The sumptuous 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon is a dark ruby-colored wine with mouth-watering aromas of highly expressive blackberries awash in toasted oak and roasting spices. Medium to full-bodied, thick, concentrated, and exquisitely balanced, this mouth-coating tour de force is densely packed with jammy black fruits and cassis liqueur. It combines elegance with power in a manner reminiscent of Chateaux Margaux's prodigious 1990. This velvety-textured wine is complete, with magnificent depth of fruit, a profound personality, and the requisite structure for long-term cellaring. Bravo! Projected maturity: 2006-2020. Tel. (360) 568-2389

Quilceda makes big, muscular Cabernets, but the power is tightly controlled and never out of whack. Firm cherry fruit is edged with mixed spices from barrel aging. Still young and hard, this is a tannic wine that clearly has the stuffing and structure to age indefinitely, but if drunk now will require many hours of breathing time. Editors’ Choice. ——P.G.(6/1/2002)—— 93