Ratings & Tasting Notes:
98+ points Jeb Dunnuck
Review Date: 04/2019
From a site on Red Mountain, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine is a deeper, richer, more mineral-laced red and has a huge nose of dark chocolate, smoked earth, graphite, black licorice, and black fruits. It’s full-bodied, has tons of concentration and depth, as well as building tannins, yet it still stays seamless and elegant on the palate, with an incredible texture. It’s another full-bore, powerful, brilliant wine from this team that’s going to benefit from short term cellaring and cruise for two decades. 98+
96 points Wine Advocate
Review Date: 12/2019
Red fruited and expressive, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard opens with the classic Red Mountain rusticity on the nose along with rich and elegant dark red fruits. Full-bodied, the palate has a crunchy minerality and firm tannins that will mellow in time. The focus here is clearly on the fruit, with the impressively well-integrated 100% new French oak lending seductive baking spices accents to the dark cherry and black raspberry expressions, followed by a slight tartness on the finish. This will do best after a few years in the cellar and will go for a decade or two. I look forward to revisiting this bottling over the next decade. Absolutely stunning! (AM)
Cult Wines International Notes:
The 2016 Quilceda Creek Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a masterful expression of a stellar Washington vintage, defined by a hot summer followed by a perfectly timed cool autumn. This weather pattern allowed for an exceptionally long “hang time,” enabling the grapes to reach full phenolic maturity while preserving a vibrant, mineral-laced acidity. The wine is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon from the high-density Galitzine Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA and 5% from the Lake Wallula Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills, a combination that winemaker Paul Golitzin utilizes to add dimension and aromatic lift to the site’s natural power.
Aromatically, the 2016 vintage is “magical” and deep, bursting with crème de cassis, blueberry compote, and black forest cake, interwoven with exotic nuances of creosote, cigar ash, and hyacinth. On the palate, the wine is unabashedly bold and thick with “serious viscosity,” yet it maintains the signature Quilceda Creek polish. Layers of dark chocolate, smoked earth, and graphite glide across a seamless, pillowy texture, supported by the building, granular tannins characteristic of Red Mountain. Aged for 20 months in 100% new French oak (specifically from the Darnajou cooperage), the wine has been hailed by critics as “scintillating” and “full-bore,” earning multiple scores of 96–100 points. While it is reaching its hedonistic “sweet spot” now, its depth and concentration ensure it will remain compelling through 2040.
Bottle Size:
750 mL
Storage History:
Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.
Condition:
Outstanding condition.
Please note: The condition of the bottle you will receive is accurately reflected by the one shown in the images.
