Exclusive: Quilceda Creek Buys Washington State Vineyard from Duckhorn
Quilceda Creek, one of Washington state’s most elite Cabernet Sauvignon producers, has purchased a 17-acre vineyard in Red Mountain from the Duckhorn Portfolio. The purchase price was not disclosed.
The vineyard was planted in 2014, primarily to Cabernet with a few acres of Merlot, by prominent vineyard manager Dick Boushey. The grapes previously went into Canvasback’s Grand Passage and other Cabernets, according to Duckhorn spokesperson Belinda Weber. The company announced in May that it was phasing out the Canvasback program as part of a plan to refocus on premium brands.
Quilceda Creek president Paul Golitzin says the new site is situated between 970 and 1,100 feet above sea level and has silty loam soils. Cabernet grows in the rockier soils at the top and Merlot is planted near the bottom, where the soils have a higher water-retention capacity. The parcel is located near Antinori’s Col Solare vineyard and less than a mile from Quilceda Creek’s Creek’s 17-acre Galitzine vineyard, which the winery bottles as a single-vineyard wine. (Galitzine is the French spelling of Golitzin.)
“This is a gorgeous, high elevation vineyard, a little closer to the stars,” said Golitzin, in a statement. “The vines, at 12 years old, are just hitting their stride, and I’m excited to work with the additional Bordeaux clones planted there.”
Land Too Good to Pass Up
Quilceda Creek was founded by Alex Golitzin in 1979 and became one of the top Cabernet producers in Washington with the encouragement of Golitzin’s uncle, the renowned André Tchelistcheff. Paul took over winemaking in 1993 and continues to refine the flagship wine. Current annual production averages about 12,000 cases.
Duckhorn was established in 1976 by vintners Dan and Margaret Duckhorn in Napa Valley and grew into a prominent collection of wineries over the years. It was acquired by Los Angeles-based private equity firm Butterfly in 2024 for just under $2 billion. The company has an overall annual production of about 2.7 million cases, according to Impact Databank, a sister publication of Wine Spectator.
Red Mountain is a 4,040-acre subappellation of the Yakima Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) and is considered among Washington’s most- prestigious regions for Bordeaux varieties. Technically, it’s not a mountain but an anticline, which is a geological fold in which rock layers arch upward. A distinctive feature to the region is the 40 degree temperature swings between day and night, which allow for full ripening during the day, followed by cool evenings that preserve acidity.
The Quilceda Creek vineyard team is already prepping the vines to harvest this year. Until Golitzin gets to know vineyard better, he’s not sure where the grapes will go. “We’re going to see whatever fits. Some of it will go into Galitzine. And Merlot is one of my passions. We used to make Merlot and I would like to start making a limited amount of it again.”
Golitzin concedes he’s bucking the trend by buying a vineyard at a time when many Washington growers are ripping out vines. The state’s largest producer, Chateau Ste. Michelle, announced in 2023 that it was reducing grape contracts by 40 percent. “We’re doing pretty good here at Quilceda,” he said. “We feel very fortunate.”
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