My wife and I had this wine in the living room of Alex and Jeanette Golitzin, owners of Quilceda Creek, this past July. Alex popped he cork and immediately poured us each a glass. I found the wine very closed and was actually surprised he served it immediately after opening. How much time in the decanter did this wine need to start showing its best?

I decanted it into a carafe and back into the bottle one hour before the event. After that it showed very well. It certainly was much better than when I tasted it a year ago.

I had this about 3 months ago. It was decanted for about 45 minutes and showed great for about 30 minutes. Then it shut down and became very tight and a lot of alcohol came through...

I have a case of it and I'm going to be patient. Thanks for the tips.

like i said the one i had took a round 36hrs to really open up!

Well, I opened one this weekend. My history with Quilceda Creek has been mostly rocky to this point - I've had corked bottles of the 2000 and the 1996, and an underwhelming bottle of the 1998. The exception - a 1999 we had on the day of our engagement was very nice. With the mailer coming up soon, I thought I'd see if I should stay on the mailing list, and thus I opened a bottle of the 2000. Notes are over the course of 2 days:

Quilceda Creek 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon ($74)

Decanted half of the bottle for 2 hours on Friday night upon opening. Intense, high-pitched aromas of fresh blackberries and blueberries. Cassis, currant and licorice, wrapped with violets. Structured, but not inaccessible, with plenty of blackberries and blueberries on the palate, with super-fine tannins. So much wine, packed in very tightly. 90+ points on the first night.

Day 2: 18 hours after opening (but not decanted), the wine has softened considerably. All the flavors described above, but much more elegant and accessible. Also a streak of Graves-like earthiness is present. Balanced and elegant, a very, very nice Cabernet. Served blind to some friends, and all guessed it to be an old-world wine. 92 points.

I guess I'm staying on the list after all.

to really do this wine justice it needs about 48 hrs airtime at this point. i think the jazins will agree with me on this point. it was much better the second time around.

I am coming to the opinion that the QC cabernets are the most age worthy wines from North America.

Drink them young if you like chewing wine, give them lots of air if you're impatient, hope you live long enough if you're my age.

I have 4 bottles of this and I have been tempted recently to pop one open. Should I let them sit for a year or two or can I enjoy one of these now with a long decant?

Let them sit. I've got five as well. Patience TW.

MTP, I think Dunn might have an arguement here.

i agree skwid. them might be fighting words for randy.

Thanks wiml, I will resist the temptation.

tw,

that is good advice froma good man. i have had 2 of them so far and it just needs so much time just to open up that it is really hard to believe.

tw, I have a case and haven't opened one yet. My wife and I tasted it with the owners this past July and the wine needs a lot of time.

I concur with Board-O. I have a case of the 2000 and I mistakenly opened one about 6 or 9 months ago. It was way too early. I won't be opening another one for at least a few more years. I haven't opened any of my 1999's either. Still a few years away from that too.

...um....apologies for the redundant information. I just realized my comments on this wine are also located earlier in this thread. I didn't realize it went back that far...sorry.

-J

Thanks guys. I will tuck them into the back of the cooler so I won't see them and try to forget about them for a few years.

This brings up a question. When we had this wine with Alex and Jeanette Golitzin, the owners of QC, Alex popped the cork and poured the wine and we sipped at it immediately. It was virtually impossible for me to evaluate right after opening. My question- Does Parker (et al) taste a wine like this immediately after opening and evaluate at that time, or does he wait til it shows its best, or does he guess at how much time the wine needs in advance and then taste it at that point?

When Parker is at home I believe he tastes the wine over time. At a prearranged tasting (where he visits the winery) I'm not sure what happens. I'm sure it varies from place to place.

I've read several of Parker's notes that make references to tasting wines over several days, so I think it's safe to assume that the score is weighed over a few days (young Bordeaux, for example).