Quilceda Creek

Quilceda Creek is named for the small creek in Snohomish County, Washington, that flows into Puget Sound near the Tulalip Indian Reservation. The winery was established in 1978 by Alex and Jeannette Golitzin in Snohomish, making it the 12th bonded winery in Washington State following Prohibition. Alex, a chemical engineer by training, had been making one experimental barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon per year from 1974 onward with encouragement from his maternal uncle, André Tchelistcheff, who consulted for Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington. The first commercial vintage in 1979 produced just 150 cases in the family garage, and the wines won a gold medal and the Grand Prize from the Enological Society of the Pacific Northwest in 1983, immediately establishing the winery's reputation.

• Established 1978 by Alex and Jeannette Golitzin in Snohomish, Washington; the 12th bonded winery in Washington State post-Prohibition
• Named for Quilceda Creek, a local waterway in Snohomish County that flows toward Puget Sound near the Tulalip Indian Reservation
• First vintage 1979: 150 cases produced in the family garage; won the Grand Prize at the Enological Society of the Pacific Northwest, only the second time this honor had been awarded in seven years of competition
• Current winery facility built in 2003 and opened January 1, 2004; located on 11 acres in Snohomish with 15,000 square feet of fermentation and barrel aging space

Quilceda Creek fundamentally changed the global perception of Washington wine on April 24, 2006, when Wine Advocate critic Pierre-Antoine Rovani awarded simultaneous 100-point scores to the 2002 and 2003 Cabernet Sauvignons. The 2002 was the first American wine from outside California to receive a perfect score from the Wine Advocate, validating Washington as a world-class Cabernet Sauvignon region. The winery has since accumulated 36 total 100-point scores from eight different critics, and Wine Advocate named it Best Washington State Winery in 2017. Four Quilceda Creek releases have appeared in Wine Spectator's Top 10 Wines of the Year, and Wine Enthusiast named it Best Cabernet of the Year. This sustained critical recognition over more than four decades directly elevated the profile of Washington wine internationally.

• 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon was the first non-California American wine to score 100 from the Wine Advocate; scores announced April 24, 2006 by critic Pierre-Antoine Rovani
• Six 100-point Wine Advocate scores for the Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, and 2014 vintages
• Named Best Washington State Winery by Wine Advocate in 2017; four Top 10 Wines of the Year placements in Wine Spectator
• 36 total 100-point scores from eight critics across Wine Advocate, Decanter, International Wine Report, Jeb Dunnuck, and others as of 2025

Quilceda Creek currently produces five wines, all 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet-dominant blends. The flagship Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon draws on fruit from Champoux and Mach One Vineyards and is distributed nationally and internationally. The Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a single-clone (Clone 8) bottling from the Red Mountain AVA. The Palengat Cabernet Sauvignon is a single-vineyard, single-clone (Clone 685) wine from Mach One Vineyard, named for Jeannette Golitzin's maiden name. The Tchelistcheff Cabernet Sauvignon, introduced with the 2019 vintage, is a single-clone (Clone 412) bottling from Mach One Vineyard, named for Alex Golitzin's mother's maiden name and honoring the family's connection to legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff. The Columbia Valley Red (CVR) is a declassified blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. All wines are aged in new French oak.

• Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Champoux and Mach One Vineyards; flagship wine distributed nationally and to Asia and the United Kingdom
• Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: single-vineyard, single-clone (Clone 8) from Red Mountain AVA; 17-acre estate vineyard planted in 2001
• Palengat Cabernet Sauvignon: single-clone (Clone 685) from Mach One Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills; named for Jeannette Golitzin's maiden name
• Tchelistcheff Cabernet Sauvignon: single-clone (Clone 412) from Mach One Vineyard; introduced with the 2019 vintage and named for Alex Golitzin's mother's maiden name
• Columbia Valley Red (CVR): declassified blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc; entry-level offering in the portfolio

The 2002 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon remains Washington's most historically significant wine, as the first American wine outside California to receive 100 points from the Wine Advocate. Both the 2002 and 2003 vintages were announced simultaneously on April 24, 2006. The 2005 and 2007 Columbia Valley Cabernets also earned 100 points from the same publication. In 2017, both the 2014 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2014 Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon received 100 points from Wine Advocate critic Jeb Dunnuck. The latter was the first 100-point wine ever produced in the Red Mountain AVA. The 2020 Palengat Cabernet Sauvignon received a further 100-point score from the Wine Advocate, and numerous recent vintages have received 100-point scores from multiple other critics. The 1999 vintage was named Best Cabernet Sauvignon over $20 by Food and Wine magazine in its October 2003 issue.

• 2002 and 2003 Cabernet Sauvignons: first two non-California American wines to score 100 points from Wine Advocate; announced simultaneously April 24, 2006
• 2005 and 2007 Columbia Valley Cabernets: 100 points from Wine Advocate; demonstrated sustained decade-spanning excellence
• 2014 Columbia Valley and 2014 Galitzine Vineyard Cabernets: 100 points each from Wine Advocate's Jeb Dunnuck; the Galitzine was the first 100-point wine from Red Mountain AVA
• 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon: named Best Cabernet Sauvignon over $20 by Food and Wine magazine, October 2003 issue

Although the winery is situated in Snohomish west of the Cascades, all fruit comes from four estate vineyards in eastern Washington's Columbia Valley. Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, first planted in 1972 and sourced by Quilceda Creek since 1986, is the backbone of the Columbia Valley Cabernet. It sits at 600 to 800 feet elevation on fine sandy loam soils (Sagehill series), and its position in the cooler foothills of a warm AVA generates significant diurnal temperature swings that preserve natural acidity in fully ripe fruit. Quilceda Creek owns 79 percent of Champoux's 169 acres. The Galitzine Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA is planted to 17 acres of Clone 8 Cabernet Sauvignon. Mach One Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills, first planted in 2010, overlooks the Columbia River and is home to Clones 685 and 412, which now produce the single-clone Palengat and Tchelistcheff bottlings. All vineyards are own-rooted, as the Columbia Valley remains phylloxera-free.

• Champoux Vineyard (Horse Heaven Hills): first planted 1972; 600 to 800 feet elevation; fine sandy loam Sagehill soils; sourced by Quilceda Creek since 1986; winery owns 79 percent of 169 total acres
• Galitzine Vineyard (Red Mountain AVA): 17 acres of Clone 8 Cabernet Sauvignon; planted 2001; single-clone expression of Red Mountain terroir
• Mach One Vineyard (Horse Heaven Hills): planted 2010 along the Columbia River; source of Clone 685 (Palengat) and Clone 412 (Tchelistcheff) single-clone bottlings
• Columbia Valley terroir: continental semi-arid climate with rainshadow from the Cascades; own-rooted vines throughout due to absence of phylloxera; all grapes hand-harvested and trucked 200 miles overnight to Snohomish

The Golitzin family's winemaking pedigree spans generations. An ancestor, Prince Lev Sergeevich Galitzine, was the acclaimed winemaker to Russian Czar Nicholas II's Abrau Dursau estate and is credited as the creator of Russian champagne. Alex Golitzin was born in Paris after his parents fled Russia during the Revolution; the family emigrated to San Francisco in 1946 sponsored by Alex's maternal uncle, André Tchelistcheff, the legendary Beaulieu Vineyard winemaker later known as the Dean of American Winemaking. Alex worked as a chemical engineer at Scott Paper Company in Everett, Washington, making trial barrels from 1974 before establishing Quilceda Creek in 1978. His son Paul joined as winemaker in 1992 and is now president and director of winemaking. Working alongside winemaker Mark Kaigas, who joined in 2022 following a career at Colgin Cellars, and viticulturist Dan Nickolaus, Paul has directed the winery to its current standing as one of the most critically acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon producers in the world.

• Prince Lev Sergeevich Galitzine (ancestor): acclaimed winemaker to Czar Nicholas II at Abrau Dursau estate; credited as creator of Russian champagne
• Alex Golitzin (b. 1939, Paris): chemical engineer; mentored by maternal uncle André Tchelistcheff; established Quilceda Creek 1978 with single-minded Cabernet focus
• Paul Golitzin (b. 1970): joined as winemaker 1992; now president and director of winemaking; credited with achieving world-class critical recognition and developing the estate vineyard program
• Mark Kaigas joined as winemaker in 2022 after a career at Colgin Cellars in Napa Valley; Dan Nickolaus serves as viticulturist managing all four estate vineyards