Canonizing Quilceda Cabernet

"Ripe, grapy and tannic, with a bitter edge to the finish and clumsy feel to the structure." That the Wine Spectator's evaluation, back in October, 1989, of the 1985 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. Granted, the price was only $17, but the rating was a kiss-of-death 78. It would be another four years before the Expectorator tasted another Quilceda, still grumbling about its rough edges.

So let's fast-forward by another decade, to June of this year. The Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 vintage, is now $85. And the tasting notes are quite different: "Richly layered with gorgeous, focused currant, plum and blackberry fruit, shaded with touches of dusky spice and smoky notes from oak, but it's almost subliminal to the harmonious, seamless fruit character. The wine glides over the palate, submerging its tannins to let the flavors soar." The Spectator rating was 95; wine guru Robert Parker gave it a perfect 100 points.

Now we're talking. In fact, the Spectator's editors are falling all over themselves. They've just named the Quilceda the top American wine of the 13,500 wines they tasted this year, number two on their year-end list of the world's Top 100 Wines.

Says founder Alex Golitzen, whose son Paul is now the winemaker: "Our wine is what it is today because of Paul's attention to quality, from the vineyard to bottling. He has an exceptional palate and is incredibly innovatative in the cellar." All 3,400 cases were sold long ago; there's a waiting list just to get on the mailing list.

Where did the Golitzens get their knack for winemaking? Terroir, perhaps? Alex was born in France. His uncle, André Tchelistcheff, was winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyards, where he essentially created the "California style" of rich, ripe, oaky reds.

But technique can only go so far; a wine's underlying quality is in the vineyards; in the case of the 2003 Cab, the grapes come from a quartet of neighborhing vineyards at the lower end of the Yakima Valley: Champoux, Ciel du Cheval, Klipsun and Taptiel. If there's a "Grand Cru" terroir in Washington, this would be it; if there's a Consecrated Cabernet, this would be the one.

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