Plonk
Discuss
You drank it, what did you do wrong?
This wine is a total mess.
Hot, oak, hot, oak, hot, oak, VA, hot, oak, VA, oak and some white flowers.
Thanks for discussing it Cornhole. 
[middle-finger.gif]
You know how many points this sounds like???
I have never had a young QC I liked, they all suck. Just as you described, hot, mess, oak ect…
The 98 cab is just starting to come around into something really nice.
WELL, that explains it flying off the shelves ! You make it hard not try it with such stellar notes
Too bad it doesn’t come in a 3 liter box…
I had the 1992 last year, and it was gorgeous.
I had the 1992 last year, and it was gorgeous.
Aha!
QC Merlot, the Dunn of Washington State!
I just had a 2000 Merlot the other night. VERY oaky a few years ago. Integrating beautifully now. Shockingly good. You killed yours too young. Gotta let it drink up the cheddar (oak) for a while.
You killed yours too young. Gotta let it drink up the cheddar (oak) for a while.
Eric, I have a great deal of faith in your QC palate and I’ll take you at your word on this. I have (alas) many more so I can forget about them for several more years for sure.
However, this wine was such a disaster that I’m reticent to think that anything, especially time, would solve this wine’s issue.
I will make a calendar event now on my iPhone to revisit this wine in 2011 and report back. I have 12, well, 11 now - so there are plenty of sacrificial lambs until we find this wine’s theoretical ‘sweet spot’.
You bought a case of their Merlot?
Unlike the Cab there is no aftermarket for this one. I was a little worried too, since I have ways found these to be waaay oaky. But the recent 2000 was very restorative for my confidence in this wine. Here is my recent note BTW.
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2000 Quilceda Creek Merlot - USA, Washington (10/15/2009)
Consumed across two nights. Wow, this is pretty serious. I have had several Quilceda Merlot but with a little less age on them, and in their youth they show a LOT of oak. If I were tasting this blind I would be making some comparisons to 1991 and 1994 Dominus. The wine is very ripe with some black fruit, cocoa, smoke, some dusty notes and a yearning similarity to a very ripe vintage right bank Bordeaux. Where it clearly verges into Washington is a high-toned raspberry element on the nose. Still very dusty and tannic even after 9 years, this is a powerfully structured wine. I have been aggressively moving away from Washington and towards French wines, but this is definitely a wine to make one sit up and pay serious attention to Washington. Wow. (94 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
Here’s my note on the 2005 cab from July 29:
Opened the bottle Sunday night, and was very dissapointed, it showed simple and thin. Luckily stopped drinking the wine and placed it uncorked in the fridge. In the morning I corked it and left it in the fridge knowing that I would not be having it on Monday, and hoping against hope that it will not oxydize.
I am sipping the wine today and for me this is completely different wine, probably my best Cabernet of the year so far. It has gained weight, but what impresses me is the perfect balnace of the fruit, tannin, spices and medium velvety body. It feels unbelievable in the mouth. Amazing mid palate and finish. 97 points. The best QC cabernet that I’ve ever had.
What day did you finish it? How long had it been sitting in the fridge?
Rob, opened Sunday and consumed Tuesday.
FWIW, I find the Cab and the Merlot to behave a bit differently. I have no doubt about there the Cabs are going. I always wondered (with a little more doubt) about the Merlot.
I wasted 4 bottles of the 99 Merlot before I finally opened up one last month that made me happy. Now I am sad to only have one left- that I will drink it 2-3 years. I will say that the reason I bought the merlot was at the 99 release party it was the best young merlot I had ever tasted- bought 6 on the spot… I have not bought much of the merlot since for aging concerns, but based on my 99 and eric’s 2000, I would say it seems promising…
Eric,
My fault, long 6 on merlot, 12 on the cab from that year. transcription error.