Quilceda Creek 2015 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

99 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The flagship is the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon mostly from Champoux with the balance from Palengat and Wallula vineyards. Crème de cassis, graphite, black licorice, unsmoked tobacco, and hints of chocolate and emerge from this beauty and it continues to gain depth and nuance with time in the glass. Full-bodied, deep, and layered with an incredible purity and elegance on the palate, it's already accessible but has more than enough tannin, depth, and balance to evolve for two decades or more." (04/2018)

97 points Decanter: "Quilceda Creek, founded in 1978, was the state’s 12th winery and today arguably its best Cabernet producer. The 2015 vintage was the warmest ever in Washington, but this superb bottling (mainly from the Champoux Vineyard) has remarkable acidity to support the well-extracted, mouth-coating blackberry, cassis, smoky tarmac, cocoa, earth and high-toned kirsch notes, with a cherry candy finish. Aged 20 months in new French oak. (TG)" (11/2019)

96 points Vinous: "Dark red-ruby. Pungent aromas of ripe dark berries, licorice and cedary oak. Wonderfully suave and fine-grained, boasting terrific concentration, intensity and energy to its dark berry and African violet flavors. This very suave Cabernet finishes with terrific cocoa-powder length and substantial but refined mounting tannins. Paul Golitzin told me that he always aims to get two tons of fruit per acre--'either by nature or through crop thinning.' And he noted that his family now has full viticultural control over all of their properties. (ST)" (11/2018)

96 points Wine Advocate: "The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon shows the intensity of the 2015 vintage with robust, dark red and black fruit tones that sway in the glass with aromas of crème de cassis, Chambord and black raspberry jus, with an open-knit nose that's generous, juicy and hedonistic. Full-bodied, the wine is drinking great now as it offers up juicy tannins with a quilt of baking spices that floats on top of the dense richness that the warm 2015 vintage delivered to Washington. Ripe and juicy, the wine concludes with elevated alcohol on the finish that continues to offer up flavors of Chambord with sweet oak tones of cinnamon and nutmeg over the elongated finish. I will tip the age range two more years, capping it at 2030, giving it a 15-year lifespan. Overall, the 2015 vintage presented several challenges, the intense heat being the main concern, yet Quilceda Creek still managed to deliver quality and made a wine that delivers pleasure. (AM)" (04/2021)

96 points Wine Enthusiast: "This hails from Champoux, Lake Wallula, Palengat and Wallula Gap Vineyards. The aromas draw you into the glass, evoking anise, blackberry, black raspberry, graphite and exotic spices. The flavors show intense depth, richness and hedonism, and the finish seems endless. *Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2018* (SS)" (09/2018)

96 points James Suckling: "This sets itself apart with concentration and poise, delivering the layers of fruit depth that great cabernet wines possess. The palate's impressively built on layers of ripe, fleshy fruit and superbly cut tannins. Holds long and regal. This is great wine. (JS)" (08/2019)

94 points Wine Spectator: "Graceful, expressive and impeccably built, with precise dark berry, black olive and black tea flavors that broaden and expand on a lingering finish. Finishes with polished tannins. (TF)" (07/2018)