2020
Quilceda Creek
Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2020 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons our estate has ever produced. Fruit from Champoux Vineyard makes up 90% of the blend and shows the site’s characteristic intense aromatics resulting from the vineyard’s tremendous diurnal shifts which allow the fruit to ripen while maintaining great freshness. The remaining 10% comes from our Mach One vineyard, whose high-density planting and south-facing exposure create tenacious vines and slow-ripening fruit. The outcome is a wine that has prodigious density and concentration due to the small berry size produced by our vineyards.
A warmer than usual vintage with few heat-spikes, 2020 had fruit hanging on the vine until mid-October allowing each clone present in the wine—4, 8, 337, 191, 685—to reach full maturity and perfection. With 22 months of elevage in French oak, the 2020 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic wine, displaying a core of blackberry, blueberry and plums, with nuances of sandalwood and anise. Seductive and built to age, the International Wine Report described the 2020 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon as “fantastic already and readers will be in for a real treat, as this simply marvelous wine will continue to deliver the goods for years to come.”
100 points
"The 2020 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is truly sensational. This Cabernet emerges from the Champoux (90%) and Mach One (10%) vineyards and is a selection of clones 4, 8, 337, 191, 685 that spent 22 months in new French oak. It begins with striking aromas of fresh blackberries, blueberries and dark plums that are laced with fresh spring florals, mocha, sweet exotic spices, graphite and gravel nuances all taking shape. The palate is full-bodied and displays a remarkable combination of power and elegance throughout. This is beautifully structured and extremely expressive, as it possesses outstanding depth and concentration all the way through the long, finessed finish. Year after year, the Columbia Valley Cabernet is one of the most impressive wines, and there is no exception here, as it combines all the wonderful qualities of the 2020 vintage from Quilceda Creek into one expression. This is fantastic already and readers will be in for a real treat, as this simply marvelous wine will continue to deliver the goods for years to come."
99 points
"The outstanding new 2020 Quilceda Creek ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced mainly from the Champoux Vineyard (90%) with the remainder coming from the Mach One Vineyard. This reveals very pretty black rose petals with blueberry compote, sandalwood, mocha, tar and anise notes that all meld in the glass. The palate is utterly seamless, as this glides throughout the drinking experience. Huckleberry pie, dark chocolate covered blackberry and black raspberry coulis combine with loamy soils. This is super refined and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon that is already beautifully evolved and will provide drinking enjoyment over the next fifteen to twenty years. Drink 2022-2039."
98 points
"The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a lush, silky, rich, round nose with fresh and ripe notes that seduce and delight. Full-bodied, fresh and yet still tight, the wine offers a balanced structure and lifting tannins that elevate the mid-palate followed by juicy, fruit-forward layers and delightful oak spices. The Cabernet continues to show its depth and breadth, compounding its natural beauty. The Cabernet lingers on the ever-evolving, food-friendly finish and will benefit from another two years of bottle aging."