Champoux Vineyard by Richard Duval

Quilceda Creek, one of Washington’s oldest and most highly regarded wineries, has acquired full ownership of Champoux Vineyard. The winery was previously the vineyard’s majority owner.

“Champoux has noble tannin that creates a suave texture so unique to the site that it cannot be replicated,” Paul Golitzin, Quilceda Creek president and director of winemaking, said in a press release. “We are honored and humbled to take care of this special piece of land.”

Quilceda Creek increased its ownership stake in Champoux Vineyard to 79% in 2021 when it acquired most of the shares owned by Rick and Darcey Fugman-Small (Woodward Canyon). Now Quilceda Creek owns the vineyard outright, including the rest of the Small’s shares as well as shares previously owned by Chris Camarda (Andrew Will) and Badger Mountain Vineyards.

Located in the Horse Heaven Hills appellation, Champoux Vineyard spans 170 acres, with 153 planted to vine. Quilceda Creek has sourced fruit from the vineyard since 1986. The winery’s Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has long been sourced from Champoux Vineyard. Quilceda Creek’s flagship wine is among the most decorated Cabernet Sauvignons in the world, while Champoux Vineyard is regarded as one of North America’s highest-quality vineyards.

Don and Linda Mercer established what is now Champoux Vineyard as Mercer Ranch Vineyards in 1972. (Don Mercer died in 2024.) It was the first vineyard established in the Horse Heaven Hills, now one of the Columbia Valley’s most heavily planted nested appellations. (Read a feature article about the Horse Heaven Hills.)

Grower Paul Champoux took over management of the vineyard in 1989. In 1996, he purchased it with a group of wineries, including Quilceda Creek, and renamed it Champoux Vineyard. Champoux sold his ownership stake in 2014, and Quilceda Creek has steadily increased its interest over time.

Quilceda Creek has also been replanting portions of Champoux Vineyard. Some replanting occurred after the freeze at the end of the 2010 growing season, and it has continued in the years since.

“It’s a big part of the business plan,” Golitzin told Northwest Wine Report in 2023. “The results are better, so we’re making that old site better, and the wines are getting better because we’re outgrowing what we used to have.”

Of note, this is Quilceda Creek’s second major acquisition in the past year. The winery purchased Red Mountain’s Longwinds Vineyard, formerly a property for Duckhorn Vineyards’ Canvasback Winery, in 2025. (Duckhorn had announced earlier that year it was shutting down the Canvasback brand, along with several others.) The vineyard has since been renamed Ad Astra.

Quilceda Creek was established in 1978 by Alex and Jeannette Golitzin. It is the 12th oldest post-Prohibition winery in Washington. The winery, located in Snohomish, has made its mark through the relentless pursuit of Cabernet Sauvignon perfection. Paul Golitzin, Alex and Nancy’s son, joined the winery as winemaker in 1992, making it one of Washington’s earliest multi-generational family wineries. Mark Kaigas joined the Quilceda Creek team as winemaker in 2022.

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