Friday, September 12, 2008

2003 Quilceda Creek Red Wine

2003 Quilceda Creek Red Wine
I am heading to a barbeque tonight and my hosts are huge California Cabernet fans. While the above wine is actually a Washington wine I think that it will hold its own tonight when it squares off with the likes of Silver Oak, Ridge and Staglin. This wine happens to be the "2nd" wine of Quilceda Creek. Its Daddy was scored a perfect 100pts. by no less than Robert Parker. Below is Parker's notes. When I get back from the party I will post my own notes.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 92 points "The finest Red Wine the Golitzens have fashioned to date, the 2003 (1,300 cases) is an assemblage of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Merlot. It bursts from the glass with black currants, violets, blackberries, and notes of dark cherries. Dense, medium-bodied, silky-textured, and intense, this black fruit-packed wine bears Quilceda Creek’s trademark marriage of power with elegance and sweet tannin. Projected maturity: now-2020. Congratulations Alex and Paul, welcome to the big leagues."

Norm's notes: Very, very ripe (maybe overripe) dark purple fruit. Some spice on the nose but a hint of decay (like when you leave blackberries on the counter and they begin to mold). Big bodied wine that verged on being flabby. A decent finish but I wanted more balance and structure from this wine. I was expecting Kathleen Turner in her prime and I wound up with Anna Nicole Smith before she went on her diet.
If I am scoring this, I'll give it 84pts. At $35/bottle you can do much better for your $.

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5 comments:

  1. dustinSeptember 15, 2008 at 12:05 PM

    That's a bummer about this wine. I know you had high hopes.

    Hey, I'm heading back home to visit relatives this weekend and I was looking for a great wine from this area to take for them. Can you suggest a 25-35$ bottle to blow them away with?

    Something that they might not be able to get back in Oklahoma.

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  2. Norm SchoenSeptember 15, 2008 at 9:25 PM

    Dustin- I am thinking that maybe some of the Andrew Rich wines. I think the Patricia Green Estate wine is also in that price range.
    Pinot is going to bump up into the $40/bottle range quick so you might even look for some Eastern Washington wines. K-Vintners, Ecole 41, Cougar Crest

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  3. dustinSeptember 16, 2008 at 5:13 PM

    I went with some Adam Rich Syrah and Pinot Noir. Thanks for your help :)

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  4. BrittanySeptember 17, 2008 at 10:45 PM

    The Kathleen Turner/Anna Nicole reference is quite possibly the best wine description ever.

    I knew EXACTLY what you meant and how it must have tasted. If Mensa had a wine chapter, you could be it's chairman.

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  5. Norm SchoenSeptember 18, 2008 at 7:23 AM

    Dustin-Happy to assist, hope your family likes the wine.

    Brittany-I think making a comparison to an actor/actress or a television show can make people's "wine light" go on.

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