Chateau Ste. Michelle Delivers Serious Bang for Your Buck



By Kori ~ February 11th, 2015.

Chateau Ste. Michelle is Washington State’s founding winery with its roots dating back to the repeal of Prohibition. In 1976, Ste. Michelle built a French-style chateau in Woodinville, just northeast of Seattle. While all of Chateau Ste. Michelle’s vineyards are located on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, all of their white wines are made in Woodinville. Their red wines are made at Canoe Ridge Estate in eastern Washington.

No matter where you live in the United States, you are probably familiar with the wines of Chateau Ste. Michelle, particularly their Columbia Valley line. While those wines enjoy national distribution, Chateau Ste. Michelle also produces a number of other reserve and limited release wines that are not as widely available.

We recently had the opportunity to taste a number of the current releases from Chateau Ste. Michelle, in a blind samples tasting. The seven wines featured here, five whites and two reds, are all very good and, most importantly, deliver serious bang for your buck. Six of these wines received a QPR rating of 4 or 5. When it comes to good quality at an excellent value, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley line is hard to beat.

And, for those of you who generally stay away from white wines in the middle of winter when it is cold and/or wet, I encourage you to “let it go”. Especially when paired with the right foods, these wines can be enjoyed year-round.

2013 Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Horse Heaven Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills, Washington): 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Pale straw yellow. Aromatic with citrus, particularly orange, and floral notes on both the nose and palate. Dry and light-bodied with racy acidity and a long, refreshing finish. Food pairing suggestions: mussels, halibut, chicken, goat cheese.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $15; Available elsewhere, $11 to $19

2013 Chateau Ste. Michelle Harvest Select Sweet Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington): 100% Riesling. Pale to medium, greenish straw yellow. Nice nose with apricot, peach, and a touch of honey aromas and flavors. Medium-sweet and medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long finish. Food pairing suggestions: fresh fruit, crab, Asian dishes, mild cheeses. Residual Sugar: 4.3%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $10; Available elsewhere, $7 to $12

2013 Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington): 100% Riesling. Pale, greenish straw yellow. Very aromatic with apple, apricot, and melon on both the nose and palate. Off-dry and light-bodied with lively acidity and a medium to long finish. Food pairing suggestions: fresh fruit, crab, mild cheeses, chicken. Residual Sugar: 2.01%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $10; Available elsewhere, $7 to $12

2012 Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot (Columbia Valley, Washington): 92% Merlot, 3% Syrah, and 5% blenders (Malbec, Grenache, Mourvedre and Petit Verdot). Deep, dark purplish red in color. Nice nose with black plum, black cherry, leather, and smoky aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied with lively acidity, smooth tannins, and a long finish. Food pairing suggestions: beef, lamb, grilled salmon, hearty pastas.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $15; Available elsewhere, $12 to $19

2012 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington): 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 4% Syrah, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot, and 2% Mourvedre. Deep, dark purplish red. Beautiful nose with red and black fruit aromas and flavors as well as a touch of eucalyptus. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, silky tannins, and a long, smooth finish. Food pairing suggestions: beef, hearty pastas, dark chocolate, blue cheese.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $15; Available elsewhere, $12 to $16

2013 Chateau Ste. Michelle Gewurztraminer (Columbia Valley, Washington): 100% Gewurztraminer. Pale yellow in color. Aromatic with floral notes as well as green apple and citrus on both the nose and palate. Medium-sweet and light-bodied with lively acidity and a medium to long finish. Food pairing suggestions: crab, Asian dishes, chicken. Residual Sugar: 1.7%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $10; Available elsewhere, $8 to $12

2013 Eroica Riesling [Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen] (Columbia Valley, Washington): 100% Riesling. Pale, greenish straw yellow. Beautiful nose with white peach and honeysuckle aromas. Granny Smith apple and floral notes come through on the palate. Off-dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long, refreshing finish. Food pairing suggestions: Asian dishes, Indian curries, crab, scallops. Residual Sugar: 1.55%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $20; Available elsewhere, $14 to $26


Filed under: American Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Five-Bangs For Your Buck Wines, Merlot, Red Wine, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Washington State Wine, White Wine, Wines Under $10, Wines Under $15, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25

Reader's Comments

  1. Darren @ Smashed Grape | March 3rd, 2015 at 8:38 pm

    Hi, being in Australia. generally we will miss fantastic wines like these…