World-Class Wine

A few months back I had a private tour of the renowned Washington Winery Quilceda Creek. Many wine lovers have heard the name, but few people get the chance to enjoy it. At $200.00 a bottle and a wait list of a year or longer, it’s not your average weekday drinker. 

 

Quilceda Creek has produced high quality Cabernet Sauvignon since Alex and Jeannette Golitzin founded it in 1978. A family affair, the winery is now under the leadership of their son Paul. In 2004, after years of being a top Washington wine, the Golitzins built a state-of-the-art winery facility next door to their home in Snohomish. They have since grown into a larger facility next door to the first building. 

 

I scheduled my private tour and tasting on a Friday afternoon early enough so we would not be in rush hour traffic. This was a special trip for me, seeing as I grew up within miles of this winery. The winery is just blocks from my elementary school and my Grandparents’ home, so this was a homecoming of sorts. 

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Mackenna Stewart, Customer Relations Manager, met us at the door and whisked us off on our tour. We strolled through the park-like setting to the new, larger winery building, alive with the bustling start of harvest. Mackenna showed us all around the winery and explained their process for creating world-class wines. The main room was full with 60 fermentation tanks that are all freestanding so that they can easily be moved outside once the wine is in barrel.  After seeing the fermentation tanks, the barrel room, and the state-of-the-art grape sorting equipment, we strolled back to the elegant wine office and reception building. 

 

The tasting lounge area was luxurious yet cozy; soaring ceilings, warm colors, and comfortable furniture that our small group greatly enjoy. Quilceda Creek only produces four wines, all of which are Cabernet Sauvignon, either 100% or a blend. Quilceda Creek wines are only available occasionally at high-end boutique wine shops or by getting on their list.  To join the list, visit their website; the average wait time is about one year. 

 

With our tour we got to have a tasting of the 2015 Quilceda Creek, Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley. The wine is reticent with blackberry, blueberry and black cherry fruit, hints of spring flowers, cocoa powder, roasted herbs, forest floor, and minerals. This wine may be $200 for a bottle, but it is worth every dollar in the glass. This wine will age beautifully but drinks perfectly right now. 

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If a bottle of this wine is not in your budget for holiday drinking, you can still enjoy Quilceda Creek!  Why not schedule a tour and tasting for the wine lover on your list?  Contact Mackenna via email on their website; the hour long tour includes seeing the winery building and a comfortable tasting.  At $45 per person it’s a great day trip out of the city to taste world-class wine!