Quilceda Creek Wine

Quilceda Creek: Washington State's Benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon

Quilceda Creek has built the reputation of United States Cabernet Sauvignon beyond Napa Valley, producing wines from Washington's Columbia Valley that regularly earn perfect scores and command a devoted collector following. Founded by Alex and Jeannette Golitzin and now led by their son Paul, the estate has grown from a single home-winemaking barrel into one of the most consistently decorated Cabernet producers in the country.

Estate History

Alex Golitzin's family carried a deep winemaking heritage from Russia, where his grandfather served as head winemaker to Czar Nicholas II before the family fled during the Russian Revolution and settled in France. Alex was born there and later moved with his family to San Francisco after World War II, sponsored by his great-uncle Andre Tchelistcheff, the influential Napa winemaker who would go on to become his mentor.

After a career as an engineer brought Alex and Jeannette to Seattle, the couple began making small trial batches of Cabernet Sauvignon at home in the mid-1970s. In 1978, they formalized the project as a bonded winery, becoming just the twelfth winery registered in Washington State since Prohibition, with early production measured in the hundreds of cases. Tchelistcheff's advice to focus entirely on Cabernet Sauvignon shaped the winery's direction from the start, and the wines quickly earned regional acclaim.

Paul Golitzin joined the winery in 1992, bringing an uncompromising, detail-driven approach to both the vineyards and the cellar. Under his direction, Quilceda Creek shifted its focus toward vertically integrated, estate-controlled fruit, developing the vineyard sites that now anchor the winery's reputation.

The Vineyards

Champoux Vineyard

Located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of the Columbia Valley, Champoux was first planted in 1972 and is now regarded as one of Washington State's most important Cabernet Sauvignon sites. Quilceda Creek began sourcing fruit from the vineyard in the mid-1980s and has steadily increased its ownership stake since, now controlling roughly 79 percent of the property. Sitting at 600 to 800 feet in elevation, Champoux benefits from large swings between daytime warmth and cool night air, along with sandy loam soils that promote deep root development. The site is typically the last of Quilceda's vineyards to be harvested each year.

Galitzine Vineyard

Named for the family's own heritage, Galitzine sits in the Red Mountain AVA and was planted between 2001 and 2002 across 17 acres. Densely planted and consistently ripe, the vineyard produces powerful, structured Cabernet Sauvignon marked by dark fruit and mineral character. Thanks to dramatic day-to-night temperature swings, Galitzine is usually the first of Quilceda's estate vineyards to be harvested each season.

Mach One Vineyard

The youngest of Quilceda's three estate sites, Mach One was planted in 2009 with additional acreage added in the years since. Located in the southeastern corner of Horse Heaven Hills near the Columbia River, the site benefits from cooling river breezes, low frost risk, and an extended growing season driven by radiant heat from nearby basalt cliffs. Fruit from Mach One goes into two distinct small-production bottlings, each built around a different clone and expression of the site.

Signature Wines

Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Quilceda Creek's flagship wine is a blend drawn from across all three estate vineyards, Champoux, Galitzine, and Mach One, rather than a single-site bottling. Champoux typically forms the backbone, with Galitzine and Mach One contributing structure and aromatic lift depending on the vintage. This blended approach is what built Quilceda Creek's reputation and remains the wine most collectors associate with the estate, produced in far greater volume than any of its single-vineyard counterparts and the only label in wide distribution.

Vineyard-Designate Bottlings

Beyond the Columbia Valley blend, Quilceda Creek produces small-lot wines tied to individual sites and clones, including Palengat and the Tchelistcheff label from Mach One. These are made in far smaller volumes and sold primarily to mailing list members rather than through general distribution.

Winemaking Philosophy

Quilceda Creek's winemaking is built around a singular focus on Cabernet Sauvignon, a direction set early on by Andre Tchelistcheff and carried forward by three generations of the Golitzin family. Because the Columbia Valley has remained free of phylloxera, the estate's vineyards are planted on own rootstock rather than grafted rootstock, a choice the winemaking team credits with healthier vines and purer fruit expression.

Low yields and meticulous site-specific farming across Champoux, Galitzine, and Mach One give each vineyard its own distinct voice in the final wines, while strict quality standards keep total production small. The estate's flagship Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon remains the only widely distributed label, with the smaller vineyard-designate bottlings reserved primarily for mailing list members.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Where is Quilceda Creek located?

Quilceda Creek is based in Washington State, sourcing fruit primarily from three estate vineyards in the Columbia Valley: Champoux and Mach One in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, and Galitzine in the Red Mountain AVA.

What is Quilceda Creek's flagship wine?

The estate's flagship is its Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, built primarily around fruit from the historic Champoux Vineyard. It is the only Quilceda Creek label produced in wide distribution, with production of around 5,500 cases per year.

Who founded Quilceda Creek?

Quilceda Creek was founded in 1978 by Alex and Jeannette Golitzin, who had been making trial batches of Cabernet Sauvignon at home for several years beforehand. Their son Paul Golitzin joined the winery in 1992 and now leads winemaking and vineyard development.

Why is Champoux Vineyard important to Quilceda Creek?

Champoux Vineyard is considered one of Washington State's most significant Cabernet Sauvignon sites, and Quilceda Creek now owns approximately 79 percent of the property. Its combination of elevation, sandy loam soils, and wide day-to-night temperature swings has made it the backbone of the estate's flagship wine since the winery began sourcing fruit there in the mid-1980s.

Are Quilceda Creek wines widely available?

Only the Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is produced in meaningful distribution. The estate's smaller vineyard-designate wines from Galitzine and Mach One are made in very limited quantities and sold primarily direct to consumer through the winery's mailing list.