Quilceda Creek Winery
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Winemaking |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Alex Golitzin, Jeanette Golitzin |
| Headquarters | Snohomish , United States |
| Products | Cabernet Sauvignon, Red wine blends |
Quilceda Creek Winery is a distinguished winery based in Snohomish, Washington, renowned for its high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon. Taking its name from a nearby creek, the winery exclusively cultivates grapes from its four estate vineyards situated within the Horse Heaven Hills AVA and Red Mountain AVA. Quilceda Creek has achieved some of the most prestigious honors in the United States, notably becoming the first American wine producer outside of California to be awarded a flawless 100-point rating by Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate. Since its inception in 1978, the winery has received seven additional perfect scores from Parker, alongside top accolades from Decanter (Magazine) and OwenBargreen.com. A highlight includes President Barack Obama serving their 2005 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon during a 2011 White House dinner with Chinese President Hu Jintao.
History
Established in 1978 by Alex and Jeanette Golitzin, Quilceda Creek benefits from Alex’s familial connection to Napa Valley icon André Tchelistcheff, his uncle. Motivated by his visits to Tchelistcheff and consulting engagements with Chateau Ste. Michelle, Alex began crafting limited quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon between 1974 and 1977 before officially founding the commercial winery in Snohomish. The inaugural vintage was released in 1979. In 1993, Paul Golitzin, Alex’s son, assumed the role of Director of Winemaking. Production expanded from approximately 3,000 cases in 2000 to around 12,000 cases annually at present.
Quilceda Creek’s Cabernet Sauvignon has earned significant industry recognition: the 1999 vintage was honored as "Best Cabernet Sauvignon over $20" by Food & Wine in 2003, and several vintages (2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, and 2014) have received perfect scores from Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate. In 2017, Parker named Quilceda Creek “Best Washington State Winery.” Further distinctions include three wines ranked among the top-10 of the year by Wine Spectator, as well as inclusion in the Top 100 Wineries of 2020 by Wine & Spirits and Top 100 Cellar Selections by Wine Enthusiast.
Production
The current winery facility, inaugurated in 2004, occupies a site measuring approximately 15 acres in Snohomish and contains about 20,000 square feet dedicated to fermentation and barrel aging. Visits to the facility are available exclusively by appointment.
Grapes are sourced from four estate vineyards: Mach One, Champoux Vineyard, and Palengat located within Horse Heaven Hills AVA, along with Galitzine Vineyard situated in Red Mountain AVA. Harvesting is conducted manually, with grapes transported overnight directly to the winery.
Quilceda Creek crafts four distinct wines: its flagship Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon—composed entirely of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Champoux, Mach One, and Palengat vineyards; a single-vineyard Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Red Mountain AVA; Palengat Proprietary Red Wine blending 90% Cabernet Sauvignon from Champoux and Mach One with 10% Cabernet Franc from Palengat; and Columbia Valley Red (CVR), a blend featuring Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
While the Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and CVR are distributed both nationally and internationally—including markets in Asia and the United Kingdom—the Palengat Proprietary Red Wine and Galitzine Vineyard bottlings are reserved for an exclusive mailing list but occasionally become available on secondary markets.