Washington state winery Quilceda Creek has acquired the remaining shares in Champoux Vineyard, taking full ownership of the business.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
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In a statement, Quilceda Creek, which is owned by the Golitizin family, said it acquired the rest of the business after previously purchasing a 79% stake in 2021.
The remaining shares were snapped up from Chris Camarda, Richard Small and Darcy Fugman Small, and Badger Mountain Vineyards, Paul Golitzin, president and director of winemaking at Quilceda Creek, told Just Drinks.
Camarda founded Andrew Will, while Richard Small and Darcy Fugman Small founded Woodward Canyon Winery, both of which are based in Washington.
Quilceda Creek has sourced fruit from Champoux since 1986 and, since the 2001 vintage, the vineyard has been the primary source for Quilceda’s Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
Grapes from the site also go into Quilceda’s Columbia Valley Red, which is sold to the group’s “private members”, Golitzin said..
In Quilceda’s statement, the company’s vineyard manager Dan Nickolaus said Champoux is an “extraordinary site for red wine grapes, consistently producing fruit of the highest quality year after year”.
When asked by Just Drinks on why Quilceda believes there is growth opportunity in investing in red wine, Golitzin said “The additional investment in Champoux is not about growth but rather ensuring that the winery has complete control of its sourcing in order to continue to push for the highest quality wine.”
“There are not many opportunities to buy truly ‘first growth’ quality vineyards anywhere in the world,” he added.
He also said that owning 100% of the vineyard “just means that we’ve locked in one of the best vineyards in the world for our wines for good” and gives the winery “complete control of its sourcing in order to continue to push for the highest quality wine”.
Champoux was first established in 1972 by Don and Linda Mercer as Mercer Ranch Vineyards, becoming the first vineyard planted in what is now the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.
Grower Paul Champoux took over management in 1989 and bought the site in 1996 with a group of wineries that included Quilceda Creek, later renaming it Champoux Vineyard.
Champoux sold his ownership stake in 2014, and Quilceda Creek has steadily increased interest in the business “over time”, Golitzin said.
Golitzin said Quilceda has historically supplied wineries including Woodward Canyon and Andrew Will, and may continue to sell fruit from the vineyard to select producers.
Quilceda Creek, founded in 1978, is today owned by the Golitzin family. The business also owns two other vineyards, Galitzine and Ad Astra, and has a long-term leases to source from the Mach One vineyard.
Its wines are processed and bottled at its winery in Snohomish.
In September, Quilceda Creek acquired Longwinds Vineyard, now known as Ad Astra, from The Duckhorn Portfolio.
