2015 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Bright, dark medium ruby. Briary blackberry and blueberry aromas are joined by a note of licorice. Sweeter, plusher and creamier than the flagship Cabernet, conveying an impression of density and thickness without weight. But a bit less expressive today than the Cabernet Sauvignon, with its huge plush, broad tannins spreading out to saturate the palate on the back end. If these chewy tannins are a bit less refined than those of the flagship Cabernet, they still compare favorably to most Napa Valley examples. This vineyard is typically four degrees hotter than Champoux in both summer and winter, says Paul Golitzin, but both are planted on sandy loams and require "dessert farming," as they receive just seven inches of water per year on average. (15.2% alcohol)
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Opening in the glass with notes of minty chocolate, ripe blackberries, crème de cassis and incense, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard is the firmest, most structurally austere of the Quilceda Creek bottlings this year. Full-bodied and lavished with creamy new oak, it's layered and concentrated but youthfully chewy on the palate, with a deep core of dark fruit and a spicy, vanillin-inflected finish. While Quilceda's other bottlings are more youthfully precocious, this will require 3 or 4 years before it really rewards pulling corks. I wouldn't mind seeing gentler extraction and a more understated barrel program.
Coming all from Red Mountain and 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard spent 21 months in all new French oak. Deep inky plum/purple-colored with a huge nose of blackcurrants, singed herbs, black licorice, and scorched earth, this beast of a Washington State Cabernet has building tannin, a huge mid-palate, and a great, great finish. It needs to be forgotten for 3-4 years but will keep for 2-3 decades. I wasn’t able to taste the 2016s from Snohomish, WA based Quilceda Creek, but their 2015s are serious, sexy, opulent wines that check-in near the top of the vintage.
About the producer
Quilceda Creek of Washington State has a track record of absolute excellence matched by very few producers from anywhere in the world. With incredibly impressive scores, the consistent quality they get into the bottle is astonishing.