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With its formal gardens, graceful architecture and warming, welcoming fire in the great stone fireplace, Château Ste. Michelle could very well be nestled in the French countryside rather than the Seattle suburb of Woodinville, Washington. Spread out on 87 acres in the once agricultural Sammamish Valley, the winery is the oldest in the state and the one that first brought enological recognition to Washington. Since then, the winery has continued to receive national and international awards and the highest accolades for both its red and white wines, notably the chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon.

Although the winery was founded in 1934 under the name NAWICO (National Wine Company), others had planted vinifera grapes in the state much earlier. In 1871, missionaries and French fur traders brought wine grapes to eastern Washington where they taught Native Americans how to irrigate the Yakima Valley and tend the vines. In 1951, NAWICO began planting grenache grapes in the Columbia Valley south of Yakima, followed by the first white riesling in Yakima Valley in 1965. In 1966, wine writer and historian Leon Adams visited the valley and was so impressed with the grenache that he suggested that the company produce vinifera wine on a commercial scale. In 1967, the Ste. Michelle label debuted with a cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, semillion and grenache.

It was in 1974 that Ste. Michelle was launched into the national spotlight. The Los Angeles Times conducted a blind tasting of 19 white reislings, and Ste. Michelle's 1972 reisling ranked number one. From there, the accolades and awards piled up at the winery's Woodinville headquarters. In 1988 Chateau Ste. Michelle was named "Best American Winery" by Tasters Guild and in 1989 "Best of the Best" wineries by Wine & Spirits magazine. Their 1987 cabernet sauvignon came home with the only gold medal for an American red wine at the 1991 VinExpo in Bordeaux, France. Most recently in 2000, Wine Spectator gave both the Chateau Ste. Michelle 1997 Reserve Chardonnay and the 1996 Cold Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon an impressive 92 rating.

Over the decades, Château Ste. Michelle has expanded and refined the winery. It is one of the few premium wineries in the world with two state-of-the-art winemaking operations, one devoted to whites and another to reds. Erik Olsen oversees the making of white wine in Woodinville, while Ron Bunnell heads the red wine and sparkling wine production in eastern Washington.

All of the grapes are grown in eastern Washington's Columbia Valley, which vastly differs from Seattle's rainy marine climate. The Cascade Mountains block the eastward-moving wet weather systems hurtling in from the Pacific. Instead, eastern Washington is semi-arid, receiving only six to eight inches annually, and most of that is during vine dormancy. The 80-degree summer weather and cool evenings are ideal for the ripening grapes.

The Columbia Valley now has over 13,000 areas of classic varieties planted, making it second to California in U.S. vinifera-based wines. Nearly 300 growers farm the land, with new acerage and varieties planted annually.

The Château Ste. Michelle winery in Woodinville is a favorite stop for both local residents and Seattle-area visitors. The facility was once a part of the extensive Hollywood Farm estate of Seattle lumber baron Frederick Stimson. In 1912, Stimson completed a summer home on the grounds that is still used by the winery for special events and is listed on the National Historic Registry. The magnificent gardens were designed by the Olmsted family, whose other famous works include New York City's Central Park and Seattle's Volunteer Park. Peacocks, Canada geese and ducks roam freely, while native salmon swish through shallow ponds.

Complimentary tours and tastings are held daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., when visitors can watch the amazingly automated bottling process and view the giant stainless steel tanks and the French oak barrels, where the drier wine is fermented in small quantities and is hand-stirred at regular intervals.

Of course, the favorite part of the tour is the tasting. On this rainy weekend the buttery, rich chardonnay was particularly enjoyable, and you could discern a hint of those new French oak barrels. A pinot gris was light yet dry, while the '98 cabernet sauvignon, even though young, had a dark ripe berry appearance with notes of toasty oak and vanilla —a perfect accompaniment to fresh Northwest salmon. More extensive tasting is conducted in the Vintage Reserve Room, where reserve, single vineyard and library wines are available for a fee of $3-$5 per taste.

Adjacent to the softly lit tasting rooms is the winery's expansive gift shop that will warm the heart of any wine lover. All of Ste. Michelle's wines are available for purchase, and a few of these are available exclusively at the winery. A special Artist Series collection in a Bordeaux-style wine pays tribute to the world's great glass artists. Works by the honored artists are featured on the Artist Series labels and are on permanent display at the winery.

Château Ste. Michelle also celebrates the complementary relationship between wine and food, offering cooking classes, wine and food tastings, wine dinners and special events, all designed to further people's enjoyment and understanding of wine and food. The winery's Culinary Director is John Sarich, who hosted the Emmy-nominated cooking show Taste of the Northwest for four years and is the author of two cookbooks, John Sarich's Food & Wine of the Pacific Northwest, 1993, and John Sarich at Chateau Ste. Michelle, 1997.

The winery, located 15 miles northeast of Seattle, is open for tours and tasting daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the gift shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For further information:
Château Ste. Michelle
14111 NE 145th, Woodinville, WA 98072
(425) 488-1133
www.ste-michelle.com

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