1994 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

It offers deep and compelling aromas of red and black fruits, lead pencil, and traces of oak spices. This full-bodied, concentrated, and chewy wine is thick, dense, and gorgeously defined for such a massive wine. Its combination of power and elegance brought to mind the 1986 Margaux, one of the finest wines ever produced by that illustrious estate. When I first tasted this wine at the estate in Snohomish, Golitzen was worried that it was too big and powerful. I found myself in the all-too-rare position of defending a wine's qualities to the person who had made it! At a subsequent tasting, the wine had lost some of its youthful exuberance and Golitzen was enthused to see that it was gaining focus and elegance. This is a truly magnificent wine, and it will age remarkably well. Drink it between 2004 and 2015+. The dark ruby-colored 1994 Quilceda Creek is an extraordinary wine that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as California's top offerings. I recently served a bottle of it blind to Robert Parker amidst wines from Dominus, Harlan Estate, Colgin, and others. While it did stand out as being different (it is much more Bordeaux-like than its California brethren) it was their qualitative equal.