2022 Quilceda Creek Merlot Columbia Valley
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Tasting notes
Blended with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2022 Merlot Horse Heaven Hills has slowly unfurling scents of black cherry, mint chocolate, lavender, steak sauce and glossy oak. The full-bodied palate is concentrated but coiled at this stage. It’s framed by powdery tannins and has a long, latent finish. It will benefit from 3–5 years in the cellar. 230 cases were made.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Soft and supple, with compelling herbal character, the 2022 Merlot Horse Heaven Hills is impressively layered in a depth of blue fruit, sandalwood, and cedar, the oak subtle and supportive. There’s 15% Cabernet Sauvignon from Champoux adding structure and elegance, as well as a sense of completeness to the wine. The tannins are silky and add length and grace to this beautifully refined red that will age another 20-30 years. Only 230 cases were produced.
The 2022 Merlot Horse Heaven Hills is exceptional, dusty and floral in the glass, wafting up with a spicy blend of dried blueberries, incense and cedar shavings. This is soothingly round and pliant upon entry, with mineral-infused wild berry fruits that slowly saturate, lifted by a core of brisk acidity. Pleasantly chewy and exceptionally long, the 2022 leaves a web of fine-grained tannins and a staining of primary concentration as hints of licorice slowly fade.
About the producer
Founded in 1978, Quilceda Creek helped put Washington Cabernet on the world stage. Mentored by André Tchelistcheff, the family-owned winery became renowned for its powerful, age-worthy Cabernets and was the first U.S. winery outside California to earn 100 points from Wine Advocate.