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.