• 2003 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Washington (3/11/2006)
  Dinner at the Wine Cask (The Wine Cask, Santa Barbara, CA): This bottle was popped and poured to take one for the team. It rivaled the 01 Sina Qua Non Midnight Oil that we had later for sheer structure and complexity and was extremely good. My only worry with this wine is a port-like quality to it (extraction) that I haven't noticed in other young QCs. There was not any detectable heat. The "port-like" quality be the one attribute that people are loving but I find it hard to extrapolate how it will age. Quite different from previous QC wines. (95 pts.)

• 2003 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Washington (7/24/2006)
  I had this last night alongside of the 2002 QC. Decanted for 4+ hours. The 2003 was definitely better than the 2002, but it did not blow me away. Way more fruit than the 2002, very smooth, balanced, no heat, decent finish.
  
  This was a very good wine, but did not meet my expectations for a Parker 100 point wine. (95 pts.)

• 2003 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Washington (9/21/2006)
  
  Wine #8 / tasted blind: As Steffan notes this wine was too warm from the outset. An alcohol bomb on the nose until it was cooled down. Once I tasted it I realized that it was different from the other wines because of its extreme focus and clearly defined flavors. There was minerality, violets and blueberries and it changed rapidly in the glass. The most complex wine of the evening. I thought it might be Shafer HSS but the blueberry flavors didn't match up with HSS. Again this vintage is different from other QC wines and aging could be a tough call - probably one to open along the curve if you have a few. Drinking well now at the proper temperature. Not a 100 point wine for me and probably never will be but good none the less. (94 pts.)

2003 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Washington (6/19/2008)
WIMLNR

Tasted June 19, 2008 at an offline.

Opened and served immediately. Needed an overnight decant or another decade in the bottle. Nose of currants, melted black licorice, brown sugar and white pepper. Big flavors on the palate with gobs of currants, plums and jammy berries. Came across as a little hot on the palate in my opinion. Medium acidity, firm tannins, full bodied. Hold and then some. No rating.