The Quilceda Creek lineup begins with the 2008 Red Wine made up of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, with the balance Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Aromas of cedar, spice box, mineral, incense, black currant, and blackberry inform the nose of a ripe, savory, smooth-textured wine. In the glass it displays more minerality, excellent volume, and enough structure to evolve for 1-2 years. Enjoy this first-class effort now through 2020. At Quilceda Creek it’s the same old story, great wines made by unpretentious people. The Golitzins decline to raise prices because they feel loyalty to the people who supported them from the beginning and who might not be able to afford connoisseur/collector pricing. As for the latest wines, they regard 2008 as ”a regular vintage with no issues; you could pick at your leisure”. They are considerably more excited by the 2009 vintage which they describe as “wines with tons of aroma ... really good” which, given their understated manner, I interpret to mean really terrific. For this tasting, the 2009s were all tasted from barrel samples.Tel. (360) 568-2389; www.quilcedacreek.com

Soft and lush when first opened, with a fragrant mix of oak and berry, this is broad in the mouth, oaky and liquorous. There is an impression of flatness; it lacks the lift and depth of the other Quilceda reds. But to find any Quilceda at such a modest price must be considered a gift from the wine gods. ——P.G.(2/1/2012)—— 90