2018 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard
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Tasting notes
There’s an amazing energy and vibrancy encapsulated within the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard that lights up the senses. Its bouquet is pure class, feminine yet impactful, showing crushed raspberry dusted in cocoa and sweet spices complemented by shaved cedar. It’s silky and refined yet racy in style, with depths of dark red fruit and mineral underpinnings accelerated by vibrant acidity and hints of sour citrus. This leaves dusty tannins adding youthful poise without taking away from the pleasure and immediacy of the experience. Tobacco and a bitter balsamic twang punctuate the finale. It will be difficult for collectors to keep their hands off of this rendition of Galitzine, yet patience really is advised, as the balance here is nearly flawless.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Beginning with the dusty mineral essence of Red Mountain, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard offers plenty of dark, red-berried expressions with elements of dusty plum and blackberry jus before swaying with gorgeous oak notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and crème brûlée. There are full-bodied, firm tannins across the palate, and the wine is food-friendly now but will be spectacular with an additional year of bottle aging. Concluding with a long-lingering finish, this is yet another stunning bottling of Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Bravo!
Perfumed nose of currants, wild raspberries, incense, mocha, violets and lavender. Itâs full-bodied with firm, polished and seamless tannins. Muscular and velvety, yet so balanced and refined. Gorgeous texture. Long and seductive. Try in 2024.
Tighter and more backward, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard comes from a great site on Red Mountain and is, I believe, all Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in plenty of new oak. This dense purple/plum-hued beauty offers a decadent, powerful style carrying lots of red and black currants, crushed stone, lead pencil, graphite, and dried herb aromatics. With full-bodied richness, it's wonderfully balanced and has the classic savory, mineral-character of Red Mountain, beautiful structure, and a great finish. There's an almost Château Latour-like sense of structure and minerality, and it's going to benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age and keep for 20-30 years. This is unquestionably another brilliant set of releases from Quilceda, and these 2018s show the classic opulence this estate is known for backed up by beautiful purity and lots of underlying structure. In addition, their CVR Cuvee remains one of the great values in Cabernet Sauvignon out there.
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.