Many wonderful wine experiences just waiting in Woodinville, Washington
The weekend before Christmas, our wine and food troupe give ourselves an early present. We gather in Woodinville to explore, taste and nosh. It’s a tradition for us... even though this was only our third annual.
We go about choosing which places to visit weeks before Thanksgiving. But it’s a challenge to choose just a few out of hundreds of some spectacular wineries, tasting rooms and restaurants.
With more than 130 wineries and tasting rooms in Woodinville, it helps to be organized with an itemized plan. Reservations are made for our party of six with time allowed for travel and to enjoy what’s in front of you: both the wine and your companions.
To help in that endeavor, we visit only one of the four main wine districts per day. Here's a breakdown.
The Hollywood District sports more than 40 wineries, anchored on one end by the old Hollywood Schoolhouse and the other end by Washington’s first winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle. Frederick Stimson built a hunting lodge and gentleman’s farm known as the Hollywood Farm.
The Warehouse District is marked by row upon row of sandwich boards proclaiming this winery or that tasting room. Many in this district are working wineries, so mind your step and keep an eye out for forklifts.
The West Valley District entertains eight boutique wineries, a brewery, distilleries and with more eateries, pubs and restaurants within half a mile than you can shake a fork at.
The Downtown District has 12 tasting rooms in Wine Alley at Woodin Creek Village. Just park the car and stroll from one to the next. Reservations highly recommended – these are for the most part small places.
From their humble beginnings in 1954 as NAWICO producing sweet fortified wines and fruit wines, Chateau Ste. Michelle is today the single largest Riesling producer in the world.
In 1967, things changed dramatically. Old-world grapes like Grenache, Riesling and Cabernet were planted and Ste. Michelle Vintners was born.
Chateau Ste. Michelle is the biggest reason Washington is the second in wine production after California. In the Chateau’s lineage, you’ll find many Washington winemakers and vineyardists that have graduated from there and went on to open their own wineries.
Chateau Ste. Michelle also continually works to promote the Washington wine industry. In late 1995 and early '96, a harsh winter freeze severely reduced the harvest, with red varieties affected the most. Many small wineries were left without grapes. The Chateau came to the rescue. By supplying these wineries with grapes, the wineries were able to stock store shelves with their red wines in 1997.
Since my wine buddy and I arrived a couple of hours ahead of the rest of the troupe and our first appointment, we headed to Woodinville’s Grand Dame – Chateau Ste Michelle.
It was an impressive start to a fabulous weekend. I chose the premium red wine tasting and my wine buddy chose the featured flight. The presentation was classy. Four little carafes (you can taste at your leisure, no waiting for the next pour), a detailed tasting sheet, a Riedel glass and a carafe of water with cups. Absolutely perfect.
The four wines in the featured flight were a white, a barely pink and two reds. The first in the lineup was an amazing blend of Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris – Autumn White. The inaugural release of this wine has great body, beautiful small bubbles and a zingy finish.
The next in the flight was even more amazing - a White Cabernet from Horse Heaven Hills. A very white, barely pink wine that was brimming with fruit and crisp acidity. A rare beauty!
The 2014 Ethos Reserve Syrah has a touch of Viognier and hails from the Horse Heaven Hills (H3), Cold Creek and Wahluke Slope vineyards. This deep, dark red has a massive amount of black fruit flavors.
Last was the 2020 Artist Series Red Blend. This well-integrated blend of 44 Cab and 46 Merlot had a splash of Malbec and Cab Franc was a “really good blend, well-integrated, dark fruit forward.” About 80% from the famed Cold Creek Vineyard first planted in 1974 and the remainder from Dineen Vineyards.
Splendid as this featured flight was, the premium flight blew my socks off.
Beginning with the 2015 Artist Series Red, a blend of 57 Cab, 30 Merlot and dash of Malbec and Cab Franc. The 2020 Artist Series Red was the last in the featured flight, and with 5 years of aging, interesting to compare the two.
The grapes were harvested from Canoe Ridge, Zephyr Ridge and Klipsun. This 8-year-old was ripe, rich and concentrated. Score: VVG.
My favorite so far, the 2017 Tenet is a blend of mostly Grenache with equal parts of Syrah and Mourvedre with a dash of Cinsault. All varieties were fermented separately with a third of the lots fermented whole cluster, which produces a more fruit forward wine. Think Beaujolais Nouveau.
The remaining two thirds was fermented more in the usual and accustomed manner and went through extended maceration to ensure a gorgeous color.
After fermentation, the wine was placed into 500-liter puncheons and a 600-liter oak barrel typically used in the Rhône Valley. Larger vessels like these minimize oxidation during the 18 months of aging.
The final blend was a collaboration of former CSM head winemaker Bob Bertheau, renowned Rhône winemaker Michel Gassier and renowned French oenologist Philippe Cambie. Their decades of experience resulted in a fantastic blend for this wine. I wish I could have been a spider on the wall in that room. Score: VVG
The 2015 Ethos Reserve Merlot from Canoe Ridge, Cold Creek and H3 vineyards has big, black cherry flavors and spends 22 months on oak, 54% new oak. The tasting sheet explained that Washington Merlots are so big and concentrated that they add Cabernet to soften the tannins!
My other favorite was the 2016 Limited Release Druthers Cab from old vines (planted in 1973) on south facing Cold Creek Vineyards. Cold Creek is a misnomer, it’s actually a warm, dry vineyard. These low-yielding old vines produce small berries and clusters and that means an intensely colored and flavored wine.
Fermented in a 3-ton oak upright tank, the wine also underwent extended maceration, then aged 22 months in French oak. This powerful, rich, red wine made from 98% Cabernet has concentrated dark fruit flavors, integrated tannins and an everlasting finish. Score: VVG
We ended our Woodinville tour Sunday afternoon at Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Bubbly Beats bar. The flight included bubblies from 2018 Luxe, Columbia Crest Blanc de Noir, 14 Hands Unicorn Rose and NV Luxe Rose with truffled popcorn.
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Mary Earl has been educating Kitsap wine lovers for a couple of decades, is a longtime member of the West Sound Brew Club and can pair a beer or wine dinner in a flash. She volunteers for the Clear Creek Trail and is a longtime supporter of Silverdale.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Woodinville Washington is home to more than just Chateau Ste. Michelle
