Quilceda Creek CVR Red 2013

Robert ParkerA smoking effort that shows the beauty of the 2013 vintage, Golitzin's 2013 CVR Colombia Valley Red Wine is made from a declassified blend of most Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller parts Merlot and Malbec. It's offers a brilliant, almost Bordeaux-like, bouquet of sweet cassis, lead pencil shavings, graphite and hints of toast that flows to a full-bodied, layered, seamless Cabernet that has integrated acidity, sweet tannin and a great finish that doesn't lack for richness or persistence. Already hard to resist, it will nevertheless continue to drink nicely for another decade or more.This is another serious lineup by Paul and Alex Golitzin and I was able to taste their 2012s multiple times, once at my office in Colorado where I was able to follow the wines for multiple days, and then during a visit at the estate just north of Snohomish. In both cases they showed beautifully, with the ripe, exuberant style that's common in the vintage. When speaking about the '12s, Paul told me that it was an "easy growing season and that you had to be selective." In addition, they had more production from Champoux (which was hit hard by frost in 2011) due to their increased ownership in the vineyard after the retirement of Paul Champoux. Looking at their 2013s, these are more restrained and classic in style, yet have terrific concentration, and I actually preferred their slightly more focused, pure style. We'll see how these round out once in bottle, but they're certainly terrific wines and in line with the expected quality from this estate.

Når man 10 gange på kun 17 år har scoret de magiske 100 points hos verdens førende vinanmeldere, så er man i besiddelse af et meget sjældent talent. Et sådan er Paul Golitzin, der er President & Director of winemaking hos Quilceda i Washington State. Han er søn af grundlæggeren Alex Golitzin, der startede eventyret tilbage i 1978. Men det var da Paul tog over, at tingene fik det sidste skub helt derop, hvor Robert Parker udråbte dem til at være den bedste Cabernet Sauvignon producent fra Washington State. Og der er godt nok nogle alvorlige nogle af vælge iblandt.

En del af forklaringen på Quilcedas skyhøje niveau ligger også i det faktum, at man ikke går på kompromis med noget som helst. Quilcedas vinmarker i Colombia Valley bliver passet og plejet minutiøst med største respekt for naturen. Produktionsanlægget er state-of-the-art. Og der bruges ene og alene nye franske egefade til modningen af alle vinene. Men klart den største del af æren tilfalder Paul Golitzins uomtvistelige know-how.

Quilceda kommer med en ren Cabernet Sauvignon, som er det helt store slagnummer. Dertil kommer blends, hvor rundt 95% igen er Cabernet Sauvignon. Men trods den minimale andel af henholdsvis Merlot og Cabernet Franc, er der alligevel smagbar forskel i udtrykket. Alle vinene fra Quilceda ligger dog og roder omkring de 95-100 points, så der bliver leveret over hele linien.

Vi har hjemtaget mere eller mindre hele Quilcedas line-up. Mængderne er dog ikke enorme, så vent ikke for længe, hvis du vil have fingre i toppen af Washington State. Til gengæld kan du tage dig god tid i forhold til at nyde dem. Det er vine skabt til et langt, stolt liv … helt på niveau med det bedste fra Napa Valley.