Quilceda Creek Vintners was founded in 1978 by Alex and Jeanette Golitzin. Alex Golitzin is a nephew of André Tchelistcheff, the legendary winemaker who put BeaulieuVineyard at the forefront of Napa Valley Cabernet in the sixties and seventies. He credits summer trips to visit his uncle in St. Helena, California with developing his early interest in wine. Paul Golitzin, Alex’s son, is now chief winemaker at the winery.
Quilceda Creek Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon has earned some of the highest scores of any wine produced in the United States. The 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007 vintages all scored 100-point ratings from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate. The 2003 vintage of Quilceda Creek’s Cabernet Sauvignon was also named the No. 2 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator.
The ’07 Cabernet Sauvignon is the classic “iron fist in a velvet glove.” Dark purple in color. Blackberries, cherries, rose petals, violets and vanilla bean on the nose. The wine is remarkably powerful and intense but somehow remains light and elegant on the palate, with flavors of cherries, blueberries, currants, cassis, tobacco, cocoa and vanilla. Super fine grained tannins lead into a finish that literally lasts for minutes.
This wine was amazing at the release party in April of 2010. Two and a half years later it is a sexy, opulent, hedonistic Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine will age beautifully for another fifteen years. Hide a few bottles in the back of your cellar.
My rating: 97 points
The 2007 vintage runs about $175 at auction. The ’09 released last April can be found for about $150 at retail. The wine is available at many wine stores and via the mailing list. Happy hunting!
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I haven’t tried Quilceda’s Cab yet, but it’s definitely on my wine wish list. With consistently high scores from Wine Advocate, I’ve always wondered what this wine would retail for if it was a Napa wine–I’m guessing at least 2-3X current price.
Perhaps. If I recall correctly it was about $130 on the mailing list for the most recent vintage.