1988 Cabernet Sauvignon Washington

The Reserves are outrageously rich, complex wines. Lamentably, with only 200 cases available (much of it gobbled up by locals), most subscribers will never have a chance to taste this wine. The just-released 1988 Reserve Cabernet offers a huge nose of spicy, cedary cassis fruit, and dense, super-rich, concentrated flavors with gorgeous texture, huge body, and an impeccable sense of balance. A superb Cabernet Sauvignon from start to finish, it should drink well for 20 or more years. Make no mistake about the Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignons - they are world-class Cabernets that compete with the finest wines from Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Sonoma, and Santa Cruz Mountains. Unfortunately, there are only 1,000 cases of their regular bottling and 200 or so of their Reserve, which was inaugurated with the 1988 vintage. The wines spend two and one-half years in small oak casks, of which thirty-three to fifty percent are new. Most of the fruit comes from the Red Mountain Vineyard.