2020
Quilceda Creek
“Tchelistcheff” Cabernet Sauvignon
When Uncle Tchelistcheff was advising the Golitzins on starting Quilceda Creek in the late 1970s, he told them to pick one thing—Cabernet Sauvignon—and do it well. This wine is representative of 42 years of the utmost dedication to Cabernet Sauvignon. Singularly complex, with deep richness and structure, this magnificent bottling is 100% Clone 412 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mach One Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of the Columbia Valley.
We planted Clone 412 at Mach One in 2010, the first time for this clone in Washington State. In this particular location, strong winds off the Columbia River Gorge combine with optimally low-yield vines, and the result is exceptional. This own-rooted planting was such a resounding success that we decided to showcase it in its inaugural bottling in the 2019 vintage. Building on the previous year’s release, the warm 2020 vintage resulted in a wine that reaches even further heights with nuances of cocoa nibs, exotic spices and black tea. Distinctive and tantalizing, the 2020 “Tchelistcheff'' earned a 100-point score from Owen Bargreen who described the wine as “one of the great wines of this vintage.” Enjoy it next year, or in 22 years—this fine wine will only get better with age.
100 points
"The stunning new 2020 Quilceda Creek ‘Tchelistcheff Clone 412 Mach One Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the great wines of this vintage. Stored in 100% new French oak, the wine shows astonishingly good black floral character, with Asian spices, sweet pipe tobacco and wet gravel. The palate is deep and concentrated, with an underlying salty character, bright underlying acidity and a near minute-long finish. A complete wine, this is already beautifully evolved and will provide drinking pleasure over the next twenty years. Give this electric wine several hours in the decanter before enjoying. Drink 2022-2042."
98 points
"Firm, generous and deeply layered, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Tchelistcheff Clone 412 offers juicy blackberry aromas and a delicate mineral essence that sways with dusty florals. Full-bodied, sturdy and succulent with juicy dark cherries, dusty plums and silky oak spices, the wine is fresh and mouthwatering with generously layered fruit expressions. The wine somersaults across the mid-palate and glides to an ever-evolving, elongated, food-friendly finish that compresses slightly, showing a firm tannic edge. Give it at least two more years in the bottle before enjoying, and decanting for at least 30 minutes is recommended. Bravo!"
98 points
"The 2020 'Tchelistcheff’ Cabernet Sauvignon is simply magical. The Clone 412 Cabernet is sourced from the Mach One Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills and it is nothing short of spectacular. It bursts open with expressive aromatics of dark cherries, plums, graphite shavings, tobacco, florals, and hints of savory herbs that all come together and are impossible to resist. On the palate this is just as impressive, as it offers a medium-full body with a gorgeous texture that is seamless and polished. This continues to impress as it displays incredible purity of fruit, along with wonderful finesse all the way through the long finish. While still in its youth, this will certainly become even more compelling with time, however this is already extremely impressive and its quality is impossible to miss at this early stage."