2011 Quilceda Creek Galitzine Cabernet Sauvignon

Quilceda Creek is Washington State’s most acclaimed wine producer. Its Cabernet Sauvignons have been earning awards and high ratings from reviewers ever since the 1980s, and Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Quilceda a winery “that remains below the radar of even the most knowledgeable wine enthusiasts. These are prodigious, world class wines.” Based in Snohomish, Washington, not too far north of Seattle, Quilceda Creek’s 32 acres of vineyards are in several Eastern Washington appellations. Alex Golitzin, founder and owner, was born in France at the beginning of WWII but moved to San Francisco during the war with his parents. His uncle was Andre Tchelistcheff, one of Napa Valley’s earliest crafters of fine wines. Paul Golitzin, Alex’s son, is now chief winemaker at Quilceda Creek. The winery’s vineyards are planted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Vines are 12 to 23 years old. Some 38,000 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon are produced annually.

Yakima Valley AVA was the first AVA created in Washington State. The valley, a 600,000-acre area in south central Washington, was granted AVA status in 1983. In 1984 Columbia Valley was given AVA status, and Yakima Valley was enclosed within the Columbia Valley AVA. Nevertheless, Yakima Valley remains home to the largest concentration of vineyards and wineries in the state. There are more than 60 wineries and some 16,000 vineyard acres, and nearly 40% of Washington wines are made with Yakima Valley grapes. The most frequently planted grape is Chardonnay, followed by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaking here dates to 1869, when a winemaker from Alsace planted grape vines. Vineyard planting and wine production plodded along slowly until the early 1980s when numerous modern pioneers started making well-reviewed Yakima Valley wines. Some of the state’s newest, most closely watched appellations, including Red Mountain AVA and Horse Heaven Hills AVA, are contained within Yakima Valley.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.