2016 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Washington 750 ml

Quilceda Creek’s Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the timeless icons of American winemaking, a collectible that no serious cellar is complete without. Founded by a Russian émigré in 1978, the family-run estate has magnified Washington State’s finest terroirs into a single-variety expression whose sheer power, seamless integration, and silky polish rank with the greatest in the world.

The near-perfect 2016—with a 98+ point review from Jeb Dunnuck—is the 38th vintage of the winery’s Cabernet. Pauillac-like in its precision, opulent and plump with crème de cassis and black cherry, it’s one of a series of extraordinary releases that includes five flawless 100-point wines from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate over a span of 12 years.

“This awesome estate, which is run by Paul and Alex Golitzin, is producing some of the top Cabernet Sauvignon blends in the state, and I would venture, the world,” asserted Parker’s publication.

Simply put, if you want to count yourself among those drinkers whose palates are acquainted with the best wines made on American soil, Quilceda Creek’s 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is an essential purchase, and today might be one of your best shots. Many wait a year or more for mailing list membership to get the kind of discount we’re offering to Wine Access customers today: $170, down from the list price of $200. Compare that with other 98-point wines from the vintage like the $560 Realm Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Napa Valley, and it’s a sharp deal for buyers of Napa blue-chips and luxury reds.

Our personal collection of Quilceda Creek stretches back into the late 1990s, and these latest releases are some of the most seductive we’ve tasted yet from the estate, showing a harmonious texture that earlier, stiffer vintages required several years of cellaring to attain.

Ask founder Alex Golitzin about his favorite wines, and he’ll tell you about a revelatory 1982 Château Pichon-Lalande or a kingly 1990 Château Montrose—bottles whose poised combination of layered structure and balance clearly formed the mold for releases like this one.

Alex was tutored by Napa legend André Tchelistcheff—who happened to be his uncle. It was Tchelistcheff who counseled him to focus on one grape. Golitzin took the advice to heart, making the equivalent of a Bordeaux Grand Vin with his Cabernet Sauvignon each year, seeking single-minded perfection.

His son Paul, rightly regarded as a superstar vintner in his own right, has taken over winemaking duties for a number of years now. His 2016 is a dazzling evocation of the growing season’s warm summer and cool fall, luxuriously silky in texture yet bolstered by the big-shouldered structure that is Quilceda’s trademark. The pedigree of the vineyards is second to none in Washington, with grapes hailing from the world-famous Champoux (one of the oldest in the state), Lake Wallula, Palengat, and Wallula.

These wines can easily age 20-30 years. Make the investment today and save this American classic for a special night.