Quilceda Creek

About Winery

When Alex Golitzin founded Quilceda Creek, he took his uncle André Tchelistcheff’s advice to heart: make one wine and make it well. And for Alex, there was no doubt that wine would be Cabernet Sauvignon. In the several decades since, Quilceda Creek has never wavered from this focus, relentlessly pursuing perfection with every vintage.

Our vineyards in Washington State set Quilceda Creek apart. As the 12th bonded winery in the state post Prohibition, our longevity here has given us years to refine our vineyard sourcing and perfect our farming practices. As the industry and vine acreage in Washington State have grown, we have used our depth of knowledge and experience to our advantage, singling out properties with the combination of geography, climate and soils capable of producing layered and complex Cabernet Sauvignons.

Our exclusive portfolio of vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA sub-appellations of Horse Heaven Hills and Red Mountain include some of Washington State’s most historic and revered vineyard properties. Meticulously farmed by our crew year after year, Champoux, Mach One and Galitzine vineyards consistently produce acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignons that set the standards for exceptional quality.

Quilceda Creek would not be what it is today without Paul Golitzin, Alex and Jeannette Golitzin’s son and our President and Winemaker. Growing up at the winery and with winemaking mentors such as his father, Alex, and his great uncle, André Tchelistcheff, Paul was immersed in the lifestyle of the wine industry from an early age, both its hard, physical labor and its culture of beauty and craftsmanship.

When he was named winemaker in 1992, just 14 years after Quilceda Creek was founded, Paul made it his mission to bring the winery to new heights of quality. He became laser focused on vineyard sourcing, precision viticultural practices and new techniques and technologies in the winery. He began experimenting with yeasts, worked with coopers to develop custom barrels for Quilceda Creek, and kept scrupulous historical vineyard and vintage records to identify the strongest blocks and rows at each property.

It is Paul’s inspired blend of virtuosity and precision that has resulted in the long string of highly acclaimed wines for which Quilceda Creek is widely known. Under his leadership, Quilceda Creek has solidified its position as a benchmark producer of Cabernet Sauvignon, not only in Washington State, but the world over. Far from resting on his laurels, Paul continues to experiment constantly, following his own dictum that “the best Cabernet Sauvignon Quilceda Creek has made is its next”.