2008 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Red (CVR)

A smoking effort that shows the beauty of the 2012 vintage, Golitzin's 2012 CVR Colombia Valley Red Wine is made from a declassified blend of most Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller parts Merlot and Malbec. It 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. (JD)

(a Bordeaux blend based on 81% cabernet sauvignon): Good full red-ruby. Slightly sweaty, liqueur-like nose suggests very ripe dark berries. Then plump, broad and sweet in the mouth, with plenty of texture and depth to its cassis, cocoa and graphite flavors. Fresher than the nose suggests, and the tannins are sweet. An excellent vintage for this bottling. (ST)

The Quilceda Creek lineup begins with the 2008 Red Wine made up of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, with the balance Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Aromas of cedar, spice box, mineral, incense, black currant, and blackberry inform the nose of a ripe, savory, smooth-textured wine. In the glass it displays more minerality, excellent volume, and enough structure to evolve for 1-2 years. Enjoy this first-class effort now through 2020. At Quilceda Creek it’s the same old story, great wines made by unpretentious people. The Golitzins decline to raise prices because they feel loyalty to the people who supported them from the beginning and who might not be able to afford connoisseur/collector pricing. As for the latest wines, they regard 2008 as ”a regular vintage with no issues; you could pick at your leisure”. They are considerably more excited by the 2009 vintage which they describe as “wines with tons of aroma ... really good” which, given their understated manner, I interpret to mean really terrific. For this tasting, the 2009s were all tasted from barrel samples. Tel. (360) 568-2389; www.quilcedacreek.com