Quilceda Creek Winery Acquires Full Ownership of Historic Champoux Vineyard

Snohomish’s Quilceda Creek Winery, one of the oldest family-owned wineries in Washington, has acquired the remaining ownership interest in the Champoux Vineyard, securing one of the state’s most iconic and historically significant sites, according to a winery news release Tuesday.

Located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in south-central Washington, one of 21 American Viticultural Areas in Washington, Champoux Vineyard is recognized globally for its distinctive terroir and for producing some of the world’s most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignons, the release said. Originally planted in the early 1970s and ’80s, Quilceda Creek has sourced fruit from Champoux since 1986 and has gradually increased its ownership over the last 30 years. It previously acquired a 79% stake in August 2021. The property comprises 170 acres, with 153 acres planted to vine.

Champoux Vineyard was recognized by Wine Spectator editors in the magazine’s Oct. 15, 2024, cover story, “The World’s Greatest Vineyards,” the release noted.

Since the 2001 vintage, Champoux has been the source of the winery’s flagship Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

“Champoux has noble tannin that creates a suave texture so unique to the site that it cannot be replicated,” Paul Golitzin, president and director of winemaking for Quilceda Creek, said in a statement. “We are honored and humbled to take care of this special piece of land.”

Quilceda Creek was established in 1978 by Alex and Jeannette Golitzin, with Paul Golitzin joining his father as winemaker in 1992. As president of the company today, he directs all aspects of vineyard management and winemaking.

Vineyard Manager Dan Nickolaus added, “Champoux is a vineyard that will go down in winegrowing history. It’s an extraordinary site for red wine grapes, consistently producing fruit of the highest quality year after year. It’s an honor to steward this vineyard, along with Quilceda Creek’s Mach One, Galitzine, and Ad Astra vineyards.”

Quilceda Creek is one of Washington’s benchmark producers of Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2002 and 2003 vintages received the first 100-point scores from The Wine Advocate and also was the first American wine from outside California to achieve this rating. Since then, the winery has garnered 46 perfect 100-point scores from additional wine publications, according to the release.

This is the Golitzin family’s second major vineyard purchase in the last 12 months. In September, they acquired a 16.8-acre vineyard on Red Mountain, planted to Bordeaux varietals at 1,100 feet in elevation and originally established under the guidance of renowned vineyard manager Dick Boushey. The vineyard is now known as Ad Astra, the release noted.