Quilceda Creek, founded in 1978, was the state’s 12th winery and today arguably its best Cabernet producer. The 2015 vintage was the warmest ever in Washington, but this superb bottling (mainly from the Champoux Vineyard) has remarkable acidity to support the well-extracted, mouth-coating blackberry, cassis, smoky tarmac, cocoa, earth and high-toned kirsch notes, with a cherry candy finish. Aged 20 months in new French oak.

Dark red-ruby. Pungent aromas of ripe dark berries, licorice and cedary oak. Wonderfully suave and fine-grained, boasting terrific concentration, intensity and energy to its dark berry and African violet flavors. This very suave Cabernet finishes with terrific cocoa-powder length and substantial but refined mounting tannins. Paul Golitzin told me that he always aims to get two tons of fruit per acre--"either by nature or through crop thinning." And he noted that his family now has full viticultural control over all of their properties. (ST)

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon shows the intensity of the 2015 vintage with robust, dark red and black fruit tones that sway in the glass with aromas of crème de cassis, Chambord and black raspberry jus, with an open-knit nose that's generous, juicy and hedonistic. Full-bodied, the wine is drinking great now as it offers up juicy tannins with a quilt of baking spices that floats on top of the dense richness that the warm 2015 vintage delivered to Washington. Ripe and juicy, the wine concludes with elevated alcohol on the finish that continues to offer up flavors of Chambord with sweet oak tones of cinnamon and nutmeg over the elongated finish. I will tip the age range two more years, capping it at 2030, giving it a 15-year lifespan. Overall, the 2015 vintage presented several challenges, the intense heat being the main concern, yet Quilceda Creek still managed to deliver quality and made a wine that delivers pleasure.