It is always a pleasure to dip into my cellar and grab a Quilceda Creek wine with some age. This weekend I had some friends over and had to open an older wine. This wine was the 2016 Quilceda Creek ‘Galitzine Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon. I think this is up there with the 2018 as well as the 2021 and 2022 as the finest ‘Galitzine’ wines made.
The Galitzine Vineyard is a small site set in the Red Mountain AVA, which is typically the warmest appellation in Washington State and an ideal region for growing red wine grapes. The location is farmed by Vineyard Manager Dan Nickolaus, and the 17-acre Galitzine Vineyard was planted in 2001-2002 exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 8. The vineyard is clearly really coming into its own right now at the twenty year mark. Wines from this site have massive power with beautiful tar and scorched earth notes from this hot site. This is usually one of the earlier sites to be harvested by Quilceda Creek.
2016 was a beautiful growing season, especially for red wines. There was a warm, rather hot summer with relatively moderate temperatures in the fall and certainly more moderate than the extremely hot 2015 vintage. This helped with wines attaining bright acidity. Without further adieu, here is my review of the gorgeous 2016 ‘Galitzine Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon by Quilceda Creek.
2016 Quilceda Creek ‘Galitzine Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauviginon- A stunning wine from this warm vintage the 2016 Quilceda Creek ‘Galitzine Vineyard’ is a dense and hedonistic treat that is really right in its sweet spot. It is inky and very perfumed in the glass, offering scorched earth and tar with pipe tobacco leaf and dense dark and blue fruits on the nose. The palate is plush and seamless as it glides throughout the drinking experience. Unabashedly bold and thick with serious viscosity and its pillowy texture, enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2024-2034- 100