The 2009 Palengat is composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Merlot. It sports a superb, already complex nose of herbs and spices, floral notes, and assorted black fruits. Elegant, dense, and structured, this nicely proportioned wine merits a minimum of 5-6 years of cellaring and will surely see its 20th birthday in fine form. At Quilceda Creek it’s the same old story, great wines made by unpretentious people. The Golitzins decline to raise prices because they feel loyalty to the people who supported them from the beginning and who might not be able to afford connoisseur/collector pricing. As for the latest wines, they regard 2008 as ”a regular vintage with no issues; you could pick at your leisure”. They are considerably more excited by the 2009 vintage which they describe as “wines with tons of aroma?really good” which, given their understated manner, I interpret to mean really terrific. For this tasting, the 2009s were all tasted from barrel samples.Tel. (360) 568-2389; www.quilcedacreek.com