Another look + extra detail after my CT TN of July 14, '14 which anticipated another two years of life (for the wine, not me): Bought 6b for 31/b from wine.com 15 years ago. Holding well. More sediment this time, decanting highly recommended (also to allow some micro-ox). Main change from last time is the subtle, deep flavor of dark fruit (esp. blackcurrant): pulling out the flavor required concentration, harder to appreciate in a " busy", distracting environment. My evaluation: I've stopped giving scores on a "100-point scale" as I've become less convinced that they can be meaningful to others. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. I considered this notable when considering quality, age, and price.
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This was quite tasty. Definitely a modern, new world style, but seems like it's at its peak. Great fruit, full bodied, alcohol is definitely present but not overwhelming. Long finish. Went great with ribeyes that had a southeast asian flavor paste.
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Purchased 10+ years ago from wine.com. It's been stored in a cool, dark basement ever since; and this is the second bottle I've tried. Delicious! Excellent dark ruby color, subdued Bdx nose and body, round and rich, good finish; remarkably little sediment--decanting needed for aeration but not for filtering. Not particularly complex but excellent as the entry-level QCreek red. I was concerned when I read NapaNapa's review from 18 months ago citing "past its prime" and the last favorable TN two years earlier, but the proof was in the bottle. Unlikely to improve but should hold, if well stored, for another 1-2 years at least.
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What a surprise this was! Bought on the cheap and didn't expect too much...boy, was I wrong! Really lively and classy. Great red fruit with an excellent mouthfeel, followed by ncie acidity and a long finish. I was not expecting this complete of a wine, and will certainly look for more. Great QPR.
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My All-Time Favorite Bottle of Wine, perfect with tomato sauce and a couple of hours in the decanter. I fell in love with this bottle in 2004, and just had my second bottle tonight to affirm my love affair. Long finish, complex, still strong tannins that evaporated away after decanting. At first, strong burnt rubber, but that strange flavor burned away. Excellent, best QPR EVER at $30.
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Funky mushroom & earthy nose upon opening. Full bodied with predominant deep merlot flavors; not all that impressed with this wine...heavy alcohol evident, somewhat unbalanced.
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In the glass, dark purple to black. On the nose, a 50/50 blend of oak and a tobacco-cassis blend reminiscent of Bordeaux. On the palate, more cassis and oak, with more silkiness than I was expecting given some of the tasting notes here, and the balance improved as the night wore on, albeit with a slightly astringent, clipped finish that never evolved. A perfectly reasonable accompaniment for a steak. If you have a bottle, I'd recommend giving it 60-90 minutes in the decanter to soften some of the oaky edges.
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Very disappointed with this wine. The beauty of quilceda creek is not evident in this bottle. A slight taste of blackberry dominated by oak and alcohol. The balance was missing. Totally one dimensional wine that will make me consider selling my last.
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Upfront, the nose is dominated by wood and tannins. The palate is very fruity, but yet still a lot of wood to be found. The finish was a little hot, and a little spicy. Overall, I think that there is simply better WA red to be found for $35.
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Upfront fruity nose with barest spice of oak. Mostly solid fruit, very ripe and friendly, with blackberry elements. Simple, not much middle, but clean and enjoyable.
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This wine had quite a gamey aroma. It overpowered the rasberry, oak, and vanilla. I found the palate even more unpleasant. Strong tastes of forest floor that completely drowned out the berry flavors, which were quite bitter.
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Tasted unblinded from the Vintage Wines, Ltd. wine bar. Bright disc. Opaque black robe with purple rim. Clean nose, showing stemmy, tar and earth aromas, with a bit of black fruit. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, relatively hot alcohol and big, coarse tannins. The flavors are the similar to the nose (fruit-deficient/stemmy). Medium, hot finish. Disappointing. If I owned this wine, I would hold it for a couple of years with the hope that the tannins would soften, but I doubt that this wine will ever truly bring great pleasure.
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My first reaction was similar to Eric's. I found the nose strong in the oak department. The palate was overly tannic was an astrigent finish. After an additional 2 hours in the glass, my notes changed. The nose remains strong on oak with blueberry and chocolate. The platate, however, has opened to reveal a lush mouthfeel with terrific balance and length. I get tastes of dark fruit, more chocolate, and strong tannin backbone, followed by a nice dusty finish. This wine should age well and provide even better enjoyment in 5 years or so.
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Tasted at McCarthy & Schiering. Lots of wood on the nose. On the palate the wood dominates, although there is an ample supply of beautiful fruit. This has a touch of bitterness on the finish. Of the Quilceda table wines from 1998, 1999, and 2000 this is my least favorite by far. There is simply better value to be found elsewhere in Washington at $30/bottle.
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2/22/2019 - RedLoverJim wrote:
Over the hill. Enjoyable for that, but most fruit is gone and left with some cedar and tobacco. Better after 30 minutes to an hour of open time.
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10/16/2018 - Oenecnist wrote:
Another look + extra detail after my CT TN of July 14, '14 which anticipated another two years of life (for the wine, not me): Bought 6b for 31/b from wine.com 15 years ago. Holding well. More sediment this time, decanting highly recommended (also to allow some micro-ox). Main change from last time is the subtle, deep flavor of dark fruit (esp. blackcurrant): pulling out the flavor required concentration, harder to appreciate in a " busy", distracting environment. My evaluation: I've stopped giving scores on a "100-point scale" as I've become less convinced that they can be meaningful to others. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. I considered this notable when considering quality, age, and price.
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11/15/2015 - kenthargis wrote: 93 Points
This was quite tasty. Definitely a modern, new world style, but seems like it's at its peak. Great fruit, full bodied, alcohol is definitely present but not overwhelming. Long finish. Went great with ribeyes that had a southeast asian flavor paste.
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7/14/2014 - Oenecnist wrote: 91 Points
Purchased 10+ years ago from wine.com. It's been stored in a cool, dark basement ever since; and this is the second bottle I've tried. Delicious! Excellent dark ruby color, subdued Bdx nose and body, round and rich, good finish; remarkably little sediment--decanting needed for aeration but not for filtering. Not particularly complex but excellent as the entry-level QCreek red. I was concerned when I read NapaNapa's review from 18 months ago citing "past its prime" and the last favorable TN two years earlier, but the proof was in the bottle. Unlikely to improve but should hold, if well stored, for another 1-2 years at least.
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1/26/2013 - Napanapa wrote: 84 Points
The wine was good but past its prime. Smooth and pleasant but not much fruit. Bottle drunk four years ago was much better.
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11/15/2011 - dannyk8232 wrote: 92 Points
What a surprise this was! Bought on the cheap and didn't expect too much...boy, was I wrong! Really lively and classy. Great red fruit with an excellent mouthfeel, followed by ncie acidity and a long finish. I was not expecting this complete of a wine, and will certainly look for more. Great QPR.
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10/15/2009 - Londello wrote: 91 Points
It was lovely wine with mushroom/cedar nose, and with sufficient tannins for an enjoyable mid-length finish. I wish I had a more!
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10/4/2009 - garthbernstein wrote: 95 Points
My All-Time Favorite Bottle of Wine, perfect with tomato sauce and a couple of hours in the decanter. I fell in love with this bottle in 2004, and just had my second bottle tonight to affirm my love affair. Long finish, complex, still strong tannins that evaporated away after decanting. At first, strong burnt rubber, but that strange flavor burned away. Excellent, best QPR EVER at $30.
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5/9/2009 - fredmartens wrote: 87 Points
Funky mushroom & earthy nose upon opening. Full bodied with predominant deep merlot flavors; not all that impressed with this wine...heavy alcohol evident, somewhat unbalanced.
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1/14/2008 - GA wrote: 89 Points
1/08 Fragrant nose - dark purple - red fruit - resolved tannins - good window. 89 pts.
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12/16/2006 - jshufelt wrote: 89 Points
In the glass, dark purple to black. On the nose, a 50/50 blend of oak and a tobacco-cassis blend reminiscent of Bordeaux. On the palate, more cassis and oak, with more silkiness than I was expecting given some of the tasting notes here, and the balance improved as the night wore on, albeit with a slightly astringent, clipped finish that never evolved. A perfectly reasonable accompaniment for a steak. If you have a bottle, I'd recommend giving it 60-90 minutes in the decanter to soften some of the oaky edges.
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8/18/2006 - tskrueger wrote: 85 Points
Forgot to take this out of my CT inventory. Remember this being decent, but nothing special.
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8/15/2006 - napaJ6 wrote: 87 Points
Very disappointed with this wine. The beauty of quilceda creek is not evident in this bottle. A slight taste of blackberry dominated by oak and alcohol. The balance was missing. Totally one dimensional wine that will make me consider selling my last.
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5/6/2006 - sdatl wrote: 91 Points
Delicious well-integrated blend with a stronger merlot flavor than some; big hit at the table and showed none of the toughness described here
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5/5/2006 - joshtpa wrote: 84 Points
Upfront, the nose is dominated by wood and tannins. The palate is very fruity, but yet still a lot of wood to be found. The finish was a little hot, and a little spicy. Overall, I think that there is simply better WA red to be found for $35.
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3/9/2006 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
Upfront fruity nose with barest spice of oak. Mostly solid fruit, very ripe and friendly, with blackberry elements. Simple, not much middle, but clean and enjoyable.
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1/14/2006 - mmurry wrote:
This wine had quite a gamey aroma. It overpowered the rasberry, oak, and vanilla. I found the palate even more unpleasant. Strong tastes of forest floor that completely drowned out the berry flavors, which were quite bitter.
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1/13/2006 - win wrote: 87 Points
Somewhat acidic that is not giving up much fruit. A bit disappointing--have not had the 2000 QC Cab, but the 2003 is awesome!
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4/5/2005 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Weird Wines and Momos: Blind Red 6 - Deeply colored with a slightly funky nose. Lime zest. Cooler climate. Cocoa. Somewhat one-dimensional. Eh. Disappointing.
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4/24/2004 - buckeye76 wrote: 90 Points
NICE BLACK CHERRY AND CURRANT FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR. MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.
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2/20/2004 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 77 Points
Tasted unblinded from the Vintage Wines, Ltd. wine bar. Bright disc. Opaque black robe with purple rim. Clean nose, showing stemmy, tar and earth aromas, with a bit of black fruit. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, relatively hot alcohol and big, coarse tannins. The flavors are the similar to the nose (fruit-deficient/stemmy). Medium, hot finish. Disappointing. If I owned this wine, I would hold it for a couple of years with the hope that the tannins would soften, but I doubt that this wine will ever truly bring great pleasure.
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11/19/2003 - Jason wrote: 90 Points
My first reaction was similar to Eric's. I found the nose strong in the oak department. The palate was overly tannic was an astrigent finish. After an additional 2 hours in the glass, my notes changed. The nose remains strong on oak with blueberry and chocolate. The platate, however, has opened to reveal a lush mouthfeel with terrific balance and length. I get tastes of dark fruit, more chocolate, and strong tannin backbone, followed by a nice dusty finish. This wine should age well and provide even better enjoyment in 5 years or so.
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7/12/2003 - Eric wrote: 84 Points
Tasted at McCarthy & Schiering. Lots of wood on the nose. On the palate the wood dominates, although there is an ample supply of beautiful fruit. This has a touch of bitterness on the finish. Of the Quilceda table wines from 1998, 1999, and 2000 this is my least favorite by far. There is simply better value to be found elsewhere in Washington at $30/bottle.
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