Quilceda Creek Winery
Renowned boutique winery in Washington State, famous for Cabernet Sauvignon.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Founded by Alex Golitzin in 1978, Quilceda Creek Winery is located in Washington State, focusing on high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon, with multiple perfect scores from Robert Parker.
History
Quilceda Creek’s origins lie in Alex Golitzin’s early interest in wine and his relationship with his uncle André Tchelistcheff. The Golitzin family moved to western Washington after Tchelistcheff began consulting for Chateau Ste. Michelle in the 1960s. During summers spent with his uncle in St. Helena, California, Alex developed practical and theoretical exposure to winemaking. From 1974 through 1977, he made a barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon each year as an amateur. Tchelistcheff encouraged the project and evaluated the results, helping give the family confidence to establish a commercial winery. Alex and Jeanette Golitzin founded Quilceda Creek in Snohomish in 1978. The winery’s first commercial Cabernet Sauvignon vintage followed in 1979 and produced about 150 cases. The name refers to Quilceda Creek, a waterway near the winery in Snohomish County. The enterprise remained deliberately focused rather than broad, concentrating on premium red wines and, particularly, Cabernet Sauvignon from eastern Washington vineyards. Paul Golitzin, Alex’s son, became director of winemaking in 1993. Under his winemaking leadership, annual production expanded to around 4,700 cases by 2000 and later to approximately 12,000 cases. A purpose-built facility on an 11-acre Snohomish property opened on January 1, 2004. The building provides roughly 15,000 square feet for fermentation and barrel aging, while public access is limited to appointments. The winery’s fruit program is based on four estate vineyards. Champoux, Mach One, and Palengat are located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, while Galitzine is in the Red Mountain AVA. Grapes are hand harvested and moved about 200 miles overnight from the vineyards to Snohomish. This arrangement allows the winery to combine a western Washington production base with fruit from the warmer, drier Columbia Valley winegrowing region. Critical recognition became central to Quilceda Creek’s identity. The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon was selected by Food & Wine in 2003 as the best American Cabernet Sauvignon above $20 in its tasting. The 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, and 2014 vintages received perfect scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. The winery was the first American producer outside California to receive a perfect score from that publication. It also received a perfect score from Decanter and two from OwenBargreen.com, in addition to the Wine Advocate ratings. Wine Spectator placed Quilceda Creek wines among its top ten wines of the year three times, and the winery received further recognition through 2020 selections by Wine & Spirits and Wine Enthusiast. The winery produces four principal wines. Its flagship Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a 100-percent Cabernet Sauvignon blend sourced from Champoux, Mach One, and Palengat. Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is the portfolio’s only single-vineyard bottling. Palengat Proprietary Red Wine is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, while CVR is a declassified Columbia Valley blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The flagship Cabernet and CVR have national distribution and reach customers in Asia and the United Kingdom. The Galitzine and Palengat wines are mainly allocated to the private mailing list, with occasional availability through the secondary market.
- 2020
Included in major top-100 selections
[1]Quilceda Creek is included in Wine & Spirits’ Top 100 Wineries and Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Cellar Selections.
- 2017
Named Best Washington State Winery
[1]The Wine Advocate names Quilceda Creek the best winery in Washington State.
- 2011
Wine is served at a White House state dinner
[1]The 2005 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is served at a dinner for President Hu Jintao hosted by President Barack Obama.
- 2004
New facility opens
[1]The 15,000-square-foot winery facility opens on January 1.
- 2003
New winery facility is completed
[1]A new production and barrel-aging facility is built on the winery’s Snohomish property.
- 2000
Production reaches approximately 4,700 cases
[1]Annual production is reported at about 4,700 cases.
- 1993
Paul Golitzin becomes director of winemaking
[1]Paul Golitzin takes over winemaking responsibilities for the family winery.
- 1979
First commercial vintage
[1]The winery produces its first commercial Cabernet Sauvignon vintage, totaling approximately 150 cases.
- 1978
Quilceda Creek is founded
[1]Alex and Jeanette Golitzin establish the winery in Snohomish, Washington.
Products and positioning
An allocation-oriented Washington boutique winery positioned around estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, small-scale production, vineyard specificity, and exceptional critic recognition.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The winery’s flagship bottling, made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Champoux, Mach One, and Palengat vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. It is the principal expression of Quilceda Creek’s estate-focused Cabernet Sauvignon program and is distributed nationally in the United States, as well as in parts of Asia and the United Kingdom.
Single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
A Cabernet Sauvignon made from the winery’s Galitzine Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA. It is Quilceda Creek’s only single-vineyard bottling in the described portfolio and is generally reserved for the private mailing list, with limited secondary-market availability.
Proprietary red blend
Palengat Proprietary Red Wine
A red blend composed of approximately 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon from the Champoux and Mach One vineyards and 10 percent Cabernet Franc from the Palengat Vineyard. The wine is allocated primarily through the winery’s private mailing list.
Red blend
Columbia Valley Red (CVR)
A declassified Columbia Valley red blend combining Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Compared with the winery’s estate-designated bottlings, CVR provides a broader blended expression and is distributed nationally and in selected international markets.
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