Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Whisky Advocate
The Quilceda Creek lineup begins with the 2008 Red Wine made up of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, with the balance Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Aromas of cedar, spice box, mineral, incense, black currant, and blackberry inform the nose of a ripe, savory, smooth-textured wine. In the glass it displays more minerality, excellent volume, and enough structure to evolve for 1-2 years. Enjoy this first-class effort now through 2020
Quilceda Creek has earned some of the highest reviews and awards of any winery in the United States: thirty - four 100 - point scores from seven different critics across Wine Advocate, Decanter, International Wine Report, The Wine Independent , and OwenBargreen.com . Additionally, Quilceda Creek was awarded four top 10 wines of the year in Wine Spectator , and Wine Enthusiast ’ s Best Cabernet of the Year.
Since 1978 Quilceda Creek has focused exclusively on producing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignons that rival and surpass the quality and pedigree of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons in the world. 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. Their exclusive portfolio of vineyards in Washington State set Quilceda Creek apart. As the 12th bonded winery in the state post Prohibition, Quilceda Creek ’ s longevity has given them years to refine their vineyard sourcing and perfect their farming practices. As the industry and vine acreage in Washington State have grown, they have used their depth of knowledge and experience to their advantage, singling out properties with the combination of geography, climate and soils capable of producing layered and complex Cabernet Sauvignons. Their exclusive portfolio of v ineyards 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 their crew year after year, Champoux, Mach One and Galitzin e 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 Quilceda Creek ’ s President and Winemak er. 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 a nd 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”.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.