2001 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
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Tasting notes
Funky and woody on the nose, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon still has elements of dried red cherry and black raspberry reduction with cinnamon-covered currants on the nose. I am sensing some bottle variance, but the full-bodied wine goes on to show a delightful structure that should hold together for a few more years in the bottle. Ultimately, the wine ends with a tannic edge over the long conclusion, ending with mature flavors of stewed fruit compote with an element of old oak and pine bark.
Critic scores
Average Score
The Wine Advocate
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A smidge more evolved than the 2002, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, mostly from the famed Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. It offers a rock star bouquet of blackberry liqueur, cassis, dried licorice, spice and roasted meats to go with a full-bodied, concentrated, yet incredibly polished and elegantly textured mouthfeel. Blockbuster stuff that has everything. (JD)
(includes 3% cabernet franc) Bright medium ruby. Explosive, pungent aromas of dark raspberry, baking spices and cocoa powder. Then fat, lush and deep, with powerful flavors of raspberry, minerals and baking chocolate. Began slightly clenched but expanded impressively with aeration to show a seductively plump texture. Finishes fat, minerally and very long, with big but fine-grained tannins and a hint of nuts. A high-pH (3.8), high-tannin cabernet that appears to have the sheer material for extended bottle aging. Splendid.
Good full ruby color. Deep, nuanced nose combines roasted black fruits, brown spices and tobacco leaf; very cabernet. Wonderfully silky and sweet but given shape and definition by fine, racy acidity. Vibrant, concentrated flavors of dark berries, licorice, shoe polish and minerals. Conveys an impression of strong extract and expands impressively in the mouth. Finishes with thoroughly ripe, very suave tannins and excellent persistence. Offers superb potential. Across the board, the 2001 Quilceda cuvees seem even stronger than the 2000s.
About the producer
Founded in 1978, Quilceda Creek helped put Washington Cabernet on the world stage. Mentored by André Tchelistcheff, the family-owned winery became renowned for its powerful, age-worthy Cabernets and was the first U.S. winery outside California to earn 100 points from Wine Advocate.