Tannin is a bit more integrated. Plenty of fruit and acidity to last 10 more years.
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11/9/2019 - DesMarteau wrote: 91 Points
Not even close to being ready to drink...consumed over 2 days ...first day ...39 mins of air...tar cherry and disjointed. No sign of age. Deep purple. Vacuum pumped 1/2 of the bottle in a 375ml ....24 hours later it is much better integrated and fruit more apparent and tar subdued. Getting better each sip/. Currants , cherry, pencil lead, cassis, Liam, long finish ....
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11/4/2019 - petermachtley Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking amazing right now. Wishing I had kept more this long.
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9/22/2019 - cavedivr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank well tonight. A touch of bitterness on the finish, but really in a nice place. Won't be getting any better.
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8/15/2019 - Wine12345 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent wine!
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6/17/2019 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 91 Points
Coravan to glass of this the prior night and even after following for an hour it seems very shallow. Tonight I uncorked the bottle, and while it was enjoyable from the get go it is also obviously in the back nine of its life. Medium to light dark cherry flavor, faint aged wood and leather period goes down much better today than yesterday and shows it’s age through it’s fading depth and structure.
Time to drink up
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5/8/2019 - Dougak wrote: 92 Points
This stuff is a steal, it still has plenty of age left in it. We decanted it for an hour, should have been 2. Great nose and soft on the palate, a bit jammy but if I had decanted longer it softened up as the evening wore on. This stuff compared with much more expensive wines last night.
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2/8/2019 - brettlaurvick wrote: 87 Points
Loads of oak. Really need more air to truly get a feel. This has a ton of life left on it so don't feel like you need to rush to open them. Last bottle from a case. I say hold. Will hold my last 08, 09, 10s longer.
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1/17/2019 - rmh66 wrote: 90 Points
Cassis, blackberry, black cherry, red cherry, some light herbs, a hint of cedar, and a little menthol on the nose. Cassis, spice, dark cherry, plum, tart cherry, menthol, herbs, and earth on the palate. Nice acidity, still a touch firm, but integrating tannins, medium finish. Alcohol is a bit noticeable, so needs a little more chill. Honestly, this has a lot going on and looks good on paper, but it's not really that fun to drink, especially compared to the 2014. It's big, but not all that charming. Maybe it's just me today.
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1/10/2019 - skinut Likes this wine: 92 Points
Oak subsided pretty quickly after a couple minutes in the glass. Blackberries and plum with subtle chocolate notes. Nice complexity and a medium long finish. In a good place but could easily last 5 years or more without significant degradation.
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1/1/2019 - Rhone Rick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still drinking beautifully but perhaps at their peak.
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12/13/2018 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pop and pour about an hour after a 3 hr plane flight. While the nose is faint, the flavor profile is perfect.....maybe a bit past peak. Nice balance of dark fruit with just enough structure remaining to make the wine not just pleasant and enjoyable, but interesting. Have one more bottle; will drink within 6 months.
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6/21/2018 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
Dense dark red color, spicy mixed berry nose immediately flowed out as soon as cork was pulled, after 30-45 minutes bouquet expanded, opulent earthy, spicy, currant, blackberry fruit, a little chocolate, integrated tannins, long (minute+) smooth finish. A delicious big and well made wine which we think is one of the best $40-ish American wines.
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6/3/2018 - learningandenjoying Likes this wine: 93 Points
B30; G20; 4*+8*+4*+8.5*+8.5*+4.5+4.5=93; Cloudy (sediment that had not settled from cellar) medium purple-red color; initially restrained aromas with very faint skunk on a ripe plum & dark cherry front-end that opens to smoke and a lot more delightful cherry; mouthfeel is smooth with slight acidic overnote and silky tannin; rich dark fruit (cherry, plum) palate with good mineral balance; really long finish with decent complexity - great QPR; fantastic balance (tilted slightly to acid and fruit); many years ahead. Definitely warm to room temp from cellar; possibly a light decant, but this is also very ready to show its evolution over an hour+.
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4/14/2018 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes. Aromas of green pepper, blackberry, currant, mint and touch of mocha. Flavors of melted chocolate, blackberry, mint, currant and touch of iron. Ends with a nice finish of chocolate and blackberry that lasts about 30 seconds. Stopped buying these but maybe I should not have. Always a nice wine.
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3/21/2018 - SLLDAL Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured at a restaurant. Quickly opened up in the glass, and the decanted balance improved further. Not past its prime, but definitely ready to drink.
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2/16/2018 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consistent w last bottle- nice nose of with dark ripe fruit and cigar/leather. Tight right out of the bottle and for the first 30 mins. Decanted half the bottle and 90 mins later the decanted wine was still nice but was overly soft. Next time will give 30 mins in the glass and just leave the balance in the bottle to slow ox
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2/3/2018 - enjoyvino wrote: 92 Points
This wine is in a nice spot. Rich nose, mouthfeel and finish. Pretty good for 10 years old. Gave it about 1 hour decant.
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12/25/2017 - hiker_guy wrote:
At 10 years old was thinking this might be ready. decanted for about an hour prior to the meal.
Big wine with obvious oak notes. Served with lamb stew hoping this would tame the wine a little. Wine still dominated the meal. Tonight I would have preferred a complementary wine.
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10/28/2017 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Best part of my day yesterday! Rich and smooth, slight oak, big fruit great mouth feel
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9/8/2017 - *Vine* wrote:
Popped and poured, youthful ruby/purple, quite deep. Pronounced aromas immediately off the pop of blackberry, black raspberry, cassis, black currant, lifted florals (incense?), vanilla bean, red clay and a touch of herbaceous root vegetable earth-funk...hello nurse! Medium body. On the palate, this tastes like a Cab blend that's just entering into secondary development, with dark, plummy fruits complimented by flavors of mint leaf, tobacco and earthy autumnal vegetation tinged with spice from oak. The tannins are chewy and somewhat astringent on the moderate-plus close that climaxes with a touch of heat (as do most QCs, seemingly). Although this will hold for many years, it might be best to drink now while the flavors are still so pronounced and have yet to be obscured by tannins and alcohol.
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8/18/2017 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very tight right out of the bottle- no idea this is a 10-year-old wine- needed minimum 90 minutes in the decanter to open up and soften.
After decanting: Cigar/tobacco on the nose, medium to medium light weight, dark red fruits, more tobacco, black cherry, pepper, maybe some blackberry. In spite of the lightweight, finish last 20+ seconds. Great wine, might drink within a 2 to 3 our window in the future.
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6/3/2017 - jfkwines wrote: 93 Points
Took 2+ hours to open up. Should have decanted. Beautiful wine. Nice integration now. Pired well with grilled Chicken
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3/13/2017 - Rhone Rick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still great!! Starting to soften and show it's age. Curious how it might taste in night #2.
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2/12/2017 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
As tasty as the last bottle.
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12/28/2016 - Schwarzer Hund Likes this wine:
Opaque dark red, blackberry, cassis, anise aromas, opulent dark berry fruit, chocolate, tobacco, sweet oak flavors. Tannins are smoothing out and the finish is medium length. Not as sophisticated as the QC flagship wine but a very classy wine at a very good price.
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12/25/2016 - johnnyo wrote: 92 Points
This is one of the best QC Red Wines I've had in recent years. Structured but plenty of rich black fruit with griping tannins and mouthwatering finish.
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12/24/2016 - JMFWC Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted, nose is starting to show aged characteristics of leather and spice with blackberry. Palate is well integrated and showing good balance with still distinct tannins. Finish is lasting and holding up well. Had some on night two and the oak was coming through pretty strong in a not so great way.
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12/24/2016 - cwaltonhouse Likes this wine: 92 Points
I've had a few of these from different vintages now, and have some themes that stand out. The structure is very, very well built--resolved tannins with some age, but the roundness and velvety mouthfeel are what stand out. On the downside, these wines are always too hot. Too much alcohol distracts from the nuances of the grapes and makes it harder to appreciate. Overall, still a 90+ point wine for the overall quality, but lacks the restraint/finesse of a winemaker striving for more balance and nuance.
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12/4/2016 - JS1056 wrote: 91 Points
Pretty nose of dark fruit ( mostly cherry I think).
Spice, dark fruit, with some tabacco on the finish which is moderate in length. A little brighter than I remembered which hurt it a little.
One of the best values around.
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11/19/2016 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pop and pour, followed over 90 mins without decanting. Herbs and faint fruit on the nose; Medium-light weight, modest tannins offer a dry and polished finished, but this is fruit-driven wine at/slightly past the peak of its life. Based on tonite's tasting, will drink during the course of '17.
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9/3/2016 - no leashes wrote: 92 Points
Absolutely delicious. Rich and smooth, lush dark fruit flavors, spice and a hint of earth. Long finish.
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8/11/2016 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep earthy nose, complexity and soft tannins. Hints of leather and dark fruit. Great mouthfeel
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7/20/2016 - RPerro Likes this wine: 91 Points
P&P. Really nice wine, well integrated with nothing too sharp or pronounced. Cassis and boysenberry fruit, tobacco, and vanilla flavors. This has several years of prime drinking left. Drink now - 2018+.
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5/30/2016 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Full bodied wine. A bit of a pop and pour. Excellent QPR and great "every day" wine.
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5/28/2016 - hanasowner wrote: 87 Points
Not a great showing...cork would not budge and we had to push through and filter. A bit of fruit on the front end, but nothing special after that and the finish was short.
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5/23/2016 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasty blackberry, plum and cassis notes on the nose and palate with oak and refreshing tannins on the moderate finish.
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4/15/2016 - Troon wrote: 89 Points
I preferred this wine a little younger. I thought the wine tasted a little syrupy and extracted. I would say this wine has started its descent, and I would drink it if you have it.
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3/15/2016 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 90 Points
Followed over 2 nights hooked up to nitro. After 3 hours of air (uneducated) there's modest leather, dark plum, faint black pepper and vanilla on the nose. Coats the palate with a dusty satin, fruits are fading. Fruit was more prominent on night 1, I'd take this as a pop and pour, drink by 2018. While I don't find this to by syrupy, I do see resemblence to a some 13 YO Godolphin syrah I had 2 weeks ago.
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3/9/2016 - skifree wrote: 88 Points
Brought to CT SEA first-second tasting. I also opened this around 9 am and double decanted around 3 PM - then it had the classic black fruit, leather, spice, and tannins I think of with this wine - but by the time of the tasting at 6:30 there was not much left. Disappointed me.
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11/29/2015 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
No decant but I consumed this over about 3 hours. There is some nice rich cassis, tobacco, earth and graphite. But it is rather sweet, syrupy and boozy. To me, this drinks more like a goopy syrah than a Bordeaux blend. Drinking it at a lower temperature seems to help. I believe this is a well-made wine, and I'm trying to be objective, but I am probably not succeeding. This is a style of wine that I do not prefer.
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11/1/2015 - Stumpy wrote: 89 Points
Although still a nice bottle of wine it was not as strong as the last bottle. Nice not over the top cab but was a little bit flat. Still dang nice QPR...
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10/20/2015 - SeaSmoke wrote: 90 Points
Similar comments to September 2015.
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9/29/2015 - tahaus wrote: 90 Points
Great cab blend. Well balanced with pepper, medium fruits, balanced touch of oak, really solid and you can give this wine another 5-8 years.
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9/7/2015 - SeaSmoke wrote: 90 Points
Opened and decanted for 1 hour. This wine is drinking very nicely. Cherry, currant, and blackberry on the nose and palate. The finish is medium.
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9/4/2015 - MoreWinePlease Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice nose of dark fruits and subtle oak spice. Rings all the bells for rich fruit (but w/a bit of high alcohol, but which no one made a remark about), plush mid palate richness of dark cherries/black raspberry, a little dark chocolate and cassis, ending in a fine and satisfying finish.
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9/3/2015 - rexmerlot wrote: 89 Points
Drank over 2 nights. Alcohol still very prominent in this wine. Good wine for the price.
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8/25/2015 - no leashes wrote: 92 Points
Plush black fruit, spice and a hint of chocolate, beautifully balanced and smooth.
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8/20/2015 - borneman wrote: 93 Points
Finally figuring out that I need to wait and wait on these Quilceda reds. Has really matured into a fine wine offering still fresh but mellowed out notes of cassis, a little licorice. The heat is better integrated as well but still noticeable. Best Quilceda Red Wine I've opened yet as the others were simply too soon.
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5/31/2015 - enjoyvino wrote: 91 Points
Dont remember the specifics but was a good wine.
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4/22/2015 - MLwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Phenomenal QPR, drinking very well right now. It's in a great place.
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4/18/2015 - BVal wrote: 90 Points
Last tasted a little less than 3 years ago.
Color still very dark ruby -> medium ruby rim. Bouquet of cassis, minerals, chocolate and a whole pile of ash. Palate showed good fruit concentration but still a lot of chalky tannins. Still needs time--at least 2+ years more (that echoes what I said nearly 3 years ago). Volcanic ash, minerals, sour cherries and iodine blasting through the tannin cloak. Good acidity. Definitely more austere than its Cali cabernet counterparts. Great price but will it bring pleasure? Only time will tell . . . .
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3/19/2015 - rhalbert wrote: 92 Points
When you wait long enough these drink fantastically and offer one of the best QPRs out there. Had with a gorgeous filet with melted Roquefort sauce. One of five wines we had at the 2nd Annual with Jackie and Randy (Noelle and Rick too!)
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2/19/2015 - lirvingham Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great wine. Valentines day topper. Usual long quilceda style with years left.
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2/13/2015 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped this before I went to work. Served a little too cool but understandable sine its 15 degrees out. Aromas of cherry, currant, blackberry and a to of earth. Flavors of cherry, blackberry, currant, earth and a touch of iron. Ends with a 2) second finish. Really worth the wait on these.
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1/20/2015 - lirvingham wrote:
Wes drank this super fast which means he loves it. Very WA cab like. Nose of black licorice and flowers. Long palate that is even but also very large.
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1/13/2015 - raek wrote:
Just as others have said, more time is needed to smooth out tannins and acidity. It kinda hits you in the face right now.
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1/6/2015 - phantphant Does not like this wine: 75 Points
WAY below QC standards...what happened here?
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1/3/2015 - TL Likes this wine:
needs a lot of time to open up
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10/11/2014 - memphishusky Likes this wine:
Amazing QPR wine
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10/9/2014 - TheWineDon wrote: 92 Points
Nice dark fruit on the nose with a velvety mouthfeel that gets better the longer the wine sits in the glass. Very nice.
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10/7/2014 - dpolivy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Spice, meat, and dark fruit fill the nose. Richly textured with a mouth coating viscosity and softness. Dark fruit mingled with leather, cola and spice lead in to a finish with fine, persistent tannins and good acidity.
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9/23/2014 - Pearls_b4Swine wrote: 92 Points
Excellent bang for the buck; a wine to chew on.
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9/11/2014 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted blind, I thought initially on a pop and pour that this was a Grenache, however once opened I picked up on the Merlot very easily, however the Cabernet hides in this wine, even though it is the major varietal... It's very good, extracted yet balanced, for the price it's hard to beat.
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9/8/2014 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
Consistent with previous note. Lacks balance, lots of fruit.
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8/29/2014 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Intense nose of cola, leather and some minty notes, though almost entirely secondary, just hints of some blueberries, but the fruit seems rather attenuated. Surprisingly lightweight on the palate, this lacks some of the density I've seen when drinking this wine younger. We opened this and let it sit for about 30 minutes before tasting. Heat was very present early on, but faded a bit with time. The heat was really distracting, and was replaced by a nice pepperiness. The tannin is still quite aggressive, which comes of as slightly out of balance now.
Day 2: While the fruit seemed rather dissipated last night, tonight, this was a very different wine. After getting back to room temperature, this was significantly better than yesterday. The cola on the nose was accented with a root-beer like sweetness. This softened into waves of intense red fruit. The tannins were still rather intense, but everything seemed much better balanced today. Thus, it seems that this wine was just really closed up to begin.
Day 3: Just a little bit left. That cola/root beer is still on the nose, and this still has some pretty significant tannic grip. Maybe a hint of liqueur. The heat and pepper is not really visible anymore.
On another note, this didn't play particularly well with food: with baby back ribs, it showed some bitterness in contrast to the (mildly) sweet and tangy sauce, and with fried chicken it just seemed deadening.
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8/29/2014 - slywka7 wrote: 92 Points
Opened bottle 4 hours before drinking but did not decant it. Aromas of blackberry, dark cherry, iron and a hint of plum. Nose is very big and expressive. Flavors of blackberry, cherry, touch of plum and kirsch liquor. Drinking very well and an unbelievable value. Glad I waited some extra time before popping into these because they need some time.
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8/27/2014 - SeaSmoke wrote: 89 Points
Not much on the nose. Opened up after 60 minutes or so. Was underwhelmed by the lack of fruit on the palate.
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8/24/2014 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Not overwhelmed. Nose a bit green and musty. Fruit not complex. Let others drink the bottle. Possibly corked but no reason why.
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8/22/2014 - thebonnydooner wrote: 89 Points
This is an intense ripe wine - full of black cherry, sweet blackberry and currant, on both nose and palate. There is a sweetness to the fruit that I find a little off putting - there is decent balance but would prefer a little more acidity. Very soft tannins, still a little heat on the finish.
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6/19/2014 - no leashes wrote: 92 Points
Black fruit, spice, mineral, dark chocolate and earth flavors, delicious, well balanced. Still not completely mellow so could use some time. We gave a 20 minute decant, could use more, but we loved it!
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6/12/2014 - memphishusky Likes this wine:
This is so good and with the QPR, its hard to beat.
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6/6/2014 - Nbkat8 wrote: 93 Points
PNP - wait at least 30 minutes then silky mouthfeel, long finish. Really good.
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5/26/2014 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 88 Points
This opaque ruby blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec delivers aromas of rich black cherries, dark chocolate, clove and coriander. Full-bodied on the palate, it frames black fruit and mineral flavors with low-to-medium acidity and medium-weight, fairly fine-grained tannins. The alcohol (listed as 15.2%) does show some heat, even when served as low as 60° F. This heat becomes most noticeable on the medium-to-long back end. While very enjoyable and still packed with fruit, it is concerning that the alcohol is not fully integrated. Drink now-2024.
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5/26/2014 - ewsds wrote: 82 Points
Fortunately my last bottle. This wine has gone from so-so to worse. When it was young, it was an oak monster lacking any subtleties. As it's aged, it has lost its freshness and gotten flabby. A poor value at 1/4 the price of the Grand Vin.
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5/25/2014 - memphishusky Likes this wine:
This is so good and the QPR is fantastic.
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5/23/2014 - Steve's Cellar wrote: 90 Points
- Garnet color and aromas of blackberry, black currant, black pepper and oak and has flavours of tobacco, blackberry, oak and alcohol - Drank over two nights. Day 2 softer, but still oak, and tart. Pretty good, not my favorite.
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5/4/2014 - Justinwine wrote: 89 Points
Time to drinl.
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4/29/2014 - Zinlady Likes this wine: 94 Points
Love this wine. So big. Violets. Great body and finish. Sorry this is my loquats bottle
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4/28/2014 - pdemaio Likes this wine: 93 Points
PDQ92+
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4/26/2014 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and consumed over 4.5 hours. Modest blue aromas upon decanting, violets, lavender, herbal aromas grow through the drinking window. Medium weight - very modest viscosity, smooth mouthfeel with a velvety coating but no granular tanins. Cherries, blueberry, boysenberry flavors dominate in a package that's extremely approachable and enjoyable. As others note, a top qpr year after year.
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4/15/2014 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
To me, this is slightly above average and I won't be paying $42 each for them again. At least it was better than the 2003 and 2005 that I had a few months ago. This one had some nice red/black dark fruit (which makes it above average), is a bit hot, and full-bodied tannins on the finish that are not over-the-top and beg for a fatty piece of beef. It lacks acidity, which makes it unbalanced to me, and falls in the new world camp. Oak is not noticeable. Drank over two days under argon with consistent results. Based on this experience along with the 2003 and 2005, I see it just fading away, losing fruit and gaining alcohol.
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4/12/2014 - JS1056 wrote: 91 Points
No formal notes.
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3/30/2014 - vinole wrote: 91 Points
Riper and thicker in texture than I expected. Full body with low to medium acidity. A big lush wine with nice dark fruit, but I did find the alcohol level a bit noticeable which kept me from scoring higher. Still a good value at the release price.
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3/18/2014 - Vinsant wrote:
Actually sippin nicely off a pop and pour. A little vodka-eske heat and black marker. But both were minimal. Matched fairly well with meatloaf Sandwiches topped with bacon and Camembert. Decent length. Blue and black fruit, light vanilla, and spice with a hint of dried earth. Drink up...in a good place.
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3/15/2014 - skifree wrote: 91 Points
Very primary with intense currant and cassis on the attack and black tea on the long finish.
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3/15/2014 - KPieper Likes this wine:
This wine is in a good place. I've found the older reds to be a bit disjointed, and overall unpleasant. The younger, brutish and tannic. This one seems to be the right balance of fruit still present but integrated and smoothed out. This may be the best of the QC reds that I have had...
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2/8/2014 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice polished wine but may have been expecting something more along the lines of their cabs. Thought the Tatiarra shiraz was better.
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2/1/2014 - Cadby wrote: 92 Points
2007 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Red Wine
Heft, elegance and balance well beyond its tariff
http://8wordsonwine.blogspot.com/2014/02/2007-quilceda-creek-columbia-valley-red.html
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1/31/2014 - brettlaurvick wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very nicely right now.
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1/26/2014 - lirvingham Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow. Really good with limited decant. All the great Quilceda characteristics. QPR is through the roof!
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1/16/2014 - memphishusky Likes this wine:
Solid wine with great qpr
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1/5/2014 - budman/cubfan wrote: 89 Points
Opaque color, dark fruit and spice...very bold. Way too much heat for me though--gets in the way. Toned down a bit with time...if I had more of this in my cellar I would decant for an hour before drinking. Probably would make this good wine more enjoyable
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11/28/2013 - W2WineGuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Big and bold red table wine. Needs air, still, and you will be rewarded. Dark fruit, spice, decent integration, solid medium finish. Solid
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11/24/2013 - Stumpy wrote: 92 Points
This is an excellent bottle of wine with a beauty of a QPR in my mind. Nice smooth mouthfeel and taught, not flabby as one often finds in this price range. Perhaps a touch to the sweet side but kept in check nicely. Fruity, not complex in the cassis, tobacco and graphite way, but a damn nice drinker.
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11/17/2013 - tairanosaurus wrote: 91 Points
2 hr decant. Nose dark fruit, pomegranent. Most noticable is the chalky, smooth moutfeel - first several seconds. Then dark fruit, somewhat sweet tannins and some lingering acidity. Not quite what I think it can be, but very pleasant. An obvious quality wine.
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11/1/2013 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good extraction, seems as though there is more Merlot in the mix than in the regular QC bottling. Still one of the best values out there.
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10/20/2013 - MLwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent QPR. A generally well-balanced cab blend, with a bit too much heat on the finish. But smooth, fruity, and delicious.
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10/3/2013 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 92 Points
best wine for the money
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10/2/2013 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a delicious bottle of wine, especially for the price. Rich and complex. Black fruits. spice, leather.
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9/27/2013 - brettlaurvick wrote: 89 Points
Just a so-so bottle. Will continue to hold the rest
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9/1/2013 - Acohen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened for a couple hours and lovely big aromas of cab based blend. Was delicious red fruit with plum, cassis, blackberry and light baking spice. Excellent finish and very approachable right now
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8/24/2013 - hcampana Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is probably the best Quilceda Creek red Wine I have had. It was ripe, voluptuos and full bodied. Just perfect fro the thick KC strips I grilled.
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8/12/2013 - ghobby wrote: 92 Points
Very nice second label wine. Depth and earthy tones.
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8/10/2013 - Brownvino wrote: 91 Points
Opened for four hours before drinking. Much better than first bottle. Drank now to determine if I will purchase more. I will.
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8/2/2013 - Mark in Seattle wrote: 93 Points
Let breath for 90 minutes. Decanting would have been better. Really good now, but I think waiting a couple of more years will be better.
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7/26/2013 - WStucker wrote: 91 Points
Wine still needs to mature. Decant at least 2 hours. Big wine
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7/4/2013 - skifree wrote: 92 Points
Very nice year for the QC red wine. Took to a 4th party, and it was well appreciated, but no formal notes.
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7/4/2013 - hanasowner wrote: 92 Points
Opened bottle two hours before pouring. Dark fruit notes and smooth finish. Crowd pleaser.
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6/27/2013 - Winetex Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still young tasting. Decant if you are opening it now to smooth out some of the rough edges. Lots of alcohol in this wine. It could improve with more cellar time or not - it's hard to tell.
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6/13/2013 - arthrovine wrote: 86 Points
Nose was solid wood, figs, dark cherry and currant. Palate was firm, hot, tannic and disjointed. Finished hot. This wine was somewhat of a disappointment tonight.
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5/31/2013 - Jake112380 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cedar, dark raspberry and oak greet the nose. Flavors of layered red fruit with spices, red licorice, and vanilla notes. Beautiful finish. Wish I had more.
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5/19/2013 - pakabear Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent notes, good value, getting better with each bottle.
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4/2/2013 - mwagner7700 wrote:
Nothing like previous bottle. Acidic, tannic, no fruit, hot. No one drank this at Easter dinner. Disappointment. Withholding score
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3/22/2013 - MattMauldin wrote: 88 Points
Decanted with Soiree pourer. Dense ruby color fully coating the glass. Nicely aromatic with aromas of leather, tobacco, violets and black cherry. Creamy cassis and currant notes on the front palate and weighty throughout. Overpowering oak beginning on the mid-palate through the finish- cedar and espresso drowning out the fruit and dulling the edges. Big tannins. Heat and spice on the finish. Needs time for the oak to integrate, hopefully the fruit and profile brightens.
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2/27/2013 - JJB1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank w Kel, Bryan and Laura
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2/23/2013 - dleaf wrote: 89 Points
The alcohol overwhelmed the excellent fruit and firm tannins. Drank over a two day period. Alcohol was even more prevalent second day.
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2/12/2013 - pakabear Likes this wine: 92 Points
nose of chocolate, dark cherry and bell pepper. Nice balance with some cocoa, bell pepper again an medium red fruit with asian spice. I don't see this lasting too long as the bell pepper in my experience will become over-powering with time as a secondary characteristic like that showing this much this early will only become more apparent with time.
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2/10/2013 - Cadby Likes this wine: 93 Points
2007 Quilceda Creek Red Wine ++++ $35
Beautiful,well rounded, mouth-filling. Still nubile. bargain.
http://8wordsonwine.blogspot.com/2013/02/2007-quilceda-creek-red-wine-35.html
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1/26/2013 - Arch57 wrote: 90 Points
I opened this to follow the 07 QC Cab and at $100 less per bottle this one was actually close. I preferred the nose on this as the Cab Franc added some interesting floral notes. This was not as smooth but did not have the 4 hour decant I gave the big bottle. Overall not a bad wine that almost matched the big brother, which I find over-hyped.
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1/15/2013 - ntrubee Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar to last. Very noticeable mouth finish that I don't recognize...oak? vanilla. Almost toasty.? Whatever it is lasts forever.
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1/13/2013 - fitchbuck wrote: 89 Points
Miniscule fruit, biting tannins. I've had enough of the Reds now to be satisfied that they just won't do it for me.
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1/2/2013 - morellyn wrote: 93 Points
This is really starting to come together. Blackberry, blueberry, a little spice and moderate vanilla/oak. Maybe it was the 2-hour decant that helped, but the former alcohol burn was gone, and this was a very balanced wine. And really good, to boot. I continue to be really impressed with the over-delivering QC Creek Red.
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12/31/2012 - gbm wrote:
Two hour decant. Not much to add since last time. Big red cab with lots of black and red fruits and firm tannins. Great with steak, OK by itself. Good $40 wine, but don't think I'll be buying again.
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12/22/2012 - NTR wrote: 92 Points
Been a year. Opened and decanted about 30 minutes. Deep dark berries and slight oak on the nose. Vibrant fruit, slightly tart, the acidity would make this a great food wine. Tannins still sharp. Still young. Solid new world wine. Impressive.
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12/18/2012 - brettlaurvick wrote: 92 Points
Well balanced. Will be excellent in a few years
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12/13/2012 - W2WineGuy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Oh my, really coming into it's own. Two hour decant, much needed, as it even smoothed out more over time. When it was ready to drink, very well integrated. Deep and dark, nice nose that isn't overpowering, and a full mouth feel of dark fruit and cherries with a medium finish. Can hold for longer, but if you drink now, minimum two hour decant will make it totally worthwhile!
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12/9/2012 - davidandrose wrote: 92 Points
Decanted and consumed over 3.5 hours. Took about an hour in the decanter for the wine to open up, but once it did, it improved considerably, and continued to improve during the entire drinking window. Dark berry aromas layer over sweet oak; Toasted wood, vanilla, black berry and black cherry are the primary flavors in this approachable and balanced wine. Year after year, QC Red remains one of the better QPRs to be found.
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11/29/2012 - Laughs and Juice wrote: 90 Points
Disappointing, find the fruit bright and tart, lacks depth. If this is really worth $105 I'd sell all my remaining bottles
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11/26/2012 - ntrubee Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pnp, nose has oak licorice black fruits. Mouth is full and balanced with more black fruit tannins, some bitterness and acidity. Great medium long finish.
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11/11/2012 - vinoballo wrote: 94 Points
Wow, tastes like the big QC. Drinking beautifully, popped and poured.
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11/7/2012 - Winetex wrote: 89 Points
This bottle better than the bottle we opened in Jan. It was a good wine with nice juicy fruit flavors, acidity and tannins until the alcohol became abusive on the finish. Decanted an hour before serving with good results.
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10/31/2012 - InflationHedge wrote: 92 Points
Happy Halloween! Goes great w all types of goodies...
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10/28/2012 - domco wrote: 90 Points
A big wine. Lots of cherry, still plenty of tannins. C liked it better than I did, but I enjoyed too.
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10/28/2012 - Rhone Rick wrote: 95 Points
One of the best Quilceda's I've had...had to double check that I didn't pull their first label on accident. Massive cherry and subtle smoked oak, complexity and acidity in a killer package.
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10/22/2012 - mwagner7700 wrote:
Drank after returning home after completing my first 140.6. Popped and poured. Blueberry, blackberry, vanilla, oak. Still tannic, but opening up nicely. Was better after about 30mins in the glass. Saved half bottle for next day to try. Outstanding
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7/19/2012 - Chris Herron wrote:
Outstanding. Undeniably Quilceda - nose, taste, refinement. Not a forgotten sister of the big boys. Tasted May/June 2012.
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7/2/2012 - BVal wrote: 90 Points
Opened and decanted; started tasting at 2+ hours. Colour was dark ruby to medium ruby rim. Bouquet presented cassis, minerals, chocolate and plums. Palate showed good fruit concentration with chalky tannins. Still needs time--at least 2+ years more. Minerals, sour cherries and iodine blasting through the tannin cloak. Good acidity. Definitely more austere than its Cali cabernet counterparts. While fun to drink and probably better things to come, I think I'd rather plunk down the money on a petite chateau from bordeaux in a good vintage--I'm pretty sure I would be happier at the end of the bottle.
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6/26/2012 - Myron wrote: 92 Points
Really great wine. Nice Washington fruit, excellent balance, and the tannins have smoothed out quite a bit. Nice now but probably even better in a couple more years.
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6/21/2012 - MWes wrote: 90 Points
Still way to much alcohol. I won't open another until 2015.
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6/16/2012 - Sebacca wrote: 90 Points
Excellent Wine can still lay down for a while
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6/10/2012 - W2WineGuy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Incredible wine, but needs time. Decanted about an hour, was still tight, but over time, especially at the 2-3hour mark, it really smoothed out and was incredible. If you are going to open, decant for 3 hours, you will NOT be disappointed
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6/2/2012 - Sebacca wrote: 90 Points
Enjoyed with Marlene, Jim, Ellen, Mark and Fritzi Saturday 2-June-2012 on a nice evening on the deck. Still young but nice complexity, and bouquet. Lot's of tannins will try another next year. Average rating was 90. Had fresh Copper River sockeye salmon, asparagus, potato salad and salad (Marlene's).
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5/27/2012 - hdchappy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still young but opened up over about an hour. Great wine, dark fruit and mocha already very smooth with firm but well intergrated tannins and a long finish.
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5/20/2012 - Laughs and Juice wrote: 91 Points
WAIT at least another year
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5/10/2012 - phantphant wrote: 92 Points
YES SIR!!!!!!!!!
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5/8/2012 - arthrovine wrote: 90 Points
Similar flavors as previously tasting notes indicate. Tight and tannic, this needs more time. Nice wine.
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5/7/2012 - rbucklar wrote: 91 Points
Great nose, hints of blackberry and cocoa. Paired wonderfully with a flank steak. Great value wine.
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5/6/2012 - gordoyflaca wrote: 92 Points
Clear and rich black cherry fruit with cocoa powder, lavender dust.
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4/13/2012 - TRS-Wine wrote: 92 Points
amazing...best value period. i would put up against many wines costing 3x
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4/10/2012 - cubswinws wrote: 92 Points
Very nice and quite a bit of complexity and depth. Still some oak to integrate but drinking nicely at present.
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4/4/2012 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Best value in my cellar - full bodied, earthy, long finish and soft dark fruit. Opened nicely in the glass and very smooth
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3/11/2012 - marc2828 wrote: 89 Points
drank with a friend. sweet and not much of what I expected from this winery. Finished flat.
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3/9/2012 - pakabear wrote: 91 Points
Consistent notes
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3/6/2012 - michigan dogs wrote: 85 Points
great nose, well made wine, but not that impressive, would not buy again
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2/12/2012 - phantphant wrote: 90 Points
Yummy yummy.
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1/31/2012 - W2WineGuy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted about an hour, could have used more time. Was nice balance between acids and tannins, medium to long finish. Really nice wine, needs another year or so before opening the rest!
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1/2/2012 - ntrubee wrote: 91 Points
drinking nice. lots of fruit, decanted through venturi but still some alcohol in nose. lots of fruit and some chocolate. very nice wine.
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12/20/2011 - tthorn wrote:
Still tight and a little closed, despite what WA says about drinking it young. Give it a year.
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12/2/2011 - NTR wrote: 91 Points
Still too young but will drink great in a few years. Tight and tasty now but will improve. If you have a lot, open one and see if you agree.
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11/19/2011 - MCUBEB wrote: 90 Points
This bottle is showing much better than the last one. Notes of red and black fruit and chocolate on the nose. Raspberries, currants, blackberries on the palate that is followed by nice finish with notes of spice and vanilla. Seems much more balanced than the last bottle.
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11/16/2011 - markjahnke wrote:
Still hot and still too much oak. Hold another 2 years plus with plenty of time after that. 5 years might do this wine well.
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10/15/2011 - morellyn wrote: 90 Points
Poured through Vinturi into decanter. Started drinking after about an hour of decanting. Ok, this wine is GOING to be good. It's not there yet, however. The nose is somewhat hot, though you get a lot of the usual QC aromas, heavy on the dark fruit and violet (though my wife assures me I have no idea what violets actually smell like). Gobs of blackberry and blueberry on the palate, with some oak. But still tight, with noticeable tannins and alcohol. My wife's reaction, after her obligatory taste, was "grapey." I do get plenty of the signature QC flavors (see blackberry mention above), but it's just not all in balance yet. I really think this will come together and there are definitely things to like already (I hope so, given my 4-5 cases of it), but I'm probably going to give it at least 6 more months before trying again, and probably closer to a year. The alcohol did blow off somewhat as it sat, and it mellowed a bit as it opened up (a little), so I do think some bottle age is going to help.
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10/12/2011 - Rob MacKay wrote:
It's been about a year since I last opened a bottle of this wine and based on my note from a year ago I'd have to say that maybe changed just a tad in that time. Didn't seem quite as hot as it was back then but other then that, pretty much the same with lots of ripe fruit. I think I picked up a bit of a mocha note this time as well. All things considered, it was a decent value for $35.
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10/8/2011 - Abe Lincoln wrote: 87 Points
A little better than MD 20 20. This wine is definitely not ready. Tannic and not very complex. Give it a while, should get better
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10/8/2011 - Hog Scrotum wrote: 89 Points
This wine is decent, but isn't fantastic in any way, shape or form. On the nose, the primary aroma is alcohol and garlic, but I think the garlic smell came from my breath, as I was chowing down on some French Garlic sausages with fellow Cellartracker user Abraham Lincoln. That being said, 4 score and 7 years from now this wine may be fantastic, but for now it is only decent.
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10/5/2011 - wineberg Likes this wine: 91 Points
A very nice blend from Washington. Higher in alcohol at 15.2%, it nevertheless is very smooth and rounded with some time in the decanter. Light fruit notes, cherries and such, rather than big dark fruits, nice silky tannins.
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10/1/2011 - sasvino wrote: 90 Points
Appeared to be light to medium bodied cab, fruit was ok on the front bright red fruit notes, midpalate was smooth but did not carry the weight I would have expected, finish was just ok. 90s, maybe this needs time for more fruit or body to develop. -S
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9/24/2011 - 2loyal wrote: 90 Points
Excellent value. I enjoyed this over a few hours, and deemed it a flavorful easy drinker, with a very nice palate. Seemed over-oaked, but the nose was interesting and I considered the wine to be food-friendly anyway.
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9/22/2011 - Gargamel wrote: 93 Points
no notes. quickly decanted and returned to bottle overnight, no sediment in this bottle which is different than previous bottles. drank over the next two nights. first night the wine was hard as nails with a helping of fence post. plenty of fruit though. wine softened considerable on the second night. still had plenty of oak but much more fruit and much softer tannin. maybe just needed more air than it had on the first night.
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9/10/2011 - brianngibson wrote: 92 Points
Probably should have paid attention to the other recent reviews and decanted this surprisingly big wine. I really thought that almost a year after release, it would have mellowed. The oak is still very strong, at least on day 1 with no decant. Tobacco, leather, and black fruit for sure. Mouth gripping tannins. Maybe another year for the next bottle. For tight, the other half of the bottle goes back to the cellar to see what it tastes like tomorrow.
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9/10/2011 - winelover206 wrote: 92 Points
Another stellar effort from washington's top winery! Intoxicating wine had last night with kobe steak and lobster Mac and cheese... Paired wonderfully with both. Def an evening to remember
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9/9/2011 - rdsboca wrote: 87 Points
Not that interesting. Some bright red fruit, a lot of crushed raspberry, some kirsch and sour bing cherry. Hollow mid palate.
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9/7/2011 - caeleric Does not like this wine:
this is not a bad wine, but it's a wine that seems to be manipulated to cover some flaws. WAY out of balance for me, with searing alcohol on day 1 and day 2, and chewy oak that never went away. this was all over the place, and while i did drink it instead of pouring it out, i would not buy it again, at least not at the price i paid on the secondary market.
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9/5/2011 - rmh66 wrote: 91 Points
Opened for a few hours and served a bit warmer than usual (68-70F). Nose of creme de cassis, boysenberry, red and black cherry, fern, vanilla, and charcoal. Cassis, red berries, vanilla, forest floor, dark chocolate, and spice on the palate. Very nice mouthfeel - full, but not heavy. Strong mid-palate and great finish. Smooth and very easy to drink. The 15.1% alcohol is not noticeable. While quite New World, this is refined, and the oak is not out of hand. Best Quilceda Red Wine I've had.
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8/27/2011 - rexmerlot wrote: 89 Points
Great wine for price. Did not take any formal notes.
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8/21/2011 - RPerro wrote: 90 Points
Notes from day 2. On Day 1 I decanted this for about 2 hours. It was huge...over the top, lots of oak and noticeable alcohol. It was still fairly nice, but certainly NOT where I'd expect this wine to be right now. Poured back in the bottle and recapped for the next night.
Day 2, I reopened and poured a glass after dinner, to discover that the wine had integrated overnight and turned into a beautiful creation. Still a bit heavy on the oak, but everything else seems to be in place, although now some chalky tannins are showing themselves. Berry liqueur, violets, minerals, and quite a bit of vanilla from the oak. Ends with some fairly dusty tannins, which are actually rather nice. This can go a bit, so I'd hold off for now, and enjoy this starting in 2012.
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8/21/2011 - YQUEM90 wrote: 96 Points
really good. will improve with time. Aggressively decanted 15-30 minutes (we didn't quite put it into a blender, a la Nathan Myhrvold, but gave it a big decanter and plenty of shaking, after we had removed the sediment). Very California-style to us. Delicious. Plenty of fruit, clearly an aggressive sit-up-and-notice-me wine, but not harshly tannic. Changed character mid-palate and into the long finish - blackberries, plums. Big fan. Will try another in a year.
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8/12/2011 - cookiefiend wrote: 89 Points
Decided to open this to see what's going on and to find out if I want the '08s. Popped and poured, not much is going on in the nose - very quiet with a hint of vanilla and dark fruit. Palate follows suit with some hefty tannins and a fairly thin/light body. BUT - with a bit more time in the glass - it began to open. Nose is richer with the fruit (dark currants and black cherry), the palate is showing tobacco, floral spice, some vanilla and the same dark fruit. Tannins are still grippy and the body is still light to medium with a nice long finish. I think with more time in the bottle, this will be delicious. I also think I sold myself on the 2008s. ;-)
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7/30/2011 - Laughs and Juice wrote: 91 Points
still too young
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7/29/2011 - wineberg Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is Quilceda Creeks proprietary red bordeaux style blend, which we drank alongside a similar Grand Reve blend. While the Grand Reve was a bit better, the Quilceda is a great wine from what is probably Washington's premier Cabernet producer, all for $35.
This definitely needs some time in a decanter. But with some time, and like the Grand Reve, this is a good Bordeaux style blend, with deep fruits, and a definite nose of tobacco leaf, some cassis and spice too. Smooth tannins, but not a very thick wine. Lighter fruit flavors, a hint of oak and tobacco, with some spices thrown in. Overall, a great wine and a good value, as it is every year. Quilceda's fall offering opens on August 8th, and I'll certainly be ordering a bunch of the 2008 Red Wine!
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7/15/2011 - Nbkat8 wrote: 93 Points
I just really enjoy this wine, it is drinking extremely well right now, lots of fruit forward, smooth, creamy mouthfeel - nice finish
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7/8/2011 - markjahnke wrote: 91 Points
Picked up from offsite today so why not. 6 hour decant in the cellar and this was smokin'! Sure, some oak, but not nearly as bad as I thought. Jice tannic structure, and a bit more alcohol than I prefer on the finish, but at 15+%, not a shock. I'll hold our remaining bottles, but can be drunk with a 6 hour decant IMHO.
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6/21/2011 - fitchbuck Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mild nose, wildflower & mineral. Very tight on the palate, a la your typical Red, though this one is treating me better than those past. Still showing a little heat.
After some time in the glass, chocolate & fruit finally wafting out. The same finessed restraint exists in the mouth. The finish is rather dry.
The QC Reds are not wines I would think would please the masses.
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6/16/2011 - phantphant wrote: 90 Points
Delicious out of the bottle,-- smooth and supple.
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6/14/2011 - deltacop wrote: 90 Points
DAY 1 all about the nose and the alc, day 2 smooths out but the alc still present 5 secs after. I'll wait a few months to a year and see how it shakes out. enjoy!!!
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6/12/2011 - DHutch wrote: 91 Points
Another during the week consumption wine. Good Cabernet flavors although this bottle showed its alcohol a bit.
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6/4/2011 - RCS73 wrote: 93 Points
Knocked another one of these back a couple of nights ago. The overwhelming tannins have mellowed a bit a the Quilceda fruit is showing through. Compared to the '08 QC Cab I drank a few weeks back, this wine is solid but nowhere in the league of the Cab. Still ...I'm glad to have 10 more bottles of the '07 Red Wwine. Loads of violet and berry fruits, nose still not very developed. Will try another in the fall
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5/30/2011 - Deryl wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful balance, drinking well now and will continue to improve over the next few years. Tasted alongside Justification and Aldin of the same vintage and it was everyone's WOTN.
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5/27/2011 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 85 Points
Pretty decent Washington wine. Quite a bit of spicy aromas, tons of stewed sweet berry fruit that's quite nice. Really grippy on the palate, pretty tannic, and fairly anonymous red fruit, blueberries, and bitter wood tannins. The finish shows good spice, and is slightly tart, with some unbalanced alcohol. Grippy. Not much interest.
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5/23/2011 - rogerr wrote: 91 Points
popped and poured. I should have decanted (and in advance.)
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5/14/2011 - DHutch wrote: 92 Points
My solid "house" wine that never lets me down. The usual Quilceda flavors pump through.
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5/5/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 92 Points
Very nice and balanced. Drinking well now. No reason to wait.
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4/30/2011 - joerazore wrote: 90 Points
as expected, excellent. 1 hour decant
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4/26/2011 - Gargamel wrote: 93 Points
solid as always, settling out nicely.
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4/24/2011 - davidandrose wrote: 88 Points
Decanted and consumed over 2.5 hours. Significant variation from bottle 7 weeks earlier; this was dryer and dustier, overiding the fruit.
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4/24/2011 - manonthemoon wrote: 88 Points
Took a bottle to Easter Brunch, only a short pour so no formal notes.
Again the oak is big on the wine hiding whats underneath, IMO.
But the family loved it so it all works out in the end.
88
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4/21/2011 - dionysis wrote: 92 Points
Solid table red -- tough to beat QC at $35
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4/16/2011 - thirstyman wrote:
Decanted for about an hour and half, then poured. Oaky, seemed thin and red fruit focused. Drying on the finish that was clipped and more oak focused than fruit focused. Very disjointed. Going to let the rest sleep for another year or two and hope that they turn around. Not impressed at all.
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4/13/2011 - James B wrote: 90 Points
This continues to show great promise, but requires time to settle down. Clear, ruby red color, with deep, almost opaque, intensity. Black fruit, oak, tobacco, chocolate, some menthol, and alcohol on the nose. (It's a bit hot at 15.2%.) Palate is dry, low acid, noticeable youthful drying tannins, full body. Flavor characteristics are in balance with the nose, plus a bit of dried fruit and an extracted quality. Good length. I have high hopes for this, but for now, give it plenty of air.
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4/12/2011 - djdaqm wrote: 90 Points
The oak was still too intense, even after 1 hr of decanting. Good concentration and nice tobacco notes on the finish. A lot of spices (vanilla) on the nose, smooth tannins... but not well-integrated at the moment. Give it, at the very least, another year before drinking.
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4/11/2011 - IAMVLAD wrote: 91 Points
used a ventouri and then let sit in a decanter for about 4 hours. still very tight. by the next day the tannins eased and the wine was much better. plenty of moak which i suspect will evolve in time.
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4/8/2011 - hcampana wrote: 90 Points
From 750ml bottle. Tasted non blind. Solid, with good fruit core, but dry and serious.
De botella de 750ml. No probado a ciegas. Sólido con un buen núcleo de fruta pero algo seco y serio.
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4/3/2011 - CMz wrote: 92 Points
Opened, 90 minutes decanted. Dark ruby with a huge nose of Cherry, vanilla, spice and a hint of blueberry. This wine is still really young but it has apparently settled down from it ride to the cellar. The big cherry, blueberry, vanilla, spice and tobacco were wonderfully integrated with some big but surprisingly smooth tannins giving a very smooth, almost silky mouthfeel. The wine did not seem so oaky this time and likely the biggest reason i scored it up over my initial "arrival" tasting. Still young but given how nicely (and quickly) this wine is settling down i fear the 17 bottles left will never see old age.... I think the Quilceda red is still one of the better values going right now
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4/2/2011 - radman1 wrote: 90 Points
A deep and vibrant blend. Silky smooth on the palate, with big fruit leading it. Still has some time, perhaps 3 years, but great now. Will be nice to see what develops here. Enjoy it.
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3/30/2011 - t4drman Likes this wine: 90 Points
The nose of dark berries is followed with an enveloping, softly textured chocolate covered blackberry. There's a nice hint of dark chocolate fused with that slight bittery blackberry taste. An enjoyable wine but only an OK value at $35 to $40 per bottle.
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3/23/2011 - ptelgenh wrote: 92 Points
Really enjoyed this bottle. Screams chocolate and mint with red fruit and firm tannins.
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3/21/2011 - mreinitz wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for an hour. Much oakier, with less fruit, than the last bottle of this that I opened. I don't like it nearly as much.
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3/12/2011 - Troon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Needed another 1-2 hours to completely open up. I would put this wine up against red blends that are twice the price. The color is ruby red, Medium finish. I can't wait to try the flagship in a few more years.
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3/3/2011 - davidandrose wrote: 93 Points
Finally broke down and had to try a bottle. 90 mins in a decanter yields an extremely approachable wine. Nice berry aromas that have the intensity of a wine-scented candle - it still has some rough strength, with oak on the edge, but it shows the potential of grand elegance. Looking forward to drinking this case over the coming 10-15 years.
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2/26/2011 - Cashious wrote: 93 Points
Very clean, with aromas of plums and blueberries. Delicious from the start, over time the wine became increasingly silky and the fruit more defined. Was still improving as I swallowed the last sip. Requires at least an hour of decanting to experience at it’s best.
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2/24/2011 - Zinlady wrote: 91 Points
Lovely thick wine. Very smooth. Had with great cheeses.
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2/20/2011 - vinoballo wrote: 91 Points
Still very young. Malbec very evident. Tannins on the front, nice complexity in the finish. Lemongrass and sour blueberries. Will be great someday but not yet.
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2/19/2011 - Ghostwriter777 wrote: 94 Points
I began enjoying this wine with a comment from my wife that caught me off guard. She said it was "grassy". OH NO! This is going to be a long night. She took another sip and said "nothing but fruit". Wine I tell ya is like a deep dark mystery. This wine, however, is something many others want to grow up to be. My only wish is that I bought more. An ongoing challenge would be to find a wine in this price range that has so much to offer. The caveat being this is a huge wine with a much expected future. I expect this wine to climb in the rating in about two years. Should it go where I think it is headed I feel we are looking at a 95-96.
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2/18/2011 - rjhilgers@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
I do not remember the Quilceda red wine tasting this good. It's certainly not as good as the flagship Cabernet, but this wine is incredibly robust for the price (mid-30's). Dark cherry, pomegranate, rosemary and spring rain on the nose - a complex, somewhat tight nose. On the palate, this is definitely tight and could use some gang, but, for now, big rich fruit, caramel and cedar, with big tannins and a long, very well balanced finish. Delicious!
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2/14/2011 - Gilmortal wrote: 91 Points
Rich, lush red velvet, but admittedly this took hours to open up. Probably drank too earlier, but the quality showed.
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2/13/2011 - Wine Sparty wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured. A bit non-descript for awhile, but after a couple hours, it opened up. Nice aroma and taste of coffee and dark fruits. This probably could have used some decanting, and I will certainly sit on my other bottle for a couple years.
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2/12/2011 - rexmerlot wrote: 89 Points
No formal notes
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2/5/2011 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 89 Points
This wine was good but I expect it will be better next year. Nice fruit.
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1/29/2011 - cwaltonhouse wrote: 90 Points
Aggressive decant, 1 hour before tasting. Dark, rich crimson color. Nose of dark fruits, cedar, and hints of violets---a bit closed, and hot, not too expressive. Full bodied with fine but very grippy tannins. Palate was also closed, with the oak overpowering the dark fruits to a large degree. Finish is long but a bit hot right now. This wine has the trademark amazing Quilceda structure, and enough going on to turn into something very, very nice. Potentially 92 - 94 points in a few years, but for now, only a 90. Give it at least three years to come together, and for the Oak Monster to subside. If it fleshes out and softens, this will be a fantastic QPR.
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1/29/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding bordeaux blend with lively fruit and soft tannins. Sat in decanter 1 hour. Really drinking well now.Great QPR.
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1/28/2011 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 89 Points
This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (72%), Merlot (20%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Malbec (2%). The wine was splash-decanted and serially tasted over 2-3 hours. The color is opaque purple/ruby, and the nose opens within an hour in decanter to show ripe black currant, black plum and spice aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity, well-integrated oak and big ripe tannins. The alcohol (listed as 15.2%) is a bit hot, even at appropriate serving temperature. The flavors are black fruit and mineral-dominated. The middle is full and the medium-length finish ends with a whiff of heat. This is a nice "fruit bomb" at this point. It is fairly well-structured and may merit a higher score if it can pick up some complexity with the ageing process. Drink now-12/20.
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1/26/2011 - Winetex wrote:
Too young to rate with any accuracy; Dark ruby color vanilla aromas and red/dark fruit flavors along with a smack of oak. Some minerality on the finish along with chewy tannins and an alcoholic zing. Now 88 points but if the balance improves could be much better, 91?? Very evident 15.2% alcohol.
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1/26/2011 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Spice and butterscotch. Rose petals. Big, semi rough tannins. Nice fruit.
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1/23/2011 - Orlando Hernandez wrote: 94 Points
Great nose and deep wine with very nice chewing tannic sensation at the middle palate and also a long finish. It is highly balanced.
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1/11/2011 - Grape Stuff wrote: 92 Points
2 hours of air in the bottle. A delicious QPR. Good red and blue fruit, spice, hint of cream and great balance. Will likely benefit from a couple years, but certainly good to go now. 92-93+
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1/9/2011 - James B wrote: 91 Points
This will be the greatest QPR ever, but it requires another year or two first. Upon decanting, it was a bit tannic and austere. After a couple of hours of air, however, it was remarkably accessible, with a big nose and full fruit on the palate. Impressive finish for a reasonably priced wine. I look forward to enjoying this for many more years.
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1/8/2011 - Zinlady wrote: 92 Points
Lovely. Had with steak. Good noise. Tried without food and wasn't full but once I had with steak it opened up and was do full violets I will wait a year to try again
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1/8/2011 - Gargamel wrote: 94 Points
Nose had nice raspberry with blueberry and violet emanating from the glass. Palate was solid but lighter than expected. Blue fruit was prominent but had blackberry, anise, and licorice as well. Impressively drinkable early on. Lots of sediment forming.
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12/29/2010 - Arch57 wrote: 88 Points
Not a good showing for this wine tonight. Opened and splash decanted this as a 2nd bottle with friends after a Ch.Ste Michelle Horse Heaven Hills Merlot and this tasted vegatal compared to the Merlot. This did open after awhile but our guests liked the Merlot better. I guess this really is the 2nd wine of Quilceda as the grapes were only so-so. Maybe 2-3 years in the bottle will reveal some secondary notes.
2 nights later: We still had 1/3 bottle of this left and we started with this wine as a prequel to a 2000 Ch. Grand Mayne and wow this wine lost the vegatal notes and gained some nice smooth dark fruit. I upgraded the score to a solid 90 and patience of 2-3 years will be rewarded.
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12/27/2010 - CMz wrote: 90 Points
Opened, 60 minutes air in bottle - should have decanted having watched it open up in the glass during the evening. Dark ruby to the rim, big nose of black cherry w spicy vanilla notes. Equally big on the palate - cherry & black fruit, spice, tobacco, and vanilla(oak). Nice mouthfeel, long finish but still tight - drinkable w decanting now but will benefit from some cellar time. I think this wine gets better; great value for the price compared to similar CA cabs.
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12/27/2010 - Laughs and Juice wrote: 92 Points
Still way too young, try another maybe in 6 months
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12/25/2010 - MB Ben wrote: 92 Points
I'm sure this will improve some with bottle age but it's just delicious now. More put together young than the 2006 was, which I thought was definitely a little disjointed when released. Obviously not in the same category as the signature Cabernet in terms of depth and power, but has some of the profile of that wine, so it's fun to have a reasonably priced drinker to drink while waiting longer on the main event.
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12/18/2010 - Nbkat8 wrote: 93 Points
Just a very good wine, great mouthfeel, long finish. Those of you who rated this below 90 can send your bottles to me, i will buy all i can get of this.
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12/17/2010 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
RUSSK Had at KenT's Holiday Party. Very nice. No young wine rough edges. Lots of soft supple fruit.
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12/13/2010 - Ghostwriter777 wrote: 94 Points
Just gobs of fruit, dark chocolaty coated red fruits with silky tannins and none of the high acids typically associated to fine young wines. This guy comes right out of the bottle as a full throttle mouth coating wine that keeps on giving. I had this bottle open for 9 hours and it just kept getting better. May re-visit in a few months with a feeling that this wine is only going to raise my expectations of affordable wine. Should this improve with time we may be looking at a 95+
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12/7/2010 - jeffm_fla wrote: 90 Points
Good,but a little bit one-dimensional. Nice flavor and pleasant fruit and texture. Not as good as I thought last time.
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12/7/2010 - shadow wrote: 93 Points
Yummm, nose is faint cab/merlot, color is black, legs are long, one sexy wine.
Rick fruit with black cherry and pomegranate off set by tannins that announce their presence than fade away. This will get better with age, but already sets the bar high for this price point.
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12/6/2010 - ptelgenh wrote: 92 Points
Young and brooding at this point. Redcurrants, menthol and mocha. Firm tannins and a long finish. Needs another year, but a fine effort.
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12/5/2010 - mwagner7700 wrote:
Drank over two days. First day, this was hardly giving up anything. Didn't appear to be tannic, but just closed. Day two the wine gave up hints of blueberry, mocha, cigar and oak. But all VERY faint. Again, not too tannic, just closed. This needs time. Witholding score (WAY TOO YOUNG)!
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12/4/2010 - RCS73 wrote: 92 Points
Way too early to drink IMHO. Very tannic. Brooding - has good bones but needs time
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11/27/2010 - chimpanzee29 wrote: 89 Points
Similar to last bottle. Opened 5 hrs prior to a splash decant before serving. A touch of gummi bear fruit. Moderate finish. Great QPR.
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11/27/2010 - rumpole wrote:
underwelmed day 1, slightly better day 2
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11/26/2010 - dylantay wrote: 91 Points
A little overdone on the alcohol.
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11/24/2010 - manonthemoon wrote: 89 Points
Notes from day 2.
Dark purple to black in color.
Nose of cherry, black currant, vanilla, oak.
Palate of dark berry, black currant, vanilla, spice, a little good quality tobacco hidden in there, and lots of dusted cocoa.
The finish is long and there is tannin still noticably present.
When poured at the proper temperature the wine does not seem hot, but once it starts to warm up the 15.2% starts to stick out as well as the large amount of oak the wine sees.
Kind of sitting on the fence whether I like this wine or not, it seems like it has such good fruit underneath, but the overoaking is really a turnoff for me.
Okay qpr at 35, but may not be a continued buyer due to the oak treatments.
Hold. 50+5+11+16+7
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11/21/2010 - gbm wrote: 89 Points
Juicy, ripe, and hot - excellent description Rob MacKay. (4+12+16+7)
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11/16/2010 - herberto wrote: 91 Points
This is wearing a lot of oak, but has some real soil character underneath. Reasonably compelling at this price point, but I'd love to see how this tasted with less wood.
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11/14/2010 - MCUBEB wrote: 88 Points
Ultra ripe and ultra oaked wine with notes of sweet black cherries, vanilla and chocolate. Drank it over three days and tasted as fruity on the third day as it was on the first. This tastes like vanilla and chocolate laced fruit with long finish with touch of balsamic vinegar thrown in.
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11/12/2010 - ewsds wrote: 85 Points
An over-the-top oak monster that so woody that it detracts from the rest of what's in the bottle, and I'm a person that rarely ever complains about too much wood. I smell oak and taste wood, and that's the overwhelming smell/flavor I get from this wine. I'm a big fan of Quilceda and of big wines in general, but this is an unbalanced over-the-top effort (and not in a good way) that is unpleasant to drink. A huge disappointment, and I'm being quite generous in giving it an 85.
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11/10/2010 - Rob MacKay wrote: 89 Points
Juicy, ripe and hot is the best way to describe this wine. Despite all of those factors which some may find less than appealing, it's still pretty good. I'd love to see the ripeness and alcohol (15.2) dialed back just a tad. Certainly not a wimpy wine and definitely a crowd pleaser.
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11/9/2010 - pakabear wrote: 90 Points
Should get much better with time, but now is very tight, with a lot of oak treatment and what almost tastes like burnt rubber. Still, very good fruit, super extraction and what seemed like better balance coming later, or that could have been the 15.2 alcohol catching up to me at the end.
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11/2/2010 - jeffm_fla wrote: 92 Points
Surprisingly good. Nice fruit flavor, rich mouthfeel and lingering finish. Great QPR!
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10/31/2010 - mreinitz wrote: 92 Points
I'm really surprised by how much I like this. Big appealing fruity floral nose. Rich on the palate. Very Washington State, with plenty of dark fruit along with rich red cherry and a tobacco streak. Tannins are sweet but not quite integrated. Only complaint is the heat which could be toned down a little.
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10/29/2010 - nemloc wrote: 87 Points
dissapointing
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10/29/2010 - spaciello wrote: 94 Points
An amazingly complex wine. Especially for the price range.
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10/18/2010 - chimpanzee29 wrote: 89 Points
Killed one on arrival. Fruit was jammy cherry and red currant. Sweet tannin. A decent red wine with a large oak component.
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10/17/2010 - Gargamel wrote:
drank at the end of a lonnngg day of wine tasting, so scoring wouldn't be fair. it is a bit disjointed even after a 6 hour decant, but does show lots of promise. has plenty of oak and pretty strong mouth coating tannins. the flavor profile changed pretty dramatically over the hour i drank my glass showing complextiy and had nicely balanced acidity. would score it unofficial at 93, bottle shock from shipping and the drive to wine country probably didn't help.
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10/17/2010 - skifree wrote: 92 Points
Hard to believe a second wine merits an outstanding score, but this does. Reminded me of a right bank wine, with soft edges to the dark red fruit, soft tannins, and a medium long finish with mostly spice. A very nice bottle.
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10/15/2010 - Phin wrote: 92 Points
Few hours of air. Average prformance in all categories. Red fruit, black currant mix. Medium body. Little disjointed, short finish.
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7/12/2010 - Eric Does not like this wine:
The Red wine continues to not really appeal to me, but it is juicy and approachable. For me though it lacked some freshness with a soy/oxidized personality that seemed dull to me.
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4/18/2010 - the godfather wrote:
not too shabby, a bit oaky but pretty tasty
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3/28/2010 - Gargamel wrote: 95 Points
tasted at the release party-in my opinion this is maybe the best qpr on the market at release pricing. being bottled recently it was a bit rough around the edges, but the nose on this wine immediately stated its quality. effusive notes of blackberry, blueberry, spice, vanilla with a freshness that i would attribute to nice minerality. the palate was very similar with a long finish showing a touch more oak than the 06 version i drank recently, probably due to its very young age. will be better with some time to settle down. in my opinion it showed better than the columbia valley cab today, but may not age quite as well. in a year it will be great, in three to five it could be spectacular
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