This might be the last crazy closeout deal of the year, but if that’s the case, what a way to go out! I know I tend to get excited about a lot of the deals that we manage to snap up here at Rockbridge Hy-Vee, but this one is especially fun for me. I used to represent this winery on the wholesale side of things, and I’m so excited to share a closeout bargain from them with you!
Let’s start with the winery itself first. Quilceda (pron. ‘keel-see-duh’) Creek is probably the most important Washington Winery you’ve never heard of…unless you’re really into Washington Cabernet. They were the first US winery outside of California to receive a perfect 100-point score from Robert Parker (their 2006 Cabernet) and their Cabernets have actually received more 100-pt scores from Parker’s magazine than any other North American winery. We were actually lucky enough to get a couple bottles of their 100-pt Cabernet in over the last year, but I’m honestly more excited about this. Why? Because this is affordable, and ready to drink now!!
The 2018 CVR (Columbia Valley Red) is their Bordeaux-style blend that’s based on declassified grapes that didn’t make it into their top-end bottlings. It’s seriously good stuff, and we got a sweetheart of a deal on the last case that the distributor had in stock. For a lot of our customers looking for a special “Friday Night” bottle of Cabernet, the $45-55 price range seems to be a popular target, and this is a heckuva $50 wine…especially when it regularly sells for $75.00/bottle! I love clearance/end-of-bin deals!! And check out the press!!
“One of the finest examples of this cuvee to date, the opulent, sumptuous and downright sexy 2014 CVR Columbia Valley Red Wine gives up loads of black currants, kirsch, licorice, toasted spice and dried herb aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, gorgeously textured, round, and just about as hedonistic as it gets, yet without being over the top or heavy in the least, drink it anytime over the coming decade.” 94pts Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, June 2017
Let me give you my take, as someone who’s not usually into full-bodied, voluptuous, hedonistic wines. I prattle on all the time about grace, elegance, subtlety, et al., but this wine is simply impossible to ignore. It pours a dark, intense ruby hue, with brooding aromas of red and black berries, earth, and exotic spices. Sultry is a apt word, I think. On the palate, this is full-bodied, rich and powerful, with juicy black fruit, wild mountain herbs, abundant spice, and a lovely texture. It’s brooding and masculine, but in a more classical way: its power buttoned-up and reserved, rather than overt or flamboyant. There’s plenty of fine-grained tannin holding things in focus here, and the wine still has substantial life left in it. This is just beautiful stuff.
It would be a respectable $75 bottle (its regular price) but the sweetheart closeout deal we got makes it a stunner! If big, sultry, powerful-yet-structured reds are your thing, come grab a bottle, see if you like it, and grab a couple more if you do! You’ll never see a price like this again, and when they’re gone, they’re gone! After all, I bought the last 18 bottles they had in stock…
$49.99/bottle (regularly $74.99!!!)
Cheers,
Dan
Rock Bridge Wine and Spirits 