Qi Red Blend
Rated 92 by Wine Advocate
82.3% Cabernet Sauvignon
11.8% Petit Verdot
5.9% Marselan
10,000 bottles made
Chateau Nine Peaks’s 2021 Qi Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (82.3%), Petit Verdot (11.8%) and Marselan (5.9%) and has a deep ruby appearance. On the nose, there is already approachable and lifted perfumed cassis, bramble, black cherry and blueberry fruit with some herbaceous mint and sage and well-integrated new oak notes of vanilla, clove and toast (the 2021 vintage having been matured in 225-liter French oak, of which 47% was new, for some 12 months). On the palate, it is full-bodied with some bright acidity, coating, chewy and fine-grained ripe tannins and relatively well-integrated 14.5% alcohol, providing the platform for this well-elaborated blend with vibrant leafy dark fruit and sweet and savory new oak notes. With its moderate to longer length, this is a step up in quality from the more challenging 2020 vintage. It can be approached now but will also age in bottle over the next 4-6 years and perhaps beyond.