Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 (750ML)

99 NWR / 98 WA / 98 JS / 96 VM / 96 WS / 96 JD / 96 DE

#58 James Suckling's Top 100 American Wines of 2023

Cellar Stocker-Champoux Vineyard comprises 90% of the fruit for this all-varietal wine, with the rest from Mach One. Aged 22 months in 100% new French oak, the aromas are classic Quilceda Creek, with notes of blackberry, black cherry, anise, plum, and spice. Rich, layered, luxurious dark fruit flavors follow, undulating across the palate in waves. It’s full-on hedonism, bringing it in abundance. Coffee and blackberry notes linger on the hyper-extended finish. It’s a wine for the ages. Best from 2030 to 2045.-Sean P. Sullivan, Northwest Wine Report

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. The wine rested for 22 months in 100% new French oak. 5,450 cases produced.--Anthony Mueller, The Wine Advocate

Beautiful fruit concentration with blackberries, blackcurrants, dark chocolate and red licorice. Encompassing and wide on the palate. Waves of plush, finely grained tannins come through, pushing the depth and unveiling dark fruit that is ripe and delicious. Salty undertones, too. Beautiful now, but better after 2026. - James Suckling

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley opens slowly. At first dark and understated, it gains lovely floral perfumes with each passing swirl of the glass, as rose-tinged black raspberries evolve, laced with nuances of sandalwood, lavender and dark, dark chocolate. This floods the palate with an elegant wave of ripe red and black fruits complemented by sweet exotic spice, all expertly lifted by a core of zesty acidity. The 2020 leaves balsamic nuances, with clove and cherry liquor, while tapering off lightly structured with fine yet silky tannins. The balance and energy here is remarkable for such a powerful young wine. The 2020 hails from 90% Champoux to 10% Mach One Vineyard’s. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

This compelling red is rich and polished yet impeccably structured, offering expressive blackberry, espresso and clove flavors that build tension and texture toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2034. From Washington.—Tim Fish, Wine Spectator Insider Hot Wine

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is all Cabernet Sauvignon that's mostly from the Champoux Vineyard, with 10% from the Mach One Vineyard, which was planted in 2012. A big, ripe, opulent red, it has terrific aromatics of black currants, smoked tobacco, graphite, and loamy earth, medium to full-bodied richness, a round, opulent mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a heady finish. It doesn't match the all-time greats from this team, but it’s deep, rich, and clearly up with the crème de la crème of the vintage.-Jeb Dunnuck